Julie Halard-Decugis

Julie Halard-Decugis
Country (sports)  France
Residence Pully, Switzerland
Born (1970-09-10) 10 September 1970
Versailles, France
Height 1.73 m (5 ft 8 in)
Turned pro 1986
Retired 2000
Plays Right-handed (two handed-backhand)
Prize money US$ 3,081,132
Singles
Career record 386–233
Career titles 12
Highest ranking No. 7 (14 February 2000)
Grand Slam Singles results
Australian Open QF (1993, 2000)
French Open QF (1994)
Wimbledon 4r (1992)
US Open 4r (1999)
Doubles
Career record 253–156
Career titles 15
Highest ranking No. 1 (11 September 2000)
Grand Slam Doubles results
Australian Open QF (2000)
French Open SF (1994, 2000)
Wimbledon F (2000)
US Open W (2000)

Julie Halard-Decugis (born 10 September 1970) is a French former professional tennis player.

Tennis career

Halard-Decugis lived in La Baule, France during the initial stages of her career and later moved to Pully, Switzerland. She turned professional in 1986. She won the French Open junior singles title in 1988 and was the Wimbledon junior singles runner-up in 1987. She retired from the WTA Tour tennis circuit at the end of the 2000 season. Her highest WTA Tour singles and doubles rankings was number seven and number one respectively. She had been coached by Arnaud Decugis since 1989.

Halard-Decugis won her first WTA Tour singles title in Puerto Rico. She enjoyed her best season in 1996, when she won her first WTA Tour Tier II singles title in Paris and finished the year with a career-high season-ending singles ranking of number 15 and as the number one singles player from France. This occurred despite the fact that her playing schedule in the second half of 1996 was curtailed because of a wrist injury sustained during the Fed Cup semi-final match against Spain. She only played two tournaments in late 1997 because of injuries.

By winning the singles title in Rosmalen in 1998, she became the 20th player to have won singles titles on all four surfaces in the Open Era. Halard also won the singles and doubles titles in Pattaya that year, and broke into the top 10 singles ranking in August 1999, becoming the fifth Frenchwoman after Françoise Dürr, Mary Pierce, Nathalie Tauziat and Amélie Mauresmo to do so. In 1999, she won two WTA Tour singles titles and was runner-up on three other occasions. Between 15 November 1999 and 9 January 2000, Julie Halard, Nathalie Tauziat, Amélie Mauresmo and Mary Pierce were all ranked inside the singles Top 10, the first time France had four players ranked among the singles Top 10.

2000 was to be the final and perhaps the finest year of Halard's professional playing career. She reached the Australian Open singles quarter-final for the second time, captured the second WTA Tour Tier II title of her career in Eastbourne and reached her career-high singles ranking of number 7 in February. Halard was also runner-up in Tokyo's Princess Cup in the month of October and won the doubles title with Ai Sugiyama. The following week, she won both the singles and doubles titles at the Japan Open in Tokyo, saving three match points in the final to defeat the defending champion Amy Frazier.

On her 30th birthday, Halard won the 2000 US Open women's doubles title with Ai Sugiyama, her only Grand Slam title as a professional. The pair also reached the final at Wimbledon, the semi-final at the French Open and the quarter-final at the Australian Open that year. Halard-Decugis won nine other doubles titles in 2000, five of them with Sugiyama, and became the first Frenchwoman to attain the number one WTA Tour doubles ranking in the Open Era.

Halard-Decugis represented her country in the Federation Cup Fed Cup from 1990 to 2000 and in the Olympics Games in 1992 and 2000.

Personal life

She married her coach, Arnaud Decugis, on 22 September 1995. Arnaud Decugis is the great nephew of Max Decugis, a leading tennis player from France during the early 20th century. The couple have 2 children: Camille, born on 10 February 2002 and another child born in July 2003.

Grand Slam women's doubles finals

Win (1)

Year Championship Partnering Opponents in Final Score in Final
2000 US Open Japan Ai Sugiyama Zimbabwe Cara Black
Russia Elena Likhovtseva
6–0, 1–6, 6–1

Runner-up (1)

Year Championship Partnering Opponents in Final Score in Final
2000 Wimbledon Japan Ai Sugiyama United States Serena Williams
United States Venus Williams
6–3, 6–2

WTA Tour singles finals

Wins (12)

Legend (Singles)
Grand Slam (0)
WTA Championship (0)
Tier I (0)
Tier II (2)
Tier III (3)
Tier IV/V (7)
Titles by Surface
Hard (5)
Clay (3)
Grass (3)
Carpet (1)
No. Date Tournament Surface Opponent in the final Score
1. October 21, 1991 San Juan, Puerto Rico Hard South Africa Amanda Coetzer 7–5, 7–5
2. April 27, 1992 Taranto, Italy Clay Switzerland Emanuela Zardo 6–0, 7–5
3. April 25, 1994 Taranto, Italy Clay Romania Irina Spîrlea 6–2, 6–3
4. May 8, 1995 Prague, Czech Republic Clay Czech Republic Ludmila Richterová 6–4, 6–4
5. January 8, 1996 Hobart, Australia Hard Japan Mana Endo 6–1, 6–2
6. February 12, 1996 Paris, France Carpet (i) Croatia Iva Majoli 7–5, 7–64
7. June 15, 1996 Rosmalen, Netherlands Grass Netherlands Miriam Oremans 6–3, 6–4
8. November 16, 1998 Pattaya City, Thailand Hard China Li Fang 6–1, 6–2
9. January 4, 1999 Auckland, New Zealand Hard Belgium Dominique Monami 6–4, 6–1
10. June 7, 1999 Birmingham, United Kingdom Grass France Nathalie Tauziat 6–2, 3–6, 6–4
11. June 19, 2000 Eastbourne, United Kingdom Grass Belgium Dominique Monami 7–64, 6–4
12. October 9, 2000 Tokyo, Japan Hard United States Amy Frazier 5–7, 7–5, 6–4

Runners-up (9)

No. Date Tournament Surface Opponent in the final Score
1. October 5, 1987 Athens, Greece Clay Bulgaria Katerina Maleeva 6–0, 6–1
2. August 5, 1991 Albuquerque, U.S. Hard United States Gigi Fernández 6–0, 6–2
3. February 14, 1994 Paris, France Carpet (i) United States Martina Navratilova 7–5, 6–3
4. February 26, 1996 Linz, Austria Carpet (i) Belgium Sabine Appelmans 6–2, 6–4
5. May 18, 1998 Strasbourg, France Clay Romania Irina Spîrlea 7–65, 6–3
6. April 26, 1999 Bol, Croatia Clay United States Corina Morariu 6–2, 6–0
7. May 10, 1999 Berlin, Germany Clay Switzerland Martina Hingis 6–0, 6–1
8. August 9, 1999 Los Angeles, U.S. Hard United States Serena Williams 6–1, 6–4
9. October 2, 2000 Tokyo, Japan Hard United States Serena Williams 7–5, 6–1

WTA Tour doubles finals

Wins (15)

Legend (Singles)
Grand Slam (1)
WTA Championship (0)
Tier I (2)
Tier II (6)
Tier III (4)
Tier IV/V (2)
Titles by Surface
Hard (11)
Clay (1)
Grass (1)
Carpet (2)
No. Date Tournament Surface Partner Opponents in the final Score
1. August 8, 1994 Los Angeles, U.S. Hard France Nathalie Tauziat Czech Republic Jana Novotná
United States Lisa Raymond
6–1, 0–6, 6–1
2. September 19, 1994 Tokyo, Japan Hard Spain Arantxa Sánchez Vicario United States Amy Frazier
Japan Rika Hiraki
6–1, 0–6, 6–1
3. January 1, 1996 Auckland, New Zealand Hard Belgium Els Callens Canada Jill Hetherington
Australia Kristine Kunce
6–0, 6–1
4. June 8, 1998 Birmingham, United Kingdom Grass Belgium Els Callens United States Lisa Raymond
Australia Rennae Stubbs
2–6, 6–4, 6–4
5. November 16, 1998 Pattaya City, Thailand Hard Belgium Els Callens Japan Rika Hiraki
Poland Aleksandra Olsza
3–6, 6–2, 6–2
6. January 3, 2000 Gold Coast, Australia Hard Russia Anna Kournikova Belgium Sabine Appelmans
Italy Rita Grande
6–3, 6–0
7. January 10, 2000 Sydney, Australia Hard Japan Ai Sugiyama Switzerland Martina Hingis
France Mary Pierce
6–0, 6–3
8. February 7, 2000 Paris, France Carpet (i) France Sandrine Testud France Émilie Loit
Sweden Åsa Svensson
3–6, 6–3, 6–4
9. March 20, 2000 Miami, U.S. Hard Japan Ai Sugiyama United States Nicole Arendt
Netherlands Manon Bollegraf
4–6, 7–5, 6–4
10. May 1, 2000 Bol, Croatia Clay United States Corina Morariu Slovenia Tina Križan
Slovenia Katarina Srebotnik
6–2, 6–2
11. August 21, 2000 New Haven, U.S. Hard Japan Ai Sugiyama Spain Virginia Ruano Pascual
Argentina Paola Suárez
6–4, 5–7, 6–2
12. August 28, 2000 US Open Hard Japan Ai Sugiyama Zimbabwe Cara Black
Russia Elena Likhovtseva
6–0, 1–6, 6–1
13. October 2, 2000 Tokyo, Japan Hard Japan Ai Sugiyama Japan Nana Miyagi
Argentina Paola Suárez
6–0, 6–2
14. October 9, 2000 Tokyo, Japan Hard United States Corina Morariu Slovenia Tina Križan
Slovenia Katarina Srebotnik
6–1, 6–2
15. October 23, 2000 Moscow, Russia Carpet (i) Japan Ai Sugiyama Switzerland Martina Hingis
Russia Anna Kournikova
4–6, 6–4, 7–65

Runners-up (10)

No. Date Tournament Surface Partner Opponents in the final Score
1. September 16, 1991 Paris, France Clay France Alexia Dechaume Czech Republic Petra Langrová
Czech Republic Radka Zrubáková
6–4, 6–4
2. April 18, 1994 Barcelona, Spain Clay France Nathalie Tauziat Latvia Larisa Neiland
Spain Arantxa Sánchez Vicario
6–2, 6–4
3. February 12, 1996 Paris, France Carpet (i) France Nathalie Tauziat Netherlands Kristie Boogert
Czech Republic Jana Novotná
6–4, 6–3
4. March 4, 1996 Indian Wells, U.S. Hard France Nathalie Tauziat United States Chanda Rubin
Netherlands Brenda Schultz
6–1, 6–4
5. September 15, 1997 Tokyo, Japan Hard United States Chanda Rubin United States Monica Seles
Japan Ai Sugiyama
6–1, 6–0
6. January 5, 1998 Auckland, New Zealand Hard Slovakia Janette Husárová Japan Nana Miyagi
Thailand Tamarine Tanasugarn
7–61, 6–4
7. January 12, 1998 Hobart, Australia Hard Slovakia Janette Husárová Spain Virginia Ruano Pascual
Argentina Paola Suárez
7–66, 6–3
8. October 18, 1999 Moscow, Russia Carpet (i) Germany Anke Huber United States Lisa Raymond
Australia Rennae Stubbs
6–0, 6–1
9. June 26, 2000 Wimbledon Grass Japan Ai Sugiyama United States Serena Williams
United States Venus Williams
6–3, 6–2
10. August 14, 2000 Montreal, Canada Hard Japan Ai Sugiyama Switzerland Martina Hingis
France Nathalie Tauziat
6–3, 3–6, 6–4

Grand Slam doubles history

Tournament19871988198919901991199219931994199519961997199819992000SRW–L
Grand Slam Tournaments
Australian Open A 1R 2R 2R A 1R 1R 1R 2R 3R A A 3R QF 0 / 10 10–10
French Open A 1R 2R 1R 3R 2R 1R SF QF 3R A 2R 1R SF 0 / 12 18–12
Wimbledon A A A A 1R 1R 2R 3R 3R A A QF 2R F 0 / 8 14–8
US Open A A A A 1R 1R 1R 1R QF A A 3R 3R W 1 / 8 13–7
Overall Win–Loss 0–0 0–2 2–2 1–2 2–3 1–4 1–4 6–4 9–4 4–2 0–0 6–4 5–4 18–3 1 / 38 55–37

Head-to-Head record

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