View source for Max Decugis

{{Short description|French tennis player (1882–1978)}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=January 2014}}
{{Infobox tennis biography
| name                        = Max Decugis
| image                       = Max Decugis 001.jpg
| caption                     = Max Decugis standing near a tent in 1913
| full_name                   = Maxime Omer Mathieu Decugis
| country                     = {{FRA}}
| residence                   = 
| birth_date                  = {{birth date|df=yes|1882|9|24}}
| birth_place                 = Paris, France
| death_date                  = {{death date and age|df=yes|1978|9|06|1882|9|24}}
| death_place                 = [[Biot, Alpes-Maritimes|Biot]], France
| height                      = <!-- {{convert|HEIGHT IN METRES|m|abbr=on}} or {{convert|FEET|ft|INCHES|in|abbr=on}} -->
| college                     = 
| turnedpro                   = 1900 (amateur)
| retired                     = 1926
| plays                       = Right-handed (one-handed backhand)
| careerprizemoney            = 
| tennishofyear               = 
| tennishofid                 = 
| website                     = 
| singlesrecord               = 241–64 (79.02%)
| singlestitles               = 41<ref>{{cite web |title=Maxime Omer (Max) Decugis: Stats |url=http://www.tennisarchives.com/player.php?playerid=1248 |website=tennisarchives.com |publisher=Tennis Archives |access-date=1 September 2016}}</ref>
| highestsinglesranking       = No. 10 (1913<small>, [[A. Wallis Myers]]</small>)
| currentsinglesranking       = 
| AustralianOpenresult        = 
| AustralianOpenjuniorresult  = 
| AustralianOpenseniorresult  = 
| FrenchOpenresult            = 1R ([[1925 French Championships – Men's singles|1925]])
| FrenchOpenjuniorresult      = 
| FrenchOpenseniorresult      = 
| Wimbledonresult             = SF ([[1911 Wimbledon Championships – Men's singles|1911]], [[1912 Wimbledon Championships – Men's singles|1912]])
| Wimbledonjuniorresult       = 
| Wimbledonseniorresult       = 
| USOpenresult                = 1R ([[1925 U.S. National Championships – Men's singles|1925]])
| USOpenjuniorresult          = 
| USOpenseniorresult          = 
| Othertournaments            = yes
| WHCCresult                  = SF ([[World Hard Court Championships|1913]], [[World Hard Court Championships|1914]])
| WCCCresult                  = F ([[World Covered Court Championships|1919]])
| Olympicsresult              = 
| doublesrecord               = 
| doublestitles               = 
| highestdoublesranking       = 
| currentdoublesranking       = 
| grandslamsdoublesresults    = 
| AustralianOpenDoublesresult = 
| FrenchOpenDoublesresult     = 
| WimbledonDoublesresult      = '''W''' ([[1911 Wimbledon Championships – Men's doubles|1911]])
| USOpenDoublesresult         = 
| OthertournamentsDoubles     = yes
| WHCCDoublesresult           = '''W''' (1914)
| WCCCDoublesresult           = '''W''' (1913)
| OlympicsDoublesresult       = 
| Mixed                       = yes
| mixedrecord                 = 
| mixedtitles                 = 
| AustralianOpenMixedresult   = 
| FrenchOpenMixedresult       = 
| WimbledonMixedresult        = 
| USOpenMixedresult           = 
| OthertournamentsMixedDoubles = yes
| WHCCMixedDoublesresult      = '''W''' (1912, 1913, 1914, 1921)
| WCCCMixedDoublesresult      = '''W''' (1913, 1919)
| OlympicMixedDoublesresult   = 
| Team                        = yes
| DavisCupresult              = F ([[1904 Davis Cup|1904]])
| medaltemplates-expand       = yes
| medaltemplates              = 
{{MedalCompetition | [[Tennis at the Summer Olympics|Olympic Games]] }}
{{MedalCountry | a [[File:Olympic flag.svg|22px]] [[Mixed team at the 1900 Summer Olympics|Mixed team]] }}
{{MedalSilver | [[1900 Summer Olympics|1900 Paris]] | [[Tennis at the 1900 Summer Olympics – Men's doubles|Men's doubles]] }}
{{MedalCountry | {{FRA}} }}
{{MedalGold | [[1920 Summer Olympics|1920 Antwerp]] | [[Tennis at the 1920 Summer Olympics – Mixed doubles|Mixed doubles]] }}
{{MedalBronze | 1920 Antwerp | [[Tennis at the 1920 Summer Olympics – Men's doubles|Men's doubles]] }}
{{MedalCompetition | [[Intercalated Games]] }}
{{MedalGold | [[1906 Intercalated Games|1906 Athens]] | [[Tennis at the 1906 Intercalated Games – Men's singles|Singles]] }}
{{MedalGold | 1906 Athens | [[Tennis at the 1906 Intercalated Games – Men's doubles|Doubles]] }}
{{MedalGold | 1906 Athens | [[Tennis at the 1906 Intercalated Games – Mixed doubles|Mixed doubles]] }}
}}

'''Maxime Omer Mathieu Decugis''' or '''Décugis''' ({{IPA|fr|maksim dɔkyʒiz, - de-}}; 24 September 1882 – 6 September 1978) was a French [[tennis]] player. He won the [[French Open|French Championships]] eight times (a French club members-only tournament before 1925). He also won three Olympic medals at the [[Tennis at the 1900 Summer Olympics|1900 Paris Olympics]] and the [[Tennis at the 1920 Summer Olympics|1920 Antwerp Olympics]],<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.olympedia.org/athletes/12 |title=Max Decugis |work=Olympedia |access-date=31 December 2020}}</ref> with a [[gold medal]] in the mixed doubles partnering [[Suzanne Lenglen]].<ref>[http://bmarcore.perso.neuf.fr/tennis/champions/lenglen/Lenglen-03.html Photo with Lenglen]</ref><ref>''Historical Dictionary of the Olympic Movement'' Page 97 Bill Mallon, Jeroen Heijmans – 2011 "Max Décugis was the winner of a record six Olympic medals (four gold, one silver, one bronze) for lawn tennis between … Although the Olympic tournaments during that era attracted many of the world's top players, Décugis's greatest ."</ref><ref name="sports-reference">{{cite Sports-Reference |url=https://www.sports-reference.com/olympics/athletes/de/max-decugis-1.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161203024823/http://www.sports-reference.com/olympics/athletes/de/max-decugis-1.html |url-status=dead |archive-date=2016-12-03 |title=Max Décugis |access-date=2014-01-26 |quote=Full name: Maxime Omer Mathieu "Max" Omer-Décugis}}</ref>

==Life==

Decugis' father was a merchant at Les Halles, the company's name was ''Omer Décugis et fils'',<ref>''Journal des [[tribunaux de commerce]]'' Volume 38 Auguste François Teulet, Eugène Camberlin, Paul Camberlin – 1889
OMER DÉCUGIS et fils et Cie – M. Omer Décugis et fils et Cie, qui exploitent aux Halles centrales une importante maison de commission, ont acheté dans le courant de l'année 1882, pour l'annexer à leur maison,"</ref> however the accent mark on the é is missing from Max Decugis' birth certificate, and appears inconsistently in later English-speaking sources such as the Ayres' Almanacks edited by Arthur Wallis Myers, but apparently never in any French-speaking sources. The origin of the family name Décugis, spelled with accented é in an 1842 source, is "from [[Cuges-les-Pins]]."<ref>Étienne Michel Masse ''Mémoire historique et statistique sur le canton de la Ciotat'' Page 147 1842 "L'expression chemin carré ne doit pas être rendue par chemin charretier; il n'y avait pas de charrette en ces temps-là; nous avons même lu plusieurs procès- (1 ) Le nom de famille Décugis si commun dans nos contrées n'est que celui de Cuges à l'ablatif latin avec la préposition de; De Cugis, venant de Cuges, sorti de Cuges."</ref>

In 1905 he married [[Marie Decugis|Marie Flameng]], the daughter of painter [[François Flameng]], in Paris.<ref>{{Cite web|last=QuelleTaille|date=2020-09-29|title=Taille Max Decugis|url=https://quelletaille.fr/taille-max-decugis/|access-date=2021-05-14|website=Quelle taille font-ils? 📏|language=en-US}}</ref> After the death of Marie in 1969, Max married Suzanne Louise Duval in October.

==Career==
[[File:Budapest, Max decugis 1908.jpg|thumb|left|200px|Max Decugis playing at the [[Margitsziget]] court in Budapest, Hungary in 1908]]
Decugis won the French Championships in 1903, 1904, 1907, 1908, 1909, 1912, 1913, and 1914 (also 14 times in doubles and seven times in mixed). The interruption of World War I denied Decugis the opportunity to defend his 1914 title. Decugis was also a four-time runner-up, having lost the final in 1902, 1906, 1920, and 1923. He won the [[Hamburg Masters|International German Championship]] in 1901 and 1902.

In major tournaments, Decugis reached the semifinals of both the [[1911 Wimbledon Championships – Men's singles|1911]] and [[1912 Wimbledon Championships – Men's singles|1912 Wimbledon Championships]] and the [[World Hard Court Championships|1913]] and [[World Hard Court Championships|1914 World Hard Court Championships]] (WHCC) and the final of the [[World Covered Court Championships|World Covered Court Championship]] (WCCC) in 1919. He won the mixed doubles title at the WHCC on four occasions (1912, 1913, 1914, 1921) and at the WCCC on two (1913, 1919).

In May 1910, Decugis twice defeated [[Anthony Wilding]] at Wiesbaden, first in the final of the Wiesbaden Cup in four sets, followed by a victory in the final of the Wiesbaden Championship in three straight sets.

[[A. Wallis Myers]] of ''The Daily Telegraph'' ranked Decugis as world No. 10 in both 1913 and 1914.<ref name="USLTAEncyclopedia">United States Lawn Tennis Association (1972). ''Official Encyclopedia of Tennis'' (First Edition), p. 422.</ref>

==Grand Slam finals==
===Doubles: 2 (1 titles, 1 runner-up)===
{| class="sortable wikitable" 
! Result
! Year
! style="width:120px"|Championship
! style="width:50px"|Surface
! style="width:160px"|Partner
! style="width:160px"|Opponents
! style="width:155px" class="unsortable"|Score
|- style="background:#cfc;"
| style="background:#98fb98;" | Win || 1911 || [[1911 Wimbledon Championships|Wimbledon]] || Grass || {{flagicon|FRA}} [[André Gobert]] || {{flagicon|GBR}} [[Major Ritchie]] <br /> {{flagicon|NZL}} [[Anthony Wilding]] || 9–7, 5–7, 6–3, 2–6, 6–2
|- style="background:#cfc;"
| style="background:#ffa07a;" | Loss || 1912 || [[1912 Wimbledon Championships|Wimbledon]] || Grass || {{flagicon|FRA}} [[André Gobert]] || {{flagicon|GBR}} [[Charles P. Dixon]] <br /> {{flagicon|GBR}} [[Herbert Roper-Barrett]] || 6–3, 3–6, 4–6, 5–7
|}

==See also==
* [[List of French Men's Singles champions and finalists]]

==References==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
* {{Sports links}}
{{Commons category}}

{{navboxes top|title=Max Decugis in the [[Grand Slam (tennis)|Grand Slam tournaments]] and ILTF World Championships}}
{{French Championships men's singles champions}}
{{French Championships men's doubles champions}}
{{Wimbledon men's doubles champions}}
{{French Championships mixed doubles champions}}
{{World Hard Court Championships men's doubles champions}}
{{World Covered Court Championships men's doubles champions}}
{{World Hard Court Championships mixed doubles champions}}
{{World Covered Court Championships mixed doubles champions}}
{{navboxes bottom}}
{{Footer Olympic Champions Tennis Mixed Doubles}}
{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Decugis, Max}}
[[Category:1882 births]]
[[Category:1978 deaths]]
[[Category:French male tennis players]]
[[Category:Olympic gold medalists for France]]
[[Category:Olympic silver medalists for France]]
[[Category:Olympic bronze medalists for France]]
[[Category:Olympic medalists for France in tennis]]
[[Category:Olympic tennis players for France]]
[[Category:Tennis players at the 1900 Summer Olympics]]
[[Category:19th-century male tennis players]]
[[Category:Tennis players at the 1906 Intercalated Games]]
[[Category:Tennis players at the 1920 Summer Olympics]]
[[Category:Grand Slam (tennis) champions in men's doubles]]
[[Category:Tennis players from Paris]]
[[Category:Medalists at the 1900 Summer Olympics]]
[[Category:Medalists at the 1906 Intercalated Games]]
[[Category:Medalists at the 1920 Summer Olympics]]
[[Category:Wimbledon champions (pre-Open Era)]]
[[Category:20th-century French sportsmen]]