Christian Boussus

Christian Boussus
Born	(1908-03-05) 5 March 1908 France
Died	12 August 2003(2003-08-12) (aged 95)
Occupation(s)	Tennis player, communications director
Years active	Late 1920s–1953
Known for	French tennis player prominent in 1920s and 1930s; last living member of the Musketeers; pioneer of tennis shorts

Christian Boussus (born 5 March 1908, died 12 August 2003) was a French tennis player, left-handed, who found prominence during the 1920s and 1930s.

Tennis career

Boussus started competing as an amateur in the late 1920s, capturing his first doubles title at age 17 in the 1926 French Covered Courts alongside the seasoned French player René Lacoste. In 1928, he finished second at the Pacific South-west Championship, falling to compatriot Henri Cochet, but secured the mixed doubles crown with American partner Anna Harper. That same year, he earned his initial outdoor doubles victory in Düsseldorf partnering with Davis Cup teammate Jean Borotra. His first singles tournament triumph came in 1929.

Between 1929 and 1932, Boussus was affiliated with the victorious French Davis Cup squad known as the "Four Musketeers", often referred to as the "Fifth Musketeer" despite not participating in matches. He made his Davis Cup playing debut in 1934 after the original quartet had retired. During World War II, in 1941, he won an unofficial doubles title at the French Open alongside Bernard Destremau; however, this achievement was not officially acknowledged by the ITF. That year also saw him appear in the film "L'Appel du stade". Following the war, Boussus served as captain of the French Davis Cup Team from 1949 to 1952 and then as vice-captain starting in 1953. Under his guidance, France reached the Davis Cup final in 1949 for the first time in a decade and a half. At the club level, he played for Racing Club de France based in Paris.

Boussus was finalist in singles at the 1931 French Championships, losing to Jean Borotra, and reached the doubles final in 1932 with partner Marcel Bernard, where they were defeated by Henri Cochet and Jacques Brugnon. He competed twice at the Australian Championships (in 1928 and 1935), winning mixed doubles in 1935—his sole Grand Slam title. Over a span from 1927 to 1953, he entered the French Championships nineteen times, ranking third for most participations behind Fabrice Santoro and Francois Jauffret. Boussus captured the German Championships twice (1930 and 1931) and won the British Hard Court Championships once (1931). He held France’s top national ranking consecutively from 1934 through 1937.

On the global stage, Boussus was ranked World No. 9 by A. Wallis Myers of The Daily Telegraph in both 1930 and again in 1935, while Züricher Sport placed him as Europe’s No. 6 in 1931.

Playing style

At his prime around 1932, British Davis Cup player Nigel Sharpe regarded Boussus as France’s finest left-handed player. His style emphasized versatility with volleying as a key strength. His forehand featured a smooth swing combined with solid pace, often setting up opportunities for volley attacks. Conversely, his backhand employed a sliced cut stroke that was less effective against nimble volleyers, marking it as his weaker shot. His down-the-line volley was notably swift despite minimal wrist involvement. His serve was unconventional, lacking a full racquet swing behind his head; this resulted in serves that were less powerful but allowed for enhanced spin and precision—advantages especially beneficial for overhead smashes. Later stages of his career saw him adopt more baseline tactics and integrate drop shots into his game.

Personal life

During his academic years, he pursued studies in advertising and paused his 1930 season to fulfill military obligations. While competing as an amateur tennis player, he was employed as a tire salesman. Subsequently, he advanced to become the communications director at IBM France. He is also recognized for being the pioneer in adopting shorts instead of traditional trousers on the tennis court. For three decades, he shared a civil partnership with Germaine Cellier, a renowned French perfume creator, until her passing in 1976. Passing away at the age of 95, he was the last living member of the Musketeers. His brother Roland, also an amateur competitor, partnered with him to secure the doubles championship at the 1937 Le Touquet Spa tournament; additionally, he achieved singles and mixed doubles victories there.

Singles (1 runner-up)

Result	Year	Tournament	Surface	Opponent	Score
Runner-up	1931	French Championships	Clay	Template:Country data FRATemplate:Namespace detect showall Jean Borotra	6–2, 4–6, 5–7, 4–6

Doubles (1 runner-up)

Result	Year	Tournament	Surface	Partner	Opponents	Score
Runner-up	1932	French Championships	Clay	Template:Country data FRATemplate:Namespace detect showall Marcel Bernard	Template:Country data FRATemplate:Namespace detect showall Henri Cochet Template:Country data FRATemplate:Namespace detect showall Jacques Brugnon	4–6, 6–3, 5–7, 3–6

Mixed doubles (1 title, 1 runner-up)

Result	Year	Tournament	Surface	Partner	Opponents	Score
Champion	1935	Australian Championships	Grass	Template:Country data AUSTemplate:Namespace detect showall Louie Bickerton	Template:Country data AUSTemplate:Namespace detect showall Birdie Bond Template:Country data RSATemplate:Namespace detect showall Vernon Kirby	1–6, 6–3, 6–3
Runner-up	1938	French Championships	Clay	Template:Country data AUSTemplate:Namespace detect showall Nancye Wynne Bolton	Template:Country data FRATemplate:Namespace detect showall Simonne Mathieu Template:Country data YUGTemplate:Namespace detect showall Dragutin Mitić	6–2, 3–6, 4–6