Cédric Pioline (born 15 June 1969) is a retired French professional tennis player who played on the professional tour from 1989 to 2002. He reached the men's singles final at the 1993 US Open and at Wimbledon in 1997. On both occasions, he was beaten by Pete Sampras in straight sets.
Pioline's career-high singles ranking was world No. 5, achieved in 2000.
Pioline won five singles titles in his career, the biggest at the ATP Masters Series event in Monte Carlo in 2000 – his last final on the professional tour. In addition to his finals appearances at the US Open and Wimbledon, he reached 10 other singles finals, including at Monte Carlo in 1993 and 1998. Pioline also competed for France in Davis Cup, winning the cup in 1996 and 2001. After retiring from tennis, he became a tennis administrator. As of October 2008, he is the tournament director of the ATP Masters Series event in Paris and plays on the senior ATP tour.
Personal life
Pioline grew up in a sporting family. His Romanian mother, Adriana, born in Câmpina, was a volleyball player; she was part of the Romanian national team that reached the finals of the 1956 FIVB World Championship, but were defeated by the Soviet Union. His father, Maurice, also a professional volleyball player, met his mother while at a volleyball match in Paris. He has an older brother named Denis.
He is married to Mireille Bercot; the couple have a son (born 14 March 1993).
Other
In 2011 Pioline was one of the contestants during the second season of the TV show Danse avec les stars.
Major finals
Grand Slam finals
Singles: 2 (0–2)
| Result | Date | Tournament | Surface | Opponent | Score |
|---|
| Loss | 1993 | US Open | Hard | Pete Sampras | 4–6, 4–6, 3–6 |
| Loss | 1997 | Wimbledon | Grass | Pete Sampras | 4–6, 2–6, 4–6 |
Masters Series finals
Singles: 3 (1–2)
| Result | Date | Tournament | Surface | Opponent | Score |
|---|
| Loss | 1993 | Monte Carlo | Clay | Sergi Bruguera | 6–7, 0–6 |
| Loss | 1998 | Monte Carlo | Clay | Carlos Moyà | 3–6, 0–6, 5–7 |
| Win | 2000 | Monte Carlo | Clay | Dominik Hrbatý | 6–4, 7–6, 7–6 |
ATP career finals
Singles: 17 (5 wins, 12 losses)
| Titles by Surface |
| Legend |
| Grand Slam (0–2) |
| Tennis Masters Cup (0–0) |
| ATP Masters Series (1–2) |
| ATP Championship Series (1–1) |
| ATP International Series (3–7) |
| Titles by Surface |
| Hard (1–4) |
| Grass (1–1) |
| Clay (2–2) |
| Carpet (1–5) |
| Grand Slam (0–2) |
| Tennis Masters Cup (0–0) |
| ATP Masters Series (1–2) |
| ATP Championship Series (1–1) |
| ATP International Series (3–7) |
| Hard (1–4) |
| Grass (1–1) |
| Clay (2–2) |
| Carpet (1–5) |
| Result | W/L | Date | Tournament | Surface | Opponent | Score |
|---|
| Loss | 0–1 | Oct 1992 | Lyon, France | Carpet | Pete Sampras | 4–6, 2–6 |
| Loss | 0–2 | Apr 1993 | Monte Carlo, Monaco | Clay | Sergi Bruguera | 6–7, 0–6 |
| Loss | 0–3 | Sep 1993 | US Open, New York City, U.S. | Hard | Pete Sampras | 4–6, 4–6, 3–6 |
| Loss | 0–4 | Oct 1993 | Toulouse, France | Hard (i) | Arnaud Boetsch | 6–7, 6–3, 3–6 |
| Loss | 0–5 | Oct 1993 | Bolzano, Italy | Carpet | Jonathan Stark | 3–6, 2–6 |
| Loss | 0–6 | Oct 1993 | Lyon, France | Carpet | Pete Sampras | 6–7, 6–1, 5–7 |
| Loss | 0–7 | Aug 1994 | Long Island, U.S. | Hard | Yevgeny Kafelnikov | 7–5, 1–6, 2–6 |
| Loss | 0–8 | Feb 1996 | Zagreb, Croatia | Carpet | Goran Ivanišević | 6–3, 3–6, 2–6 |
| Loss | 0–9 | Feb 1996 | Marseille, France | Hard (i) | Guy Forget | 5–7, 4–6 |
| Win | 1–9 | Mar 1996 | Copenhagen, Denmark | Carpet | Kenneth Carlsen | 6–2, 7–6 |
| Win | 2–9 | Apr 1997 | Prague, Czech Republic | Clay | Bohdan Ulihrach | 6–2, 5–7, 7–6 |
| Loss | 2–10 | Jul 1997 | Wimbledon, London, UK | Grass | Pete Sampras | 4–6, 2–6, 4–6 |
| Loss | 2–11 | Mar 1998 | London, UK | Carpet | Yevgeny Kafelnikov | 5–7, 4–6 |
| Loss | 2–12 | Apr 1998 | Monte Carlo, Monaco | Clay | Carlos Moyà | 3–6, 0–6, 5–7 |
| Win | 3–12 | Jun 1999 | Nottingham, UK | Grass | Kevin Ullyett | 6–3, 7–5 |
| Win | 4–12 | Feb 2000 | Rotterdam, Netherlands | Hard (i) | Tim Henman | 6–7, 6–4, 7–6 |
| Win | 5–12 | Apr 2000 | Monte Carlo, Monaco | Clay | Dominik Hrbatý | 6–4, 7–6, 7–6 |
Doubles: 1 (1 win)
Singles performance timeline
(W) Won; (F) finalist; (SF) semifinalist; (QF) quarterfinalist; (#R) rounds 4, 3, 2, 1; (RR) round-robin stage; (Q#) qualification round; (A) absent;(NH) not held. SR=strike rate (events won/competed)
| Tournament | 1987 | 1988 | 1989 | 1990 | 1991 | 1992 | 1993 | 1994 | 1995 | 1996 | 1997 | 1998 | 1999 | 2000 | 2001 | 2002 | Career SR | Career Win-Loss |
|---|
| Grand Slam Tournaments |
| Australian Open | A | A | A | 1R | 1R | 2R | 2R | 1R | 1R | A | A | 4R | 1R | 1R | 3R | A | 0 / 10 | 7–10 |
| French Open | A | A | 1R | 1R | 2R | 4R | 2R | 2R | 2R | QF | 3R | SF | 1R | 4R | 2R | 1R | 0 / 14 | 22–14 |
| Wimbledon | A | A | A | A | 2R | 2R | QF | 1R | QF | 4R | F | 1R | QF | 2R | 2R | 1R | 0 / 12 | 24–12 |
| US Open | A | A | A | A | 1R | 3R | F | 3R | 2R | 3R | 4R | 1R | SF | 3R | 1R | Q1 | 0 / 11 | 23–11 |
| Grand Slam SR | 0 / 0 | 0 / 0 | 0 / 1 | 0 / 2 | 0 / 4 | 0 / 4 | 0 / 4 | 0 / 4 | 0 / 4 | 0 / 3 | 0 / 3 | 0 / 4 | 0 / 4 | 0 / 4 | 0 / 4 | 0 / 2 | 0 / 47 | N/A |
| Annual Win-Loss | 0–0 | 0–0 | 0–1 | 0–2 | 2–4 | 7–4 | 12–4 | 3–4 | 6–4 | 9–3 | 10–3 | 8–4 | 9–4 | 6–4 | 4–4 | 0–2 | N/A | 76–47 |
| Year-End Championships |
| Grand Slam Cup | Not Held | A | A | A | 1R | A | 1R | 1R | QF | 1R | A | Not Held | 0 / 5 | 1–5 |
| ATP Masters Series |
| Indian Wells | NME | A | A | 2R | 1R | 1R | 1R | A | QF | 2R | 2R | 1R | 2R | A | 0 / 9 | 7–9 |
| Miami | NME | A | A | 4R | A | 4R | A | 3R | 2R | 3R | A | 3R | 2R | 1R | 0 / 8 | 8–8 |
| Monte Carlo | NME | 2R | A | 1R | F | 1R | 2R | SF | 2R | F | 1R | W | 3R | 1R | 1 / 12 | 25–11 |
| Rome | NME | A | 2R | 1R | 2R | 3R | 1R | 2R | 2R | 2R | 1R | 2R | 1R | LQ | 0 / 11 | 8–11 |
| Hamburg | NME | A | A | 1R | A | A | A | 2R | 1R | A | 1R | QF | 2R | LQ | 0 / 6 | 5–6 |
| Canada | NME | A | A | A | A | A | A | 3R | A | A | A | A | A | A | 0 / 1 | 2–1 |
| Cincinnati | NME | A | A | 3R | 2R | 3R | 1R | 2R | 1R | 2R | 3R | A | A | LQ | 0 / 8 | 9–8 |
| Stuttgart (Stockholm) | NME | A | A | A | A | 1R | A | A | 3R | A | 2R | A | A | A | 0 / 3 | 2–3 |
| Paris | NME | A | 1R | 2R | 2R | 3R | 2R | 2R | 2R | 1R | QF | 2R | 1R | A | 0 / 11 | 8–11 |
| Masters Series SR | N/A | 0 / 1 | 0 / 2 | 0 / 7 | 0 / 5 | 0 / 7 | 0 / 5 | 0 / 7 | 0 / 8 | 0 / 6 | 0 / 7 | 1 / 6 | 0 / 6 | 0 / 2 | 1 / 69 | N/A |
| Annual Win-Loss | N/A | 1–1 | 1–2 | 7–7 | 7–5 | 8–7 | 2–5 | 11–7 | 8–8 | 9–6 | 5–7 | 11–5 | 4–6 | 0–2 | N/A | 74–68 |
| Year End Ranking | 954 | 461 | 202 | 118 | 51 | 33 | 10 | 51 | 54 | 21 | 20 | 18 | 14 | 16 | 84 | 119 | N/A |
Top 10 wins
| Season | 1989 | 1990 | 1991 | 1992 | 1993 | 1994 | 1995 | 1996 | 1997 | 1998 | 1999 | 2000 | 2001 | 2002 | Total |
| Wins | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 7 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 7 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 26 |
| # | Player | Rank | Event | Surface | Rd | Score | PR |
|---|
| 1992 |
|---|
| 1. | Carlos Costa | 10 | Hilversum, Netherlands | Clay | 1R | 6–3, 6–3 | 66 |
| 2. | Ivan Lendl | 9 | Bordeaux, France | Clay | QF | 7–5, 6–4 | 57 |
| 1993 |
|---|
| 3. | Petr Korda | 5 | Monte Carlo, Monaco | Clay | 3R | 6–3, 6–0 | 29 |
| 4. | Stefan Edberg | 3 | Monte Carlo, Monaco | Clay | SF | 6–4, 6–4 | 29 |
| 5. | Andriy Medvedev | 9 | Wimbledon, London, United Kingdom | Grass | 2R | 6–7, 7–6, 6–3, 6–4 | 23 |
| 6. | Michael Stich | 6 | Long Island, United States | Hard | 2R | 6–7, 6–4, 7–6 | 15 |
| 7. | Jim Courier | 1 | US Open, New York, United States | Hard | 4R | 7–5, 6–7, 6–4, 6–4 | 14 |
| 8. | Andriy Medvedev | 8 | US Open, New York, United States | Hard | QF | 6–3, 6–1, 3–6, 6–2 | 14 |
| 9. | Goran Ivanišević | 9 | Antwerp, Belgium | Carpet (i) | QF | 7–6, 6–0 | 11 |
| 1994 |
|---|
| 10. | Todd Martin | 9 | Long Island, United States | Hard | QF | 7–6, 6–4 | 18 |
| 1996 |
|---|
| 11. | Yevgeny Kafelnikov | 8 | Monte Carlo, Monaco | Clay | 2R | 6–4, 6–3 | 29 |
| 12. | Marcelo Ríos | 10 | French Open, Paris, France | Clay | 4R | 6–4, 6–1, 6–2 | 19 |
| 1997 |
|---|
| 13. | Thomas Muster | 2 | Barcelona, Spain | Clay | 3R | 7–6, 6–4 | 34 |
| 14. | Michael Chang | 2 | Stuttgart, Germany | Carpet (i) | 2R | 7–5, 1–6, 6–4 | 25 |
| 1998 |
|---|
| 15. | Petr Korda | 2 | London, United Kingdom | Carpet (i) | 2R | 6–3, 6–3 | 18 |
| 16. | Gustavo Kuerten | 9 | Monte Carlo, Monaco | Clay | 3R | 7–6, 6–1 | 16 |
| 17. | Richard Krajicek | 10 | French Open, Paris, France | Clay | 3R | 6–3, 6–2, 7–5 | 17 |
| 1999 |
|---|
| 18. | Richard Krajicek | 10 | Rotterdam, Netherlands | Carpet (i) | 2R | 7–6, 7–6 | 18 |
| 19. | Richard Krajicek | 4 | Davis Cup, Nîmes, France | Clay (i) | RR | 6–3, 3–6, 7–5, 7–6 | 21 |
| 20. | Yevgeny Kafelnikov | 3 | Wimbledon, London, United Kingdom | Grass | 3R | 3–6, 6–4, 1–0, ret. | 39 |
| 21. | Gustavo Kuerten | 5 | Davis Cup, Pau, France | Carpet (i) | RR | 6–3, 6–4, 6–4 | 25 |
| 22. | Carlos Moyá | 10 | Cincinnati, United States | Hard | 1R | 6–4, 6–1 | 26 |
| 23. | Pat Rafter | 4 | US Open, New York, United States | Hard | 1R | 4–6, 4–6, 6–3, 7–5, 1–0, ret. | 26 |
| 24. | Gustavo Kuerten | 6 | US Open, New York, United States | Hard | QF | 4–6, 7–6, 7–6, 7–6 | 26 |
| 2000 |
|---|
| 25. | Nicolas Kiefer | 4 | Rotterdam, Netherlands | Hard (i) | QF | 2–6, 6–3, 7–5 | 15 |
| 2002 |
|---|
| 26. | Juan Carlos Ferrero | 3 | Marseille, France | Hard (i) | QF | 6–7, 6–4, 7–5 | 99 |
Gemini