My good pal Jake who writes for this blog sent this to me yesterday letting me know that Joakim Noah’s dad and former tennis great Yannick Noah may have, as it’s been rumored, in fact at one point in his life been legitimate musically. Why else would Central Park have added him to the list of artists playing Summerstage, right?

Yannick the tennis phenom went pro in ’77 at the age of 17. Among his feats of tennis prowess include becoming the first Frenchman to win the French Open in 37 years when he did so in 1983 (dropping only one set throughout the tournament). During his career, Noah won a combined 39 singles and doubles titles and was inducted into the Tennis Hall of Fame in 2005. He also played on the French Davis Cup Team for 11 years. In 1991, Noah captained a French team which won its first Davis Cup title in 59 years.

That same year, Noah released his debut album Black of What. Apparently, after winning the Davis Cup, he led his player and the whole stadium in a rousing rendition of Saga Africa, his breakout track off of Black or What. (Wikipedia – Yannick Noah)




Did I mention the show in Central Park is free?