Guy Forget

Born: January 4, 1965 in Casablanca (Morocco)
Height: 1.90 m
Plays: Left-handed

He was one of three French prodigies seen as potential successors to Yannick Noah in the mid-1980s, alongside Henri Leconte and Thierry Tulasne. All three reached the Top 100 as teenagers, but while offensive left-handers Forget and Leconte continued to excel, the right-handed defensive Tulasne, despite his early promise, struggled to maintain the same high level of tennis in the latter half of the decade. Leconte reached the final of the French Open in 1988, Forget remains among the most accomplished players never to reach a Grand Slam semifinal. Overall, his career outshone Leconte’s, primarily thanks to a stellar 1991 season, where he competed alongside legends such as Stefan Edberg, Boris Becker, Jim Courier, and Michael Stich – the four best players of that year, Forget almost defeated them all at that time.
In 1989 – a very frustrating year for him when he was out of the competition for almost six months due to knee injury – Forget made a consequential change to his equipment, adopting a much lighter bat (began using the Lacoste Equijet, a racquet with a very distinctive shape) that resembled the specifications of 21st-century racquets. This upgrade not only modernized his game but also enhanced his serve’s effectiveness, enabling him to generate more cheap points and solidify his status as one of the most dangerous servers on the tour. This shift in equipment likely contributed to his breakthrough performances in the early 1990s, where his serve became a defining weapon. Forget’s standout 1991 year began with remarkable form. He won 25 of his first 28 matches, including three victories at the then-prestigious Hopman Cup. During this period, he defeated World No. 1 Edberg twice and briefly seemed poised to challenge for the ATP’s top ranking. His serve – a key weapon – elevated the game’s standard, delivering over ten aces per match as he triumphed in Brussels (untypical number at the time in the ‘best of three’ format), and blending power with precision in ways rarely seen in the 1980s.
However, his momentum slowed after two losses to Courier: in the Indian Wells final (a tie-break in the fifth set) and the Key Biscayne fourth round. A disappointing clay-court season followed, but Forget rebounded later that year. He captured the two most significant titles of his career in Cincinnati and Paris and played a crucial role in France’s Davis Cup triumph. It was the French team’s 7th Davis Cup title overall and their first since 1932. Notably, he defeated a young Pete Sampras three times that year, including a decisive fourth rubber in the Davis Cup final.
By the early 1990s, Forget’s game had evolved into an intriguing hybrid style. His first serve was among the best on the tour (more than 700 aces in 1991 – the first leader of the ace ranking), allowing him to mix serve-and-volley tactics behind the first serve with powerful baseline play behind the second, particularly on hard courts and carpet. His second serve often left him vulnerable, leading to unpredictable rhythm changes that kept opponents off balance. On grass, he adhered more strictly to serve-and-volley traditions. He was generally “glued” to the baseline during clay-court matches.
In 1993, Forget suffered a severe right-knee injury, sidelining him for nearly a year. Upon returning, he adapted his game further, shifting from a serve-and-volley/baseline hybrid to a more traditional baseline style regardless of the surface, occasionally surprising opponents with fast serves and net approaches. Despite limited mobility, he achieved a remarkable quarterfinal run at Wimbledon in 1994, entering the tournament ranked 1130 (!) in the world. He also reached two finals: Gstaad on clay just after that Wimbledon, and Queens Club the following year… finally won his last ATP title in Marseille ’96 having experienced a four-year drought in raising the trophy. Given his otherwise successful career, the lack of a Slam semifinal is a significant setback. No-one expected him to play the quarterfinal at Wimbledon ’94, but in his four previous major quarterfinals (Wimbledon 1991 and 1992 as well as Australian Open 1991 and 1993) he could have been anticipated to get the upper hand at least once, because he had defeated each of his opponents before; especially the loss to the ageing John McEnroe could hurt Forget. The skinny and balding Frenchman had remained a record holder for many years in the most major quarterfinals defeats without a semifinal (5) before Tommy Robredo took it over (7). Currently the record holder is Andrey Rublev with 10.
Doubles remained an essential part of Forget’s career, particularly as his singles game declined. In 1996, alongside Jakob Hlasek, he reached at least the quarterfinals of all four Grand Slam events (six years earlier they’d triumphed at Masters, both playing with shaved heads). His final noteworthy achievement came that year when he teamed with Guillaume Raoux in Davis Cup doubles to secure a critical point, helping France claim their second Davis Cup title, against Sweden in an extraordinary tie.
Satisfied with his career, Forget retired in 1997 after playing only five tournaments that year. At the time of his retirement, he had lost 11 of his last 12 ATP singles matches, but his legacy as a Davis Cup hero and a versatile competitor endured. When France won the Davis Cup trophy for the third time in the Open Era, in 2001, he served as the team captain, further solidifying his legacy in French tennis.

Career record: 378–290 [ 291 events ]
Career titles: 11
Highest ranking: No. 4
Best GS results:
Australian Open (quarterfinal 1991, 93)
Wimbledon (quarterfinal 1991-92, 94)
Davis Cup champion 1991 (singles) and 1996 (doubles)
World Team Cup champion 1986 (doubles)