Raymond Jean
Rodel (Rôdel)
Male
France
1895-05-07
Bordeaux, France
1967-02-21
Lausanne, Switzerland
The piece below was translated and slightly adapted from the Wikipedia entry in French on Pierre Albarran, which can be viewed here: https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Raymond_Rodel
Raymond Rôdel was the son of two merchants, Albert-Jean Rôdel (b. 1863) and Marthe Marie Rôdel (née Houdemon; 1869-1938). On 8 October 1918, in Paris, Raymond Rôdel married Jeanne Marie Louise Galeotti, a composer and daughter of the Italian composer Cesare Galeotti. During World War One, Raymond Rôdel was a pilot/aviator with the French Armed Forces and had the rank of sergeant (“maréchal-des-logis”).
Between 1925 and 1939, Raymond Rôdel took part in the French International Championships fifteen times, reaching the fourth round in 1934. This left him as one of three French players remaining in the men’s singles draw along with Christian Boussus and André Merlin. Two years later he reached the same stage at the same tournament, having notably beaten the Englishman Frank Wilde and the Italian Henri Bolelli. After World War Two, Raymond Rôdel sent in an entry for the French International Championships five times between 1947 and 1953, but defaulted each time.
He also took part in the Wimbledon tournament twice, reaching the third round of the men’s singles event in 1929. In August 1934, Raymond Rôdel was ironically nicknamed “the top French male player” by the Paris-Midi newspaper after defeating his countryman André Martin-Legeay in the final of the men’s singles event at the Dieppe tournament. Martin-Legeay had previously defeated Christian Boussus and André Merlin, two members of the French Davis Cup team. In 1929, Raymond Rôdel took part in a tennis tour of Asia with Henri Cochet, Jacques Brugnon and Pierre-Henri Landry. This tour included stops in Japan and Vietnam.
In 1927, Raymond Rôdel suggested that the French Tennis Federation create a special section in its rankings of top French tennis players to allow former champions or members of French tennis teams to still be ranked should they wish to return to competition.
In 1937, Raymond Rôdel was an attaché with the general commission in charge of the Universal Exhibition held that year in Paris. He was also a member of the council of the International Tennis Federation and captain of the French tennis team during friendly matches. In addition, between 1941 and 1942, Raymond Rôdel was a general delegate with the Commission for Sports and Young People in Paris.
In 1943, Joseph Pascot, Commissioner General for Sport, appointed Raymond Rôdel President of the French Tennis Federation; he thus replaced René Lacoste who had too many professional commitments at the time. Rôdel remained in that position until 1944. He was also President of the Association of Girondins in Paris and then, after the war, of the Festivities Committee. In 1948, he created the National Active Committee for French Courtesy/Comité Actif National de la Courtoisie Française and the Committee for France/Comité de France, whose goals were to recognise personalities who contributed to the prestige of France.
As a journalist, Raymond Rôdel was editor of the newspapers Prestige français et mondanités and L’Écho de Quiberon. He also created a team competition for journalists who took part in sports; the cup awarded to the winners bore Rôdel’s name.
1919 - 1953
16
201
113
1935 - Dinard (Amateur)
1935 - Le Havre (Amateur)
1934 - Granville (Amateur)
1934 - Biarritz (Amateur)
1934 - Dieppe (Amateur)
1933 - Reims (Amateur)
1932 - Biarritz (Amateur)
1930 - Le Havre (Amateur)
1930 - Biarritz (Amateur)
1929 - Lille (Amateur)
1928 - Soissons (Amateur)
1925 - Dinard (Amateur)
1925 - Bois de Boulogne (Amateur)
1925 - Soissons (Amateur)
1925 - Université Club (Amateur)
1923 - Critérium de France (Amateur)
Round 1
Geoff Paish 1 *
Raymond Rodel
w.o.
Round 1
Marcel Bernard 1 *
Raymond Rodel
w.o.
Round 1
Bernard Jean Yves Destremau 1 *
Raymond Rodel
w.o.
Round 1
Lennart Bergelin 1 *
Raymond Rodel
w.o.
Round 2
Tom Brown 1 *
Raymond Rodel
w.o.
Poule
Henry Billington 1 *
Raymond Rodel
6-2
6-4
Round 1
René Raphaël Patorni 1 *
Raymond Rodel
5-7
2-4
ret.
Round 1
Antoine (Coco) Gentien 1 *
Raymond Rodel
7-9
6-2
6-1
6-4
Round 1
Raymond Rodel 1 *
Philippe Morel-Deville
6-3
6-2
7-5
Round 2
Roderich Menzel 1 *
Raymond Rodel
3-6
6-3
ret.
Round 1
Raymond Rodel 1 *
René Marie Depierre
6-3
6-2
8-6
Round 2
Robert Abdesselam 1 *
Raymond Rodel
w.o.
Round 2
Mr. De la Guillonniere 1 *
Raymond Rodel
w.o.
Round 2
Bunny Austin 1 *
Raymond Rodel
5-7
6-0
6-3
6-4
Round 1
Round 2
Raymond Rodel 1 *
Georges Grémillet
4-6
6-4
12-10
Round 3
Henri Bolelli 1 *
Raymond Rodel
w.o.
Round 1
Round 2
E. Robin 1 *
Raymond Rodel
3-6
6-6
ret.
Round 1
Raymond Rodel 1 *
Pierre Gourovitch
w.o.
Round 2
Jean Lesueur 1 *
Raymond Rodel
w.o.
Round 2
Guy Dubois 1 *
Raymond Rodel
w.o.
Round 1
Maurice Papillon 1 *
Raymond Rodel
7-5
6-2
Round 2
Raymond Rodel 1 *
Frank Wilde
6-1,6-3,3-6,6-4
Round 3
Raymond Rodel 1 *
Henri Bolelli
5-7,6-1,6-1,6-3
Round 4
Bernard Jean Yves Destremau 1 *
Raymond Rodel
6-4,6-2,7-5
Round 1
Round 2
Roger Dessair 1 *
Raymond Rodel
w.o.
Round 2
Raymond Rodel 1 *
Mr. Fierantino
6-0
6-1
Quarterfinals
Raymond Rodel 1 *
William W. (Bill) Robertson
6-2
1-6
6-4
Semifinals
Christian Boussus 1 *
Raymond Rodel
8-6
6-1
6-4
Poule
Raymond Rodel 1 *
David H. Williams
6-1
7-5
Final
André Merlin 1 *
Raymond Rodel
6-3
6-2
6-4
Semifinals
Guy Troncin 1 *
Raymond Rodel
6-2
6-4
Round 1
Raymond Rodel 1 *
Josef Siba
w.o.
Round 2
Jacques Jamain 1 *
Raymond Rodel
1-6
6-8
7-5
6-0
6-0
Round 1
Round 2
Maxime Guillemot 1 *
Raymond Rodel
3-6
6-4
7-5
Semifinals
Raymond Rodel 1 *
Leonce Aslangul
6-3
6-2
Final
Raymond Rodel 1 *
Jacques Langanay
6-4
6-4
Semifinals
Raymond Rodel 1 *
Jacques Langanay
6-4
6-1
Final
Raymond Rodel 1 *
Pierre Henri Landry
6-3
6-0
Round 1
Raymond Rodel 1 *
Gaby Mercier-Odier
6-2
6-1
6-2
Round 2
Raymond Rodel 1 *
Jack Lysaght
6-2
5-7
6-0
6-1
Round 3
Raymond Rodel 1 *
Valentino Taroni
4-6
6-3
6-4
6-3
Round 4
Christian Boussus 1 *
Raymond Rodel
w.o.
Round 1
Round 2
Francois Merlin 1 *
Raymond Rodel
w.o.
Final
Raymond Rodel 1 *
André Martin-Legeay
11-9
7-5
Final
Raymond Rodel 1 *
Guy Troncin
7-5
6-4
6-1
Round 1
Round 2
Raymond Rodel 1 *
Jean-Pierre (Jean) Samazeuilh
6-1
4-6
6-2
Quarterfinals
Raymond Rodel 1 *
Louis Géraud
6-2
6-3
Semifinals
Roger George 1 *
Raymond Rodel
6-4
4-6
6-1
Final
Raymond Rodel 1 *
Benjamin (Benny/Beni) Berthet
6-4
6-2
0-6
6-2
Final
Jacques (Toto) Brugnon 1 *
Raymond Rodel
2-6
6-4
6-2
0-6
6-2
Round 1
Raymond Rodel 1 *
Erick Baer
6-0
6-0
6-0
Round 2
Giorgio De Stefani 1 *
Raymond Rodel
6-2
6-4
2-6
6-1
Round 1
Round 2
René de Buzelet 1 *
Raymond Rodel
6-3
7-5
Round 1
Raymond Rodel 1 *
Roger George
8-6
6-1
Round 2
Christian Boussus 1 *
Raymond Rodel
6-3
6-2
Round 1
Pierre Henri Goldschmidt 1 *
Raymond Rodel
8-6
6-4
3-0
ret.
Semifinals
Raymond Rodel 1 *
Guy Troncin
6-0
7-5
Final
Jean Borotra 1 *
Raymond Rodel
6-1
5-7
6-2
6-3
Unknown
Marcel Bernard 1 *
Raymond Rodel
?
Round 1
Raymond Rodel 1 *
F. Valeton
6-1
7-5
Quarterfinals
Raymond Rodel 1 *
J. Gittings
6-2
6-3
Semifinals
Raymond Rodel 1 *
Guy Troncin
6-1
5-7
6-4
Final
George E. Lyttleton-Rogers 1 *
Raymond Rodel
6-4
11-13
6-3
6-3
Semifinals
Raymond Rodel 1 *
Maxime Guillemot
6-3
6-1
Final
Raymond Rodel 1 *
Roger George
6-1
4-6
6-3
Round 1
Raymond Rodel 1 *
Heinrich Kleinschroth
w.o.
Round 2
Hermann Wilhelm Artens 1 *
Raymond Rodel
6-4
6-4
8-6
Round 1
Round 2
Francois Terrier 1 *
Raymond Rodel
w.o.
Round 1
Round 2
Raymond Rodel 1 *
Nicolas Magaloff
6-2
2-6
6-4
Round 3
André Merlin 1 *
Raymond Rodel
9-7
6-3
Round 1
Alexandre Goldryn 1 *
Raymond Rodel
7-5
10-8
9-7
Quarterfinals
Semifinals
Raymond Rodel 1 *
Maxime (Max) Combemale
6-3
6-4
Final
Raymond Rodel 1 *
Jose Maria Tejada
6-3
6-3
6-3
Final
Jean Borotra 1 *
Raymond Rodel
6-3
0-6
7-5
Round 1
Eric Peters 1 *
Raymond Rodel
w.o.
Round 1
Raymond Rodel 1 *
Jack Hillyard
6-4
6-2
6-0
Round 2
Alain Bernard 1 *
Raymond Rodel
4-6
6-1
8-6
ret.
Round 1
Round 2
Édouard Leven 1 *
Raymond Rodel
6-4
5-7
8-6
Round 1
Round 2
Guy Troncin 1 *
Raymond Rodel
6-0
9-7
Round 1
Raymond Rodel 1 *
Benjamin (Benny/Beni) Berthet
w.o.
Round 2
André Martin-Legeay 1 *
Raymond Rodel
w.o.
Final
Jean Borotra 1 *
Raymond Rodel
6-2
6-1
6-2
Preliminary Round
Piergiovanni Pietra 1 *
Raymond Rodel
w.o.
Round 1
Bela Von Kehrling 1 *
Raymond Rodel
2-6
8-6
6-3
6-3
Round 2
Yoshiro Ohta 1 *
Raymond Rodel
6-3
3-6
6-4
ret.
Round 1
Round 2
Raymond Rodel 1 *
Denys Hippolyte Marie Laurent
6-4
6-8
6-2
Round 3
Raymond Rodel 1 *
Nicolas Magaloff
6-1
6-4
Quarterfinals
Christian Boussus 1 *
Raymond Rodel
6-3
6-4
Quarterfinals
Raymond Rodel 1 *
Robert Colle
7-5
ret.
Semifinals
Raymond Rodel 1 *
Nicolas Magaloff
6-3
3-6
6-4
Final
Rene Gallepe 1 *
Raymond Rodel
8-6
6-0
6-0
Final
Raymond Rodel 1 *
George E. Lyttleton-Rogers
6-1
6-3
6-4
Final
Raymond Rodel 1 *
Edouard Thurneyssen
6-2
6-2
6-3
Final
James De Martino 1 *
Raymond Rodel
6-4
3-6
6-0
12-10
Final
Antoine (Coco) Gentien 1 *
Raymond Rodel
7-5
6-2
8-6
Quarterfinals
Raymond Rodel 1 *
Dip Narain Kapoor
6-3
1-6
6-3
Semifinals
Henri Cochet 1 *
Raymond Rodel
8-6
3-6
6-3
Round 1
Raymond Rodel 1 *
Brian Helmore
6-4
6-3
4-6
6-2
Round 2
Raymond Rodel 1 *
Fritz Kuhlmann Sr
6-4
6-8
6-2
6-1
Round 3
John Colin Gregory 1 *
Raymond Rodel
2-6
6-2
6-4
6-0
Round 1
Umberto de Morpurgo 1 *
Raymond Rodel
6-4
6-0
4-6
6-1
Round 1
Round 2
Raymond Rodel 1 *
Maxime Guillemot
6-4
6-2
Round 3
Francois Terrier 1 *
Raymond Rodel
6-3
6-4
Round 2
Jacques Feuillet 1 *
Raymond Rodel
w.o.
Final
Raymond Rodel 1 *
Roger George
1-6
6-0
6-1
6-4
Semifinals
Raymond Rodel 1 *
Edouard Thurneyssen
6-1
6-3
Final
Pierre Henri Landry 1 *
Raymond Rodel
2-6
6-3
6-2
3-6
6-4
Round 1
Raymond Rodel 1 *
Hector Cosmo Fisher
w.o.
Round 2
Hermann Wilhelm Artens 1 *
Raymond Rodel
w.o.
Round 1
Raymond Rodel 1 *
Taro Fujikura
6-2
6-2
Quarterfinals
Hyotare Satoh 1 *
Raymond Rodel
6-2
6-2
Semifinals
Henri Cochet 1 *
Raymond Rodel
2-6
6-3
6-4
Round 2
Raymond Rodel 1 *
Francis Riou Leighton-Crawford
w.o.
Round 3
Rene Lacoste 1 *
Raymond Rodel
6-0
6-0
6-2
Round 1
Round 2
Raymond Rodel 1 *
Jacques Deniau
7-5
6-1
Round 3
Raymond Rodel 1 *
Eugène Broquedis
7-5
6-3
Quarterfinals
Jean Borotra 1 *
Raymond Rodel
7-5
10-8
Round 1
Round 2
Raymond Rodel 1 *
Pierre Henri Goldschmidt
4-6
8-6
6-3
Quarterfinals
Roger George 1 *
Raymond Rodel
6-4
3-6
6-2
Round 2
Henri Cochet 1 *
Raymond Rodel
7-5
6-3
Semifinals
Emmanuel Du Plaix 1 *
Raymond Rodel
6-3
6-0
Final
Raymond Rodel 1 *
Jacques Siguier
6-4
6-8
6-1
6-3
Round 2
Raymond Rodel 1 *
Craig Biddle
6-1
6-2
10-8
Round 3
Bill Tilden 1 *
Raymond Rodel
6-2
6-1
6-1
Round 1
Round 2
André Ducreux 1 *
Raymond Rodel
4-6
6-4
7-5
Final
Antoine (Coco) Gentien 1 *
Raymond Rodel
3-6
6-3
6-2
6-2
Round 2
Enrique Obarrio 1 *
Raymond Rodel
6-1
6-0
6-1
Round 1
Round 2
Raymond Rodel 1 *
Hector Chiesa
7-5
6-2
Round 3
Raymond Rodel 1 *
Denys Hippolyte Marie Laurent
6-1
6-4
Quarterfinals
Antoine (Coco) Gentien 1 *
Raymond Rodel
7-5
6-3
Round 1
Henri Cochet 1 *
Raymond Rodel
6-4
6-4
6-0
Round 1
Round 2
Raymond Rodel 1 *
Georges Glasser
6-3
6-4
Round 3
Raymond Rodel 1 *
Jacques Arago
7-5
6-3
Quarterfinals
Paul Féret 1 *
Raymond Rodel
5-7
6-1
6-2
Semifinals
Raymond Rodel 1 *
A. Persin
6-1
3-6
6-4
Final
Raymond Rodel 1 *
Alain Bernard
6-4
6-3
4-6
0-6
8-6
Semifinals
Antoine (Coco) Gentien 1 *
Raymond Rodel
6-4
6-4
Semifinals
Raymond Rodel 1 *
André Seguin
6-2
6-3
Final
Raymond Rodel 1 *
Paul Barrelet de Ricou
6-2
6-4
7-5
Round 1
Raymond Rodel 1 *
A. Delalande
6-4
6-2
Round 2
Raymond Rodel 1 *
Louis Desloges
6-0
6-4
Quarterfinals
Raymond Rodel 1 *
Robert Le Blant
6-3
6-4
Semifinals
Raymond Rodel 1 *
A. Persin
6-3
4-6
6-2
Final
André Piel 1 *
Raymond Rodel
6-4
1-6
6-1
6-4
Quarterfinals
Raymond Rodel 1 *
Pierre Boucher
6-2
7-5
Semifinals
Raymond Rodel 1 *
Mr. Delvaux
6-0
6-3
Final
Raymond Rodel 1 *
Jacques Siguier
6-3
6-0
Semifinals
Raymond Rodel 1 *
René de Buzelet
6-1
2-6
6-4
Final
Raymond Rodel 1 *
J. Coutot
6-1
6-2
7-5
Round 1
Raymond Rodel 1 *
Roger Thierry
2-6
7-5
7-5
Round 2
Raymond Rodel 1 *
Mr. Bouzou
6-3
6-3
Round 3
Raymond Rodel 1 *
R. Deniau
6-4
6-1
Quarterfinals
Erik Tegner 1 *
Raymond Rodel
6-1
7-5
Round 1
Raymond Rodel 1 *
Denys Hippolyte Marie Laurent
6-3
6-2
Round 2
Raymond Rodel 1 *
Mr. Alavoine
6-1
6-0
Round 3
Raymond Rodel 1 *
Frank Murch
8-6
7-5
Quarterfinals
Raymond Rodel 1 *
Pierre Canivet
6-3
10-8
Semifinals
Raymond Rodel 1 *
A. Léfebure
6-3
6-4
Final
Raymond Rodel 1 *
Yann Le Quellec
6-4
6-3
4-6
7-5
Round 1
C.Rudolf Strauss 1 *
Raymond Rodel
6-3
6-4
Round 2
Quarterfinals
Roger Danet 1 *
Raymond Rodel
6-2
8-6
Semifinals
Raymond Rodel 1 *
Charles A. Sedgwick
6-4
6-4
Final
Antoine (Coco) Gentien 1 *
Raymond Rodel
6-3
6-4
Round 1
Raymond Rodel 1 *
P. Chauveau
6-1
6-3
Round 2
Raymond Rodel 1 *
Jacques Arago
6-2
6-3
Quarterfinals
Raymond Rodel 1 *
Louis Desloges
6-1
6-2
Semifinals
Raymond Rodel 1 *
Frédéric Albert Borotra
6-3
6-3
Final
Maurice Cousin 1 *
Raymond Rodel
6-1
6-1
0-6
6-4
Round 1
René Meunier 1 *
Raymond Rodel
6-1
8-6
Round 1
Pierre Canivet 1 *
Raymond Rodel
w.o.
Round 1
Raymond Rodel 1 *
Ronaldo Boyd
6-4
5-7
6-2
Round 2
Raymond Rodel 1 *
M.P. Lanet
6-2
6-3
Quarterfinals
Alain Gerbault 1 *
Raymond Rodel
6-1
6-0
Round 1
Walter Cecil Crawley 1 *
Raymond Rodel
6-3
6-1
7-5
Round 1
Raymond Rodel 1 *
Mr. Lallemand
2-6
6-4
6-4
Round 2
George Watt 1 *
Raymond Rodel
7-5
6-4
Round 1
Quarterfinals
Raymond Rodel 1 *
Mr. Flouch
5-7
7-5
10-8
Semifinals
Roger Danet 1 *
Raymond Rodel
8-6
6-0
Round 2
Raymond Rodel 1 *
A. Léfebure
w.o.
Round 3
Watson McLean (Watty) Washburn 1 *
Raymond Rodel
6-3
6-4