During the late 1920s and into the early 1930s, if you faced Jacques “Toto” Brugnon in an Australian, French, or Wimbledon Championship doubles final, you’d be on the losing side more often than not.
Part of the famed “Four Musketeers” that included René Lacoste, Jean Borotra, and Henri Cochet, the doubles master won 12 major titles in doubles and mixed doubles competition. Brugnon paired with Borotra and Cochet in 10 major wins. He captured five major French doubles titles (1927, 1928, 1930, 1932, 1934); he also won in 1922 with Marcel Dupont, but as the French Championships were not open to international players prior to 1925, this win is not considered a major title. Three came with Cochet (1927, 1930, 1932) and the 1928 and 1934 victories alongside Borotra. The 1927 triumph may have been bittersweet — a 2-6, 6-2, 6-0, 1-6, 6-4 marathon win over Borotra and Lacoste. Brugnon also advanced to the French doubles finals in 1925, 1926, 1929, and 1939. Adding to his thorough doubles domination of the French Championships, he and the splendid Suzanne Lenglen won the 1925, and 1926 mixed doubles titles; they also won the event in 1921, 1922, and 1923, but these titles are not technically counted as majors.
Turning his attention to Wimbledon, the 5-foot-9 attacking dynamo proved why he was the perfect partner — steady, reliable, masterful — in pressure situations. He captured the 1926, 1928, 1932, and 1933 doubles championships, two each with Cochet (1926, 1928) and Borotra (1932, 1933). The victories with Cochet were routine; the last pair with Borotra took work. The 1932 title needed five grueling sets over the British tandem of Pat Hughes and Fred Perry, 6-0, 4-6, 3-6, 7-5, 7-5. Japan’s duo of Ryosuki Nunoi and Jiro Satoh pushed the Frenchmen to four sets (4-6, 6-3, 6-3, 7-5) in the 1933 final. Brugnon added Wimbledon finalist appearances in 1927, 1931, and 1934. His Australian title came with Borotra in 1928, creating a dizzying legacy of success — 17 trips to a major men's doubles final between 1925 and 1939.
Singles wasn’t Brugnon’s forte, but he did advance to three U.S. National Men’s Singles Championships quarterfinals (1926-1928), three French National Singles quarterfinals (1927-1929), and his best showing at Wimbledon was a semifinal appearance in 1926, losing to American Howard Kinsey in five sets. He was ranked in the world's top ten in singles twice, in 1926 (no. 10) and 1927 (no. 9).
Brugnon spent more than a decade as a member of the French Davis Cup Team (1921, 1923-27, 1930-34) winning 22 of 31 doubles matches and played a part in four championships (1927, 1930, 1931, 1932). The 1927 victory was the first in history for France, ending the U.S. dominance of a record seven consecutive titles (1920-1926) titles and was the first of six straight championships for France (1927-1932).
Playing on his native soil in Paris, Brugnon teamed with Cochet to win an Olympic Silver Medal at the 1924 Olympic Games.
