Nicolas Jean-Christophe Escud� is a former professional tennis player from France, who turned professional in 1995. He won four singles titles and two doubles titles during his career. Escud� is best remembered for the vital role he played in the 2001 Davis Cup final against Australia on the grass-courts of Melbourne. Escud� beat the recently crowned World No. 1, Lleyton Hewitt in the first rubber with a superb win in 5 sets, repeating what he did to Hewitt earlier that year in the fourth round of Wimbledon. Two days later, Escud� won the decisive fifth rubber for France against Wayne Arthurs in four sets. The right-hander reached his highest individual ranking on the ATP Tour on 26 June 2000, when he became World No. 17. He's a natural left-hander who was trained since a child to play right-handed but does everything else lefty. His brother Julien Escud� is a professional football player. In 2006, he announced his immediate retirement from the sport due to a persistent shoulder injury that had been keeping him out of the professional tennis circuit for the past 22 months. 

April 3rd, 1976 in Chartres (Age 48)