Well before moving into the NBA, the French-American pivot had a "really ordinary" level when he was a teenager, tells his father Yannick in the program "Face aux auditeurs", on Europe 1.

FACING THE AUDITORS

The name of Joakim Noah, son of Yannick, is now associated with the legendary NBA team of the Chicago Bulls - where he played until 2016 ... But the destiny of the pivot Franco-American could have been quite different to believe his father. Guest of the show Face aux auditeurs , Sunday on Europe 1, the former tennis player remembered the time when his son was playing at a much lower level.

>>> FACING THE AUDITORS - Listen to Yannick Noah on Europe 1, Sunday from 8 pm to 9 pm

"Joakim was bad for kids," Yannick Noah says. "He was really bad, really ordinary, when he was playing at Levallois, he was not in the teams, he was not taken in. He was a substitute for the substitutes and he was already 12-13 years old! Normally at this age- there, you're already on the rails and you're caught in the national teams, not at all (...) But I've always encouraged him. "

"My children grew up in there"

For dad, the "recipe" for success is more about education than about DNA. "Myself, when I returned with my newsletter, my parents congratulated me because I was first in the gym," he says. "It was important for us ... (...) My parents were vibrating for the sport ... (...) My children grew up in there, the idea was to accompany them."

If a fluid flows in the veins of the Noah family, according to the winner of Roland-Garros, it is that of passion. "You see me in front of the TV when there is a match, I'm completely crazy, I'm becoming stupid, I think there are many fans in front of their TV ... So, encourage your children!", Concludes the champion.