Yannick Noah of France with his certificate after being inducted into the Hall of Fame in Newport on Saturday

At 3 a.m. Saturday, Yannick Noah, one of Europe’s leading pop singers, finished a concert in Marbella, Spain, his 90th concert of the year in western Europe and Africa. His day was only beginning.

At 4:30 a.m., he boarded a private plane to Paris, arriving at 6:30. By 8:30, he was on a commercial flight to Kennedy Airport in New York. After that, another private plane flew him here.

At 12:44 p.m., he arrived at the Newport Casino. A minute later, the induction ceremonies began for the International Tennis Hall of Fame’s four newest members.

One of them, Jana Novotna of the Czech Republic, the Wimbledon women’s champion in 1998, wore a stunning white pants suit. Two others ? the Americans Jim Courier, the winner of four Grand Slam events, and Earl (Butch) Buchholz Jr., the former executive director of the ATP ? wore dark jackets, shirts and ties. Noah did the best he could under the circumstances, wearing a white tunic with embroidered edging, jeans and flip-flops.

The spectators loved it. Long before Noah became a concert favourite with his reggae and European-influenced pop music, his upbeat game and personality made him a favourite of tennis crowds around the world.

He was born in France and reared in Cameroon in west Africa. In 1983, he became the first Frenchman to win the French Open in 37 years. In 1991, he was captain of the Davis Cup team that won the title for France for the first time in 59 years. In 1997, he was the captain of the first French team to win the Fed Cup.

Noah has been described as flamboyant, charismatic and funny. But in an interview here, he said he was not always the free spirit he appeared to be. “When I was young,” he said, “I was shy, very shy. I changed later when I had to make my own decisions.”

He was still shy when he won the French Open and became a national hero.

“I was not excited about the attention,” he said. “I was not ready for it. So I moved to New York and lived there for nine years. I could have privacy there. People didn’t know me.”

In New York, he was apparently just another 6-foot-4 young man with dreadlocks (he still wears them). The city was kind to him, and he took up singing. “I wanted to do something I loved,” he said, “and I always had a passion for music. I’m 45 now and I’m doing a lot of concerts, but I’m not too tired. I’m very relaxed. I love it.”

Noah started playing tennis at 8, using a board “because we couldn’t afford a racket or a court,” he said. When he was 11, he was discovered by Arthur Ashe, who was on a State Department tour of Africa. Ashe arranged for his coaching. In 12 seasons as a touring pro, Noah won 23 singles and 16 doubles titles.

He lives in Paris and works with foundations to help underprivileged children in France, especially those that find them temporary homes. He says he runs 6 to 8 miles five days a week, and in November, he ran his first marathon, in New York. “I just loved it,” he said. “I’m going to run it again this year.”

Noah’s athletic supremacy in his family is in danger. His son Joakim is a 6-11 center on the University of Florida basketball team about to enter his sophomore year. He attended his father’s induction Saturday.

“I’m definitely stronger than he was,” Joakim Noah said, “but if we have to sprint, he’s got me.”