Greatest Players to Never Win the French Open

French Open fever is gripping the tennis world as the best in the world fight it out on the red clay courts of Roland Garros yet again, for the coveted Grand Slam trophy. Over the years, this prestigious tournament has served up more than few classic tennis matches. Legends have come and legends have gone, but not all left with the crown.

Current World No.2 Novak Djokovic has had major success at other three Grand Slams. But, it was the French Open that really tested his calibre . He came closest in 2015, when he lost out in the Final to surprise champion Stan Wawrinka. And soon the tables turned as Djokovic came back the next year to bag the trophy becoming the eighth player in history to achieve the Career Grand Slam.

Before Djokovic there were many players who struggled at this surface for a long time, but unlike him could never win it eventually. Let’s take a look at some of these great players.

5. Boris Becker

Boris “Boom Boom” Becker was never meant for the clay court. A crowd favourite with his acrobatics around the net, Becker is certainly one of the most iconic players in history. His fast paced serve and volley game, adding to great net play, made him suited for the grass courts. But Boris never could adapt to clay. He has amassed a total of 49 titles in his career and not a single one came on the clay court.

Becker wasn’t too far away though, as he reached the semi-finals of the French Open 3 times (1987, 89, 91) but he could never beat the best on the surface. With 6 Grand Slams to his name (2 Australian, 3 Wimbledon, 1 US), he just fell short of achieving the career Grand Slam. While his win percentage on hard, grass and carpet are around 80%, he just has a 66% win percent on clay.

In present times, Becker has coached Novak Djokovic in the past and the partnership resulted in man wins including the first French Open title for the Serb. Their association came to an end shortly after the biggest win of the duo.

4. Stefan Edberg

Two titles each at the Australian Open, Wimbledon and US Open, Sweden’s Stefan Edberg sorely misses the French Open trophy in his collection. Yet another master of the serve and volley technique, Edberg was suited more for the fast paced grass courts with 4 of his 6 Grand Slams coming on grass. Although he didn’t possess the killer serve like Becker or Pete Sampras, Edberg was known for his effective net play and a lethal backhand.

Edberg came closest to French Open success when he reached the Final in 1989, up against teenager Michael Chang. Losing the first set, Edberg came back to win the next two and was expected to finish the task soon. But, the 17-year old Chang played brilliantly to win in 5 sets, becoming the youngest ever Grand Slam men’s singles champion in history, a record which still stands today. Edberg never got past even the quarter-final stage before or since.

Despite not having a men’s singles win at Roland Garros, Edberg did taste success earlier when he swept the 1983 Junior Boys’ season, winning all 4 Grand Slams including the French Open. Edberg has a career win percentage of 68 on clay compared to 78 on both grass and hard courts. He has just won 3 clay titles in his career, most significantly at Hamburg in 1992 and Madrid in 1993. He now coaches Roger Federer.

3. John McEnroe

The explosive American, nicknamed ‘The Brat’, is one of the most memorable players in tennis history. With 7 Grand Slams to his name (3 Wimbledon, 4 US), he is certainly among the greats of the game. But he never could go all the way at the French Open, but he did come close. McEnroe arguably came closer than anybody on this list to winning the trophy, when he lost a dramatic final in 1984.

McEnroe hadn’t gone past the quarterfinal stage before that at the French Open, but in 1984 he was ruthless. He was on a 42-match winning streak since the beginning of the season that year going into the Final at Roland Garros. Up against Ivan Lendl, who hadn’t won any Grand Slams yet, McEnroe was strong favourite. Not surprisingly, McEnroe took the first two sets. But a great comeback win was in store. Lendl stepped up to win a brilliant 5-setter to deny McEnroe his first taste of French Open success.

McEnroe considers that loss one of the biggest disappointments of his career. The American was well suited for grass-courts, with his quick reflexes and brilliant net play. He never could adapt his game for the clay court well enough.

2. Jimmy Connors

Many would say that putting Connors on this list is unfair to the legend simply because, during the peak years of his career, he wasn’t allowed to play the French Open. From 1974 to 1978, Jimmy Connors was the undoubtedly the best around. In this period, Connors played a total of 12 Grand Slams, in which he reached the Final of 11, winning 5. He had a perfect record in 1974, not losing a single Grand Slam match. But alas, he couldn’t play the French Open.

In 1974, a tournament called the World Team Tennis was created. But Roland Garros chief Philippe Chatrier was against it and hence, all players who were associated with WTT were denied entry in the French Open between 1974 and 1978 and Connors was its biggest victim. Many people believe that Connors could have won the Calendar Grand Slam in 1974, had he been allowed to play at the French Open.

Despite this, Connors still managed to reach the semi-final stage of this tournament on 4 occasions (1979, 80, 84, 85) and the quarter-finals on 4 other years. Such was the longevity in Connors’ career, he amazingly reached the US Open semifinals in 1991 at the age of 39. A true legend of the game, and a name the victory boards at Roland Garros misses.

1. Pete Sampras

One of the greatest of all-time, “Pistol Pete” has a staggering 14 Grand Slams (2 Australian, 7 Wimbledon, 5 US) to his name, second only to Roger Federer’s 18. A master of the serve and volley routine with lethal attacking play, starting at the baselines and finishing at the nets. But again, as is the case with most serve and volley players, Sampras could never do well on the clay court.

Sampras had reached the quarterfinal stage at the French Open 3 consecutive years between 1992 and 1994. His best performance at Roland Garros came in 1996, when he lost in the semi-finals to eventual champion Yevgeny Kafelnikov. His long-time coach Tim Gullikson had just passed away and it was an emotional period in his life. Sampras never got past even the 3rd round at the French Open since. He just won 3 clay tournaments in his career, most notably the Italian Open in 1994 and in Atlanta in 1998.

Sampras had an 83% career win percent on grass, 80 on hard courts. But he just averaged 63% on the clay courts. After 1996, many said that it was as if Sampras had given up any hope of winning at Roland Garros. After retirement, Sampras admitted that he should have tried better. But with countless other records to his name, his clay court weakness will just be a small black spot in a magnificent career, which will be remembered for decades to come.