4 great tennis players to have never won the French Open

Several of the most iconic players in tennis have amassed a series of titles, set several records and yet, were unable entirely to win the title on the slow red clay courts at Roland Garros. Each of them has been a World No. 1 but been unable to win the title here.

We profile the five greatest tennis players to have never won the French Open:

John McEnroe

Known as much for his heated temper as he is for his immense tennis successes, the American former World No. 1 ended his career with seven grand slam titles.

Most successful on the hard courts of the US Open, McEnroe has one of the highest success rates in the Open Era – and although he reached the finals of the slam in 1984, he remained unable to win the title.

The year he reached the finals at Roland-Garros, most would have expected it to be McEnroe’s title to lose; he was on a 43-match winning streak and, up against clay court master Ivan Lendl in the finals, had managed to rout the Czech in the first two sets of the title match.

Unfortunately for McEnroe, it was his temper that would eventually be his downfall. After a line call did not go his way, the American lost concentration, successively losing the subsequent three sets as Lendl took his first of three French Open wins.

Pete Sampras

Sampras held the all-time Grand Slam record until it was broken by a certain Roger Federer

Former World No. 1 Pete Sampras is widely considered among the greatest tennis players of all time. He has fourteen grand slam titles to his name, a record that went unbroken until a certain Swiss player named Roger Federer blew his records out of the water.

Most successful on the grass courts of Wimbledon, Sampras had multiple titles on every other surface – except the French Open. Unable to effectively handle the slow clay courts, the American only ever reached the semi-finals at Roland-Garros, in 1996.

That was his best-ever showing at the Grand Slam, one that saw his run end with a straight sets loss to Russia’s Yevgeny Kafelnikov, who was also the eventual champion at the tournament.

It was often said that Sampras’ inability to adapt his playing style to the slow-moving clay court surface was his downfall at the French Open.

Boris Becker

More adapted to faster surfaces, Becker could never replicate his other successes on clay

Nicknamed ‘Boom Boom Becker’ for his powerful serves, Becker and his game were unsuited to the slow clay courts of Roland Garros.

He became the youngest men’s singles champion at Wimbledon when he was only 17, and Becker’s game was far more suited to grass courts and fast-moving surfaces than it was to clay. He reached the semi-finals at Roland Garros on three occasions – 1987, 1989, and 1991, but never progressed beyond it – or won a clay court tournament in his professional career.

Up against proficient opponents – Mats Wilander, Andre Agassi and Ivan Lendl – Becker was unable to replicate his successes on other surfaces on clay.

Stefan Edberg

Edberg would go on to coach Roger Federer, but unlike his protege could not win a title at the French Open

Swedish former World No. 1 Stefan Edberg won six Grand Slam titles over the course of his career, two each at every venue except the French Open.

One of the most well-known exponents of the serve-and-volley style of the game, Edberg made the finals at Roland Garros in 1989 – and lost in a five-set match to an extremely powerful 17-year-old American – the iconic Michael Chang, who then became the youngest ever men’s singles champion at a Grand Slam.

Chang had previously defeated World No. 1 Ivan Lendl in the run-up to the finals, a match that is still considered among the best at the venue.

More adaptable than several of his peers, Edberg, who would go on to coach iconic serve-and-volleyer Roger Federer, was likely caught in the path of a talented opponent who simply had immense momentum.