#5 33 years since a Frenchman won the French Open
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It’s been 33 years since Yannick Noah beat Mats Wilander to lift the 1983 French Open. Since then, not one male tennis player from the country has been able to replicate Noah’s feat.
It’s fair to say that the French Open has not been a great tournament for France’s male tennis stars. Year after year, we see a number of talented French players enter the tournament with great hope but hardly any of them remain in the fray by the time the second week commences.
This is especially true for Richard Gasquet. Once touted as the next Roger Federer, the 29-year-old has failed to kick on from his impressive career start. He has, though, tasted victory at Roland Garros winning the mixed doubles title in 2004 but has failed to make it to the singles quarter-final even once on his home turf.
The other big name amongst French tennis players is Jo Wilfried-Tsonga. The burly 31-year-old rose to fame with an astonishing run to the finals of the 2008 Australian Open but has failed to kick on and really make a mark on world tennis. He still is the highest ranked French tennis player at number seven who made it to the semi-finals last year. This time, he would be hoping to go one better.
The other French players in the fray include Benoit Paire, Jeremy Chardy, Gilles Simon, Stephane Robert and Pierre-Hugues Herbert but if any one of these goes on to win the tournament, it will be the biggest shock in the history of French Open.
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