Tennis season is now well underway. The Australian Open just wrapped up, with Jannik Skinner claiming the Men's Singles trophy. Now, tennis enthusiasts turn their attention to the Stade Roland-Garros, anticipating the thrill of the French Open.
With the start date still a few weeks away, we have time to whet our appetite for this Grand Slam tournament. You might already know the history of the Roland-Garros and some of its quirkier facts. But do you know all the French Open winners?
Like the other Grand Slam tournaments, the French Open gives us more than a century of tennis greatness. Among all that, a few French Open winners stand out.
This article would be a novel if we detailed all the Roland Garros winners through the years. So, we focus on French Open past winners with outstanding records. Get ready for a trip back in time! Superprof reveals distinguished Grand Slam winners from the start of this tournament to today.
Roland Garros Winners - the Master of Clay
Born: 3 June 1986, Mallorca, Spain
Plays: Left-handed (two-handed backhand)
French Open Titles: 14 (2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2022)
Rafael Nadal had a close connection to sports while growing up. One of his uncles was a tennis coach, and the other was a professional footballer. As a youth, Rafael preferred the latter sport because it suited his energetic temperament. Also, because football is also more accessible.
He and his mates would scrimmage in the streets of his Mallorca home. However, his tennis coach uncle kept exposing him to that game. He began his tennis training in earnest when he was five years old.
Rafael turned pro in 2001, when he was 14 years old. He quickly made his mark on the International Tennis Federation (ITF) Junior circuit, both at Wimbledon and in the US. Shortly after helping Spain secure the Junior Davis Cup, he moved into the professional circuit.
He struggled to find his footing there, but finally found success on a clay court. He defeated Pat Cash, a former Grand Slam Tournament champion. That win marked the beginning of a success streak. He began to climb in the Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP) rankings, from 762 to 199 in just one year.
Rafael tasted French Open success for the first time in 2005, just four years after turning pro. He won this Grand Slam tournament every year until 2009, when Swedish player Robin Söderling upset his streak. Later that year, he would withdraw from other tournaments due to injury.
He reclaimed his French Open crown the next year, and kept it until the 2015 quarter-finals. That Novak Djokovic win would set the terms for the Nadal-Djokovic rivalry that endures today. The next year, injury forced him to withdraw from the tournament early in the event. Save for those three absences, Rafael has claimed the Musketeers' Cup every year since his debut.
If any men's tennis player merits the Master of Clay title, it would be Rafael Nadal. Overall, this player's statistics impress: 209 weeks as the Number One worldwide for Men's Singles. The ATP further lists him as the year-end Number One five times.
Rafael has won 92 ATP singles' titles, 36 Masters' titles and even an Olympic gold medal. Sixty-three of those wins were on a clay court. Nadal holds the record for the longest streak of single-surface triumphs, with 81 consecutive wins on clay.
This Spanish tennis player has racked up an impressive 14 French Open wins. However, he doesn't just dazzle on the Roland Garros clay courts. He's the King of Clay during the South American and European clay courts season, too. But, you might ask: who is the Queen of Clay?
French Open Past Winners
Rafael is the King of Clay, but he's not the be-all and end-all of French Open winners. As you read in this article's introduction, this tournament has a long history. Granted, no Men's Singles comes close to beating Rafael's collection of wins. Still, several French Open past winners have claimed that trophy more than once.
| Player's name | Representing | Number of French Open wins | Years won |
|---|---|---|---|
| Max Decugis | France | 8 | 1903, 1904, 1907, 1908, 1909, 1912, 1913, 1914 |
| Bjorn Borg | Sweden | 6 | 1974, 1975, 1978, 1979, 1980, 1981 |
| Henri Cochet | France | 5 | 1922, 1926, 1928, 1930, 1932 |
| André Vacherot | France | 4 | 1894, 1895, 1896, 1901 |
| P:aul Aymé | France | 4 | 1897, 1898, 1899, 1900 |
Max Decugis
Born: 24 September 1882, Paris, France
Plays: Right-handed (one-handed backhand)
French Open Titles: 8 (1903, 1904, 1907, 1908, 1909, 1912, 1913, 1914)
Max Decugis is one of France's earliest tennis champions. He made his mark when the distinction between the French Championships and the World Hard Court Championships was in place. Besides winning consecutive Men's Singles tournaments, he also won 14 Doubles' tournaments, and seven Mixed Doubles.
Some dedicated tennis fans might argue that Max Decugis should not feature on this list. He played - and won, in the era when French tournaments were open only to French tennis players. Still, we're discussing French Open past winners. His place on our list is secure.
Björn Borg
Born: 6 June 1956, Stockholm, Sweden
Plays: Right-handed (two-handed backhand)
French Open Titles: 6 (1974, 1975, 1978, 1979, 1980, 1981)
However, there's no arguing Björn Borg's place on this list. Björn began his tennis career in 1973, after a remarkable track record of wins on the Juniors circuit. A year later, he scored his first French Open win against Manuel Orantes.
He became the youngest player to claim the French Open Men's Singles trophy at that time. He would continue his clay court winning streak, securing the Cup for himself five times more.
Henri Cochet
Born: 14 December 1901, Villeurbanne, France
Plays: Right-handed (one-handed backhand)
French Open Titles: 6 (1922, 1926, 1928, 1930, 1932)
Of all the French Open winners on our list, Henri Cochet may be the most impactful. He is one of the Four Musketeers of French tennis.
This quartet's 1927 Davis Cup win in Philadelphia led the French Tennis Federation to build the Roland-Garros tennis complex. He is also one of the few players who turned pro, and then resumed amateur status after a less-than-winning professional record.
André Vacherot
Born: 5 June 1877, Paris, France
Plays: Right-handed
French Open Titles: 4 (1894, 1895, 1896, 1901)
André Vacherot's professional tennis record is remarkable not just for his French Championship wins, but for the era he established himself. His accomplishments take us back to the earliest days of professional tennis in France. Unfortunately, not much is known about him besides his tennis success.
Likewise with Paul Aymé, though his record is a bit fresher than Vacherot's. He won the French Championship four times in a row, welcoming the new century with a win.
These players' stories and on-court feats are a part of what makes Roland Garros winners special. Of course, many other factors come together to make French Open magic. Still, tennis enthusiasts marvel more over the French Open winners than that facility's unique features.
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French Open Winners: Rounding out the Top Ten
With Rafael Nadal claiming first place and the next five tennis legends listed in order, our Top Ten list needs only four more players. We must reach far back in time to find them, all the way to the early 20th Century.
Maurice Germot
Born: 15 November 1882, Vichy, France
Plays: Right-handed (one-handed backhand)
French Open Titles: 3 (1905, 1906, 1910)
The French player Maurice Germot claimed the Open title in 1905, 1906, and again in 1910. He's the fourth player on our list to achieve his wins from the amateur ranks. The others are: Max Decugis, Henri Cochet, Paul Aymé, and Andre Vacherot. Maurice also won Olympic gold twice, playing doubles with Max Decugis.
René Lacoste
Born: 2 July 1904, Paris, France
Plays: Right-handed (one-handed backhand)
French Open Titles: 3 (1925, 1927, 1929)
You might better remember René Lacoste for the iconic 'tennis shirt' he designed, which features an alligator. But don't let that fame eclipse his record on the courts. He claimed the top French Championship prize in 1925, 1927, and 1929.
Lacoste was also a Musketeer, in the same league as Henri Cochet. He attained tennis greatness in part by twice beating another Musketeer, Jean Borotra, in the French Championships.
The fourth Musketeer, Jacques Brugnon, is the only one from the group one who did not lay claim to multiple wins. Borotra scored two championship prizes, in 1924 and 1935. Of all the Musketeers, Henri Cochet was the most prolific winner.
Mats Wilander
Born: 22 August 1964, Växjö, Sweden
Plays: Right-handed (two-handed backhand)
French Open Titles: 3 (1982, 1985, 1988)
Like Lacoste, Swedish player Mats Wilander claimed the Championship title three times. No one expected him to win the French Open in 1982. After all, he was just 17 years old and had just turned pro.
He repeated that feat in 1984 and again, four years later. To date, he remains one of six Men's Singles players to win on grass, clay and hard courts. (The others are Jimmy Conner, Roger Federer, Novak Djokovic, André Agassi, and Rafael Nadal.)
Ivan Lendl
Born: March 7, 1960, Ostrava, Czechoslovakia
Plays: Right-handed (one-handed backhand)
French Open Titles: 3 (1984, 1986, 1987)
Czech player Ivan Lendl filled the years Mats missed with his wins. He claimed the French Open trophy in 1984, 1986, and 1987. Unlike Wilander, he was not beset with doping allegations during that decade. The ITF instituted anti-doping policies in the 80s; several great names were punished for such offences.
Lendl focused on his game, instead. He pioneered a new, forehand-leading style of play and made baseline power tennis popular. Today, we call him the Father of Modern Tennis or, alternatively, the Father of the Inside-Out Forehand.
Were you surprised to find that Novak Djokovic does not rank among the top ten Roland Garros winners? He is, without a doubt, one of today's top tennis players. Despite his prowess, statistically, he falls into the twelfth place at Roland Garros. He's just behind former Number One World Champion Gustavo Kuerten.
You might already know that clay is not Novak's best court. However, he returns to the Stade Roland-Garros for this year's French Open. Do you know who he might face off against? Pick up our full French Open guide to learn more about the upcoming tournament.
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