Top
Andy Murray French Open 2016

Best players to have never won the French Open


Fifty-eight major titles between them, but none at the French Open. Here are the 10 best players never to lift the title in Paris.

Andy Murray 

Best RG Result: Runner-Up 2016

The double Olympic Champion is arguably one of the most unlucky players in tennis history when it comes to Grand Slam finals. He has played in 11 Major finals, losing eight times, including an extraordinary five times at the Australian Open. One of losses came in 2016, when he reached his first and only French Open final losing to Novak Djokovic in four sets. He has also been agonizingly close to lifting the La Coupe des Mousquetaires on four other separate occasions, having reached the semi-finals at Roland Garros in 2011, 2014, 2015 and 2017.

 

Martina Hingis 

Best RG Result: Runner-Up 1997 and 1999

Victorious at every other major at least once, the Swiss Miss’s two Paris defeats ultimately denied her joining two of tennis’ most exclusive clubs. Triumph in 1997 would have in hindsight given her the Calendar Grand Slam, while success two years later would have meant a career Grand Slam. Three semi-finals prior to her original retirement and a quarter-final run in her 2006 comeback year make Hingis arguably the best female player in history without a French Open title.

Jimmy Connors

Best RG Result: Semi-Final 1979, 1980, 1984 and 1985

1257 match wins. 109 titles. Eight Majors. But not one of those was a French Open final. In fact, Connors never made it to the final two in Paris, losing in the semi-finals four times to four different opponents. His best chance came in 1980 when he threw away a two sets to one lead against Vitas Gerulaitis, just months after his compatriot had defeated Connors for the first time. No one beats Vitas Gerulaitis 17 times out of 18.

 

Kim Cljisters

Best RG Result: Runner-Up 2001 & 2003 

The Belgian’s four career majors all came on hard courts but she had two opportunities to add to that tally at Roland Garros. In 2001, she lost an epic deciding set 12-10 to Jennifer Capriati- the last time the women’s final would go the distance for 13 years. Two years later, she was comfortably beaten by compatriot Justine Henin in what proved to be her last crack at lifting the Roland Garros trophy and adding to her three career clay court titles.

 

 

Venus Williams 

Best RG Result: Runner-Up 2002

The older Williams sister has seven major titles on her resume to date, but none of them have come on the Paris clay. Beaten by sister Serena in 2002, Venus has never come as close to lifting the title, despite a series of promising runs to the quarter-finals in the early 2000’s. She knew how to shrug off the disappointment in Paris though, as she backed up early exits with victory at Wimbledon on five occasions between 2000 and 2008.

 

 

John McEnroe

Best RG Result: Runner-Up 1984

Like Williams, Johnny Mac can also boast seven Grand Slam titles – all in England and America and away from Paris. The similarities don’t end there, as McEnroe also only has one final appearance to show for his efforts at Roland Garros, when he was defeated by Ivan Lendl in 1984. The loss to the Czech was only one of three in 1984 and these defeats combined with his 82 wins for the season, make it the best single season win rate in the Open Era.

 

 

Conchita Martinez

Best RG Result: Runner-Up 2000

One of the best female clay courters of all time, Martinez failed to ever make a huge impact at Roland Garros, a relative surprise considering she collected 19 titles on clay in an 18-year career. Her sole final appearance in 2000 pitted her against home favourite Mary Pierce, and the Spaniard had no answer to the partisan crowd. The Barcelona-born player won her only major at Wimbledon in 1994.

 

 

Lindsay Davenport

Best RG Result: Semi-Final 1998

Davenport never made the championship match in the singles draw, her best performance coming two years after she won the doubles title in 1996 when she reached the last four. The former world No.1 also made the quarter-final three times in 11 attempts at Roland Garros. She ended her career with eight singles titles on clay, and a win in Paris would have given her the career Grand Slam.

 

Stefan Edberg

Best RG Result: Runner-Up 1989

Like Davenport, the French Open stood between the mercurial Swede and a career Grand Slam by the time he hung up his racket in 1996. Edberg’s run to the final in 1989 was very much the highlight hidden among a series of early round defeats. Success at the other three Slams on two occasions each, meant that Edberg lost as many finals as he won, in six career clay tournaments.

 

 

Pete Sampras

Best RG Result: Semi-final 1996

Pistol Pete held the record for the most majors won between his retirement in 2003 and 2009. Despite this, his total of 14 Grand Slams did not include a French Open title, with Sampras stays in Paris normally ending in the first week. His last four loss came at the hands of Yevgeny Kafelnikov, whose straight sets win included a bagel in the second set.

 

? Free >> Join our legendary newsletter

Join >> Receive $700/£600 of tennis gear from the Tennishead CLUB

? Social >> Facebook, Twitter, Instagram & YouTube

? Read >> World’s best tennis magazine

? Watch >> How to enjoy ATP/WTA/Slam tennis on TV

? Shop >> Lowest price tennis gear from our trusted partner


Tim Farthing, Tennishead Editorial Director & Owner, has been a huge tennis fan his whole life. He's a tennis journalist and entrepreneur as well as playing tennis to a national standard. He also helps manage his local club and volunteers for his local tennis organisation. He's a specialist in content about the administration of professional tennis and tennis coaching for all levels.