Drought continues for French in Paris

A lack of consistency at the highest level, fragile bodies and an outstanding generation barring their way make it difficult to see a French successor to their last men’s singles champion Yannick Noah any time soon. 

After it became an international tournament in 1925, the first eight titles went to French men -- but since then, they claimed only two titles, Marcel Bernard winning in 1946 and Noah in 1983.

“If you want a chance to win the French Open, you need to arrive full of confidence, having won great matches on the surface and, let’s face it, it is not happening with the French male players,” former French technical director Patrice Hagelauer, the coach who led Noah to the title, said.

“For the French Open especially you need to be in top shape physically and mentally. Gael (Monfils) played the odd semi-final but then you’ve already reached your maximum and in the quarter or semi-finals, they hold on for a set or two.” 

Since Noah beat Mats Wilander 34 years ago, only the mercurial Henri Leconte has reached the final of the claycourt Grand Slam.

In the last 10 years, only Monfils (2008) and Jo-Wilfried Tsonga (2013 and 2015) have given some hope to the vociferous home support when they reached the last four. “Since 1983, we’ve had great talents -- Leconte, (Guy) Forget, (Cedric) Pioline, Monfils, (Richard) Gasquet, Tsonga, but never players who started Roland Garros with the favourite tag. It was the case for Yannick,” Hagelauer added.

“In the last 15 years, incredible things happened, notably Rafa Nadal winning the French Open nine times. “The Big Four generation (Nadal, Roger Federer, Novak Djokovic and Andy Murray) also complicated things. These guys are monsters,” he said.