No American man has won a Grand Slam singles title since 2003.
Andy Roddick was the last to do so: he won the 2003 US Open, beating Juan Carlos Ferrero in the final.
Taylor Fritz is the last American man to reach a Grand Slam final – at the 2024 US Open.
At Roland Garros in particular, American men have struggled to achieve success.
Who will win this year’s French Open?
The second Slam of the year…
Andre Agassi is America’s last male champion in Paris. The seven-time major champion won the 1999 title after beating Andrei Medvedev in the final.
John McEnroe, who never won the Parisian title, has named the American men he believes have the best chance of winning Roland Garros this year.
John McEnroe says Learner Tien and Tommy Paul are the most likely Americans to win Roland Garros this year
“Winning a major?” McEnroe asked rhetorically while speaking on ‘The Mac Zone [US TNT Sports] on Monday.
“This guy right here [Learner Tien] and [Ben] Shelton.
“I’d pick Learner and Tommy Paul here [at Roland Garros]. I think he has his best shot of going the furthest on clay. I think he is most accomplished potentially on clay.
“But as far as overall, like generally speaking, Ben and Learner.
“Learner’s top 20 in the world already. I mean, these guys are doing pretty damn well.”
Tien began his Roland Garros campaign on Tuesday, defeating Chilean player Cristian Garin 6-0, 2-6, 6-0, 6-2.
The youngster, 20, will play Argentina’s Facundo Díaz Acosta in the second round.
Meanwhile, Ben Shelton and Tommy Paul have already advanced through to the second round of Roland Garros.
Shelton defeated Daniel Meria 6-3, 6-3, 6-4 and will play Raphael Collignon in the second round.
Paul beat Rinky Hijikata in his first match, and the American will play Italian Lorenzo Sonego in round two.
Andre Agassi’s 1999 Roland Garros triumph
As already mentioned, Andre Agassi is the last American man to win Roland Garros, doing so in 1999.
Agassi, seeded 13th in Paris, defeated Franco Squillari, Arnaud Clement, Chris Woodruff and fourth seed Carlos Moya on his way to the quarter-finals.
Agassi then defeated qualifier Marcelo Filippini 6-2, 6-2, 6-0.
Agassi’s stellar run continued in the semi-finals, as he secured a four-set victory over Czech player Dominik Hrbaty
In the final, Agassi faced unseeded Ukrainian Andrei Medvedev.
The American produced an astonishing comeback to defeat Medvedev, winning 1–6, 2–6, 6–4, 6–3, 6–4 on Court Philippe-Chatrier.
By triumphing in Paris, Agassi became only the second man in the Open Era to complete the ‘Career Grand Slam.’
“I’ve got to say it was the best moment I’ve ever had on a tennis court, as far as an accomplishment goes,
” said Agassi in an interview with rolandgarros.com years later.
“And the feeling was me living the rest of my life truly believing I wouldn’t have another regret as it relates to my career.
”
