Fansided

14 best players to never win the French Open

By Nathaniel Reeves

25 May 1999: Pete Sampras of the USA in action during Round One of the French Open at Roland Garros in Paris, France. Sampras won in 5 sets. \ Mandatory Credit: Clive Brunskill /Allsport
25 May 1999: Pete Sampras of the USA in action during Round One of the French Open at Roland Garros in Paris, France. Sampras won in 5 sets. \ Mandatory Credit: Clive Brunskill /Allsport /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
13 of 15
Next
ROME, ITALY – MAY 15: Novak Djokovic of Serbia in action against Andy Murray of Great Britain during the Mens Singles Final during day eight of The Internazionali BNL d’Italia 2016 on May 15, 2016 in Rome, Italy. (Photo by Matthew Lewis/Getty Images)
ROME, ITALY – MAY 15: Novak Djokovic of Serbia in action against Andy Murray of Great Britain during the Mens Singles Final during day eight of The Internazionali BNL d’Italia 2016 on May 15, 2016 in Rome, Italy. (Photo by Matthew Lewis/Getty Images) /

3. Novak Djokovic 

The current top men’s singles player in the world is hoping 2016 will be the year he can add the missing title to one of the greatest careers in tennis history.

Even contending with the likes of Federer and Nadal, Djokovic has put together a legendary run over the past decade. Djokovic has 11 Grand Slam championships, tying him for fourth in the Open Era with Borg, and 64 career titles overall.

The Australian Open has been Djokovic’s best event, as he owns the record with six career victories. Djokovic also has three wins at Wimbledon and two US Open titles to his name, and since 2011 has reached at least the semifinals in every Grand Slam singles event other than the 2014 Australian Open.

As that stat would indicate, Djokovic has had plenty of success on clay and at the French Open. However, he’s unfortunately had to contend with possibly the greatest clay-court player of all time in Nadal for his entire career.

In 2012 and 2014, Nadal defeated Djokovic in the final in four sets. Djokovic’s best chance came last year after outsting Nadal in the quarters, but he lost to Stan Wawrinka in four sets in the final.

Already through to the second round at the 2016 French Open, the top-seeded Djokovic could be on a collision course with No. 4 Nadal later in the tournament. Djokovic has been as dominant as it gets lately, and this could be a great opportunity to complete the career Grand Slam.

Next: 2. Jimmy Connors

Home/French Open