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Roland Garros(Source- Getty images)
The time is near when the French Open, also known as the Roland Garros, will begin in just 5 days. This is a tournament that has given us some of the best moments in the game of tennis that we still remember to this day. Just like every other grand slam tournament, this will also feature some of the leading names in the sport.
It is time to look into the history of this Major tournament that will mark the end of the Clay season. We have had some iconic moments through these years, which has made this a tournament to be remembered by everyone. We are sure to get the same iconic moments in this season as well.
The impressive history in the last 8 seasons of the Clay finale
We all know how iconic the Roland Garros is as one of the major grand slam tournaments. Looking at the last eight years, it has mostly been dominated by two greats in the business, Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal. 2016 saw Novak Djokovic win his first-ever Roland Garros. This was also one of the rare seasons where Rafael Nadal did not make it to the playoffs as he withdrew in the third round due to injury.
After that, Rafael Nadal was back to take his Roland Garros crown in 2017, beating Stan Wawrinka in the finals. This was not the end, as the King of Clay defended his French Open crown in the next three seasons, where he beat an upcoming star, Dominic Thiem, in 2018 and 2019 and an in-form Djokovic in 2020.
The 2021 season saw history being created as Djokovic came back to win his 2nd Roland Garros and broke the Nadal curse completely by beating Stefanos Tsitsipas in the finals. In 2022, it was the King of Clay who not only took his revenge on the Serbian but also went on to win his 14th Roland Garros title by beating first-time finalist Casper Ruud in straight sets. The last season saw Nadal withdraw from the season which led Novak Djokovic to win his third title against Casper Ruud, who was playing his second consecutive title game. Overall, this has been a tournament that has been dominated by two greats in recent years. Looking at the talent on the cards, though, it seems like it might be a whole different story this time.
Here are the last eight winners of Rolland Garros
| Year | Champion | Runner-up | Score in the final |
| 2016 | Novak Djokovic | Andy Murray | 3–6, 6–1, 6–2, 6–4 |
| 2017 | Rafael Nadal | Stan Wawrinka | 6–2, 6–3, 6–1 |
| 2018 | Rafael Nadal | Dominic Thiem | 6–4, 6–3, 6–2 |
| 2019 | Rafael Nadal | Dominic Thiem | 6–3, 5–7, 6–1, 6–1 |
| 2020 | Rafael Nadal | Novak Djokovic | 6–0, 6–2, 7–5 |
| 2021 | Novak Djokovic | Stefanos Tsitsipas | 6–7(6–8), 2–6, 6–3, 6–2, 6–4 |
| 2022 | Rafael Nadal | Casper Ruud | 6–3, 6–3, 6–0 |
| 2023 | Novak Djokovic | Casper Ruud | 7–6(7–1), 6–3, 7–5 |