Top 5 Best Matches Played in the History of the French Open

The clay season is still going on and we have already seen some iconic matches on the ATP tour. We all have enjoyed our favourite players performing, but there is one clay tournament that is one of the biggest in the world right now. It is none other than the French Open also known as the Roland Garros by some people. This is one of the popular grand slams that every tennis fan looks forward to witnessing.

Being a grand slam tournament which has gone on for over 100 years we have seen some iconic matches in this tournament featuring some great players in the mix. We will be talking about these matches that have made the Roland Garros a tournament to remember for everyone. It will be interesting to see who was part of these thrilling matches which have made us proud of being fans of the sport.

So here are the top 5 matches in French Open history that have kept us on our toes:

5. Rafael Nadal vs Roger Federer (2008 final)

This might not have been a long-drawn match in the Garros, but it was still a young Rafael Nadal who was up against one of the best players in the world Roger Federer. Beating the Swiss legend is always a great achievement, but to do it in three straight sets is something no one expected. This also established a young 22-year-old Nadal as the King of Clay after he went on to win his fourth consecutive French Open title.

4. Carlos Alcaraz vs Albert Ramos Vinolas( 2022 2nd round)

Carlos Alcaraz was coming up the ranks this season and was in the form of his life. The 2022 season did see him make it to the playoffs, but he had got his first scare in round 2 of the tournament when he was up against fellow compatriot Albert Ramos Vinolas who was a lower-seeded player. Alcaraz might have still gone on to win this game but Vinolas did not make it easy for him at all. What should have ended in three straight sets went on to be a five-set thriller which also included two tie-breaking sets. 

3. Andre Agassi vs Andrei Medvedev(1999 final)

There is no doubt that Andrei Medvedev was a competitive player, but nobody expected him to make it to the finals at all. The 1999 French Open final was one of the most intense games in tennis. After the first two sets it seemed like Medvedev was going to cause another upset against American legend Andre Agassi, However, the American had one of the best comebacks as he went on to win the next three sets and win his first and only French Open title. This game also established Agassi as one of the greats in the game.

2. Novak Djokovic vs Rafael Nadal (2013 semi-final)

We all knew that Novak Djokovic was a talent to look out for when he went on to win some major grand slams from 2008 onwards. But this was the match where people were criticising his game on clay. Djokovic was up against King Of Clay Rafael Nadal himself. This was an intense game where every set was an iconic event. As soon as we thought that Nadal was a clear winner Djokovic came back in the next set every time. It might have ended in another Nadal victory, but we have to appreciate the fight the Serbian showed in his early days as a professional.

1. Robin Soderling vs Rafael Nadal (2009 4th round)

Robin Soderling was a talented player in that era but has never been lucky when it came to grand slams. However, the 2009 season saw one of the biggest upsets in tennis. Soderling was facing Rafael Nadal in the fourth round and it was set to be another victory for El Nino. The Swedish talent then gave one of the most surprising performances we could ever imagine. This was another gruelling game which finally broke the winning streak of Nadal in the Roland Garros. This was the biggest upset in the French Open which we never imagined would happen.