Reigning Roland Garros men’s winners’ undefeated first-round record remains in tact

Shahida Jacobs
Pictured: Carlos Alcaraz with French Open trophy
Carlos Alcaraz celebrates 2024 French Open title

The French Open remains the only Grand Slam where the reigning men’s singles champion is yet to lose in the first round the year after they won the title as Carlos Alcaraz continued the tradition.

Alcaraz won the 57th edition of the clay-court Grand Slam in Paris in 2024 and, with his 6-3, 6-4, 6-2 victory over Giulio Zeppieri in the opening round of the 2025 tournament, the reigning French Open men’s champions moved to 53-0 at Roland Garros in the first round.

In case you are wondering why it is not 57-0, a couple of champions have missed their title defences in the past as Rod Laver won the tournament in 1969 as it was the second leg of his Calendar Grand Slam, but that turned out to be his last match in Paris.

Ditto for Bjorn Borg as after he won four in a row from 1978 to 1981, he didn’t play again at Roland Garros as he retired in early 1982.

Andres Gomez won his only Grand Slam title at the French Open in 1990 and didn’t defend his trophy the following year.

The great Rafael Nadal also missed his final title defence in 2023. After winning his record-extending 14th trophy with a three-set win over Casper Ruud in the 2022 final, Nadal was forced to withdraw from the tournament the following year due to his hip injury, which ultimately resulted in his retirement.

Roland Garros v Aus Open v Wimbledon v US Open

Defending champions have tasted defeat in the first round at the other three Grand Slams as it has happened once at each of the Wimbledon and the Australian Open and once at the US Open in the Open Era.

For the first occurrence of a defending champion losing in the first round at a Grand Slam in the Open Era, you have to go to December 1977 as Roscoe Tanner won the title in January 1977, but then lost in five sets against Chris Lewis less than 12 months later.

Twenty years later and history repeated itself as Boris Becker became the second Australian Open winner to lose in the first round. The defending champion was seeded sixth and went down in five sets to Carlos Moya.

Facts & Stats Features

The 8 women with the most French Open titles: Chris Evert with 7, Iga Swiatek joint-third

The 3 defending Australian Open champions to lose in Round 1: Sinner, Sabalenka look to avoid Boris Becker’s fate

Two-time US Open defending champion Pat Rafter joined the list two years later, but to be fair to him, he was injured and retired at the start of the fifth set against Cedric Pioline with a shoulder injury.

The most recent instance of a defending men’s Grand Slam winner losing in the opening round was at Wimbledon in 2003 with the “honour” going to Lleyton Hewitt.

After defeating Davis Nalbandian in the 2002 final, Hewitt’s Centre Court return ended in defeat as he four sets against big-serving qualifier Ivo Karlovic.

But the first time a reigning Grand Slam champion failed to start his title defence with a win the following year at Wimbledon was in 1967, which was the year before the Open Era started.

Manuel Santana won the title in 1966, but then 10-8, 6-3, 2-6, 8-6 to USA’s Charlie Pasarell the following year.