Famous Five: Greatest underdog winners of the French Open

The French Open has a real soft spot for the underdog, and we recall five of the best to ride that favour all the way to lifting the trophy.
Michael Chang, 1989
Yes, Michael Chang won a Grand Slam. It’s worth stating because, bizarrely, it often gets overlooked.
What makes it so remarkable that it’s almost forgotten was that it was so incredible.
Chang, born to Taiwanese parents but regarded as a Chinese-American, stunned the tennis world when, at 17, he became the youngest man to ever win a Grand Slam singles event.
Even more impressively, he had to go through Ivan Lendl, the then-world number one, in the fourth round.
Chang, though, had a secret motivation. In China, government forces were using tanks to violently quash a protest surrounding the death of a political activist.
“What it was really about was an opportunity to bring a smile upon Chinese people’s faces around the world when there wasn’t a whole lot to smile about. I honestly feel that that was God’s purpose for allowing me to be able to get through those matches.”
He went on to beat Stefan Edberg in the final, but it was that Lendl match that has become the stuff of Roland Garros legend.
Mats Wilander, 1982
Speaking of 17-year-old French Open winners, Mats Wilander’s efforts in 1982 must never be forgotten.
The Swede, unseeded for the tournament, had to upset Ivan Lendl, Vitas Gerulaitis and Jose-Luis Clerc, seeded two, five and four, respectively, to reach the final.
There, he met the number three seed, Guillermo Vilas, and recovered from a horror start to make history with a 1-6, 7-6, 6-0, 6-4 success.
“I thought that is what the whole match was going to be like 6-1, 6-1, 6-1,” said Wilander, apparently as shocked as everyone else at seeing his named engraved on the trophy.
Gustavo Kuerton, 1997
Rafael Nadal is the king of clay, we all know that, but the man he unseated from the throne was Gustavo Kuerton.
The rake-like Brazilian ended up winning the tournament three times, with 15 out of 20 career titles coming on the red dirt, but his first was the most special.
Opting to use polyester strings on his racket to enhance the spin he was able to generate, 1997 is often hailed as a tournament when tennis changed, but it would be cruel to attempt to boil Kuerten’s success down to an equipment evolution.
He entered the tournament as a 20-year-old without a single career tournament win to his name and ranked 66 in the world, and yet he is often heralded as changing the game.
“We would see balls that looked like they would go eight feet out land on the baseline,” Todd Martin once recalled to Sports Illustrated. “You started to understand that the game is really changing.”
It was Kuerten, though, who won the tournament, not his racket.
“To win Roland Garros was unbelievable,” Kuerten told ATPWorldTour.com, on the 20th anniversary of his win.
“It’s become more absurd as the years have passed. Now I know how hard it is to win a Grand Slam, but back then I kept questioning, ‘What is this?’ and ‘How did I win?’ It was simple and fun. In hitting new angles, I became a new player. I saw a new universe as a tennis player. In 1997, it was simple, ‘Oh, let’s win this’.”
Arantxa Sanchez Vicario, 1989
In 1989 Steffi Graf was just about at her brilliant peak.
She had won the previous two French Open and was looking certain to make it three in a row. 17-year-old Sanchez had other ideas though, claiming a 7-6 3-6 7-5 win.
“I fought for three hours to win the tournament of my life, the one I’ve been dreaming about,” said Sanchez of the match. “I’m very proud.”
“She was making some unbelievable shots, so close to the lines,” admitted Graf, who won the French Open herself as a 17-year-old just two years earlier.
Jelena Ostapenko, 2017
Just last year, Jelena Ostapenko proved the French Open is still a tournament that throws up shocks.
It was so good, though, that to truly do it justice you need to read about it in full, which you can do here.
Latest
-
Tennis News
Roger Federer sends his fans into a frenzy with Twitter post ahead of his return to action
Roger Federer fans are counting down to his return to action in Doha next week and his tweet teasing his return instantly became a big hit.
-
Tennis News
Iga Swiatek’s perfect week as she claims her second WTA title
Iga Swiatek won her second career WTA title with victory over Belinda Bencic in the final of the Adelaide International.
-
News
Jamie Murray says quarantine threat on tour means players must be ready to adapt
The doubles specialist plans to travel to tournaments in Mexico and Miami next month without knowing what to expect on arrival.
-
Tennis News
Battle of the Brits event is back and this time with spectators
The Battle of the Brits events were a huge success during the Covid-19 crisis and now they are set to return with spectators.
-
Tennis Features
The only way is up for Naomi Osaka as she looks to replicate hard-court success on clay and grass
Oli Jefford on the world being Naomi Osaka’s oyster.
-
Kevin Palmer
Britain’s strength in depth in doubles highlights quality of structure
British tennis may be wondering who can replace Andy Murray, but they have a very different story to tell in the doubles arena.
-
Tennis News
Rafael Nadal pulls out of his next event due to ‘ongoing’ back problem
Rafael Nadal has withdrawn from the ABN…
-
Tennis News
Lleyton Hewitt to be inducted into International Tennis Hall Of Fame
Former world No.1 Lleyton Hewitt is the latest player who will be inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame.
-
Tennis Features
Five of the best men’s matches at the Australian Open featuring Stefanos Tsitsipas vs Rafael Nadal, and more
The matches that made us sit up and take note.
-
Australian Open
Five of the best women’s matches at Australian Open featuring Naomi Osaka vs Garbine Muguruza, and more
Five of the best women’s singles matches at the 2021 Aus Open.