ATP Tour

Who are the most recent first-time champions at Roland Garros?

Roland Garros will crown a new champion in 2026.

None of the surviving players left in the draw at the clay-court major in Paris have ever won a major, and the second week of the tournament has become a battle to fulfil a lifelong dream.

ATPTour.com takes a look at the most recent men to claim the Roland Garros trophy.

Carlos Alcaraz (2024)
Carlos Alcaraz was the last player to join the roll of honour at Roland Garros. Having already won major trophies at the US Open (2022) and Wimbledon (2023), the Spaniard battled through a gruelling campaign in Paris in 2024 to earn his first title at the clay-court major.

Alcaraz bravely navigated two tough five-set clashes against Jannik Sinner and Alexander Zverev, in the semi-finals and final, respectively to claim his first trophy in the French capital. With his triumph, he became the youngest player in history to win a Grand Slam title on three different surfaces.

Novak Djokovic (2016)
It was exactly one decade ago that Novak Djokovic completed the Career Grand Slam, one of the sport’s greatest milestones. The Serbian, who had fallen in the final on three prior occasions (2012, 2014 and 2015), eventually got over the line on Court Phillipe-Chatrier with a four-set win over rival Andry Murray in 2016.

At the time, Djokovic had won 11 major titles and was already an iconic star of the sport, but there was one missing. In the absence of Rafael Nadal, who had retired with a wrist injury in the first week of the tournament, the door opened and Djokovic did not pass up the opportunity, becoming fifth man in the Open Era to complete his Career Grand Slam.

Stan Wawrinka (2015)
By 2015, Stan Wawrinka had never advanced past the quarter-finals in Paris, but that year he was a considerably transformed player. The Swiss had won his first major title at the Australian Open the season before and was continuously showing his ability to overwhelm players, even on the slowest surface of all.

Wawrinka cruised to a win over Roger Federer in the quarter-finals to claim his first Grand Slam win over his countryman before defeating Jo-Wilfried Tsonga in the semi-finals. In the title bout, against the odds, he came back to down Djokovic and win the second major title of his career.

Roger Federer (2009)
By the 2009 season, Federer had won 13 major titles and was considered one of the all-time greats, but he was still yet to conquer Roland Garros. The Swiss, who fell in three consecutive finals (2006, 2007 and 2008), ultimately crossed the line on Court Philippe-Chatrier in 2009.

Nadal suffered the first loss of his career in Paris at the hands of Robin Soderling, meaning the trophy was guaranteed to go to a first-time winner from the fourth round. Federer then made his dream come true by overcoming Soderling in the final, after which the Swiss moved to tears.

Rafael Nadal (2005)
There was once a time when Nadal was not a 14-time champion at Roland Garros, when he was yet to begin writing one of the most impressive stories in the history of sport. The Spaniard missed the 2004 edition of the clay major because of a foot injury, but he well and truly made his mark in 2005.

With no prior experience on the Paris clay, Nadal only dropped one set en route to the semi-finals. The then-19-year-old then brushed aside Federer in the last four before rallying to defeat Mariano Puerta in his first major final.