American(s) in Paris: Shelton-Tiafoe-Paul trio chase history at Roland Garros

The No. 1 Read is TENNIS.com's lead story for the day—look for more of them throughout Roland Garros.

“The Americans are coming” is not a phrase that has commonly struck fear in the hearts of other tennis players in Europe. In this century especially, the Continent’s clay courts are where U.S. hopes, and early-season momentum, have typically gone to die. The last American men’s champion at Roland Garros was Andre Agassi in 1999; the only two U.S. women to win since 2000 are Jennifer Capriati and Serena Williams.

The reasons have always been obvious: The U.S. doesn’t have many red-clay courts, and its young players don’t grow up on it. They don’t learn to slide, they don’t learn to construct points with the patience or consistency or heavy topspin needed for it. The hard surfaces in the States reward bigger serves, flatter strokes, and a less-defensive, less-attritional mindset.

At least that has been the case in the past. The most surprising and widespread story of the first week at Roland Garros has been the invasion of the Americans. As of the start of play on Saturday, nine Yanks—four men, five women—were still in the third and fourth rounds of the singles draws. This is the first time since 1995 that three U.S. men have a chance to reach the quarterfinals.

What explains the shift, and the relative success in 2025? The USTA has focused more on clay-court tennis for a while now. It installed red-clay courts at its center in Florida, and emphasized that the skills and mentality you learn on dirt can translate to other surfaces. Coco Gauff and Sofia Kenin, who have each made the final at Roland Garros this decade, have game styles—based on speed and defense—that are a natural fit for clay.

Read more: Can Tommy Paul break the curse for U.S. men at Roland Garros?

But I don’t think this is a case of Americans learning the secrets of dirt-ball. Even Tommy Paul, who won the boys’ title at Roland Garros in 2015, and has gritted his way through two five-setters this week, says he didn’t grow up with any affinity for the surface.

“Coming over to the clay, I used to not be very excited to come out here,” Paul says. “I mean, three, four years ago, I definitely wasn’t super comfortable on the clay.”

The number of U.S. players we see advancing in Paris is more directly related to the number of U.S. players we’ve seen climbing the rankings on both tours in recent years. There are 29 Americans in the Top 100 in total—16 women, 13 men—which is more than any other country, and triple what the U.S. had 15 years ago. There’s strength in numbers, and that’s proving to be true in Paris as well.

It is also true that, with the long-running decline of serve and volley, the differences between the surfaces are subtler than they once were. You won’t hit as many aces on clay as you will on faster courts, but the core tactic of the modern game—the serve-forehand combination—works well everywhere.

Until 2008, only two men in the Open era, Agassi and Rod Laver, won Roland Garros along with the other three majors. Since then, Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, and Novak Djokovic have done it. On the women’s side, Williams and Maria Sharapova showed that it was possible to take playing styles which were honed on California and Florida hard courts and become champions at Roland Garros, alongside all the other Slams.

It also doesn’t hurt that the biggest roadblock in men’s tennis history, Nadal in Paris, is no longer in the way.

“It’s just winning matches, man,” says Frances Tiafoe, who is into the fourth round for the first time. “Guys are confident anywhere. Obviously, you know, we didn’t have the best results. I mean, for me, I don’t imagine on clay ever.”

“Mind’s there. I mean, game is open. Anything can happen. I think it’s super critical not to worry about what was and just worry about what is. Currently we’re at the French Open, and just try to be elite.”

Paul and Tiafoe will be joined on Sunday by their younger compatriot, Ben Shelton. The flamboyant lefty, whose serve is far and away his biggest weapon, also doesn’t have a game that screams “clay ready.” But he has put in the time on the surface, taking his lumps on the European circuit each spring, and finally finding some success. In 2024, he won the lone U.S. tournament on red clay, in Houston, and this year he made the final in Munich. In his opener in Paris, he surprised many by coming back to beat Italy’s Lorenzo Sonego in five sets.

I think, for me, it’s just figuring out how I can still play my game and adapt slightly to being on the clay and moving on the clay, but still playing an aggressive style of tennis. Ben Shelton

“I think, for me, it’s just figuring out how I can still play my game and adapt slightly to being on the clay and moving on the clay, but still playing an aggressive style of tennis,” Shelton says.

“I’m doing a better and better job of not just thinking I have to be 20 feet behind the baseline and play high and heavy, like the traditional clay court game style.”

For Paul this week, success has been about doing what every player has to do in every match on every surface: Solve problems.

“I remind myself it’s just tennis,” he says. “You’re just playing tennis on a different surface. And we’re good tennis players. We got to figure it out. I think we’re doing a better job of that.”

Against Marton Fucsovics in the second round, Paul did a good job of figuring out how to win a clay-court war.

“The only thing that was really going on in my mind was extending, extending points, extending games, extending the match,” he said after his five-set comeback win.

That’s not something you’ve heard too often from a U.S. tennis player in the past.

The number of Americans in the draw will surely dwindle as the second week continues. But on Sunday, Paul, Tiafoe and Shelton will have a chance to pass a small milestone and end a long drought. No U.S. man has made the quarters in Paris since Agassi in 2003. It won’t be easy: Paul has been dealing with ab pain, Shelton will play Carlos Alcaraz, and Tiafoe will face a German who’s comfortable on clay, Daniel Altmaeir. But the chances to go deeper are there.

“Honestly, everything kind of changed a little bit,” Paul says. “Now I come over here and I look at it as an opportunity. I think all the Americans do. I think everyone can play on everything.”