A record so outrageous that most tennis fans agree it will never be topped, especially considering his closest ‘active’ contender is Novak Djokovic with his three triumphs in Paris.

Nadal first won the French Open in 2005, remaining unbeaten at the event until his shock defeat to Robin Soderling in 2009.

He then embarked on two more remarkable unbeaten runs, consecutively winning the title between 2010-2014, and 2017-2020.

The Spaniard won his final trophy in 2022 before Nadal retired from tennis at the end of the 2024 Davis Cup Finals.

The end of a period of dominance at Roland Garros that was preceded by an absolute classic at the 2004 French Open

Gaston Gaudio: The man who won the 2004 French Open after nearly quitting down two sets in the final

The 2004 French Open was very tough to predict, with the defending champion Juan Carlos Ferrero seeded just fourth and struggling with injury.

On the other hand, the top two seeds for the tournament Roger Federer and Andy Roddick, were both enjoying strong seasons but were yet to show their best form on clay.

It left the door open for someone to come through and steal the show, something that two Argentinian stars were more than ready for.

Federer, Roddick, and Ferrero were all knocked out before the fourth round, which left number three seed Guillermo Coria as the favorite for the competition, as he battled past Nikolay Davydenko, Carlos Moya, and Tim Henman to take his place in the final.

It was Coria’s first Grand Slam final, but that wasn’t anywhere as shocking as his compatriot Gaston Gaudio, who reached the showpiece having never reached the quarter-finals of a Major before.

Ranked 44th in the world prior to the tournament, Gaudio beat Thomas Enqvist, Lleyton Hewitt, and David Nalbandian on his way to the final.

The all-Argentinian final was highly anticipated, with many expecting Coria to make light work of Gaudio.

Things looked to be heading in that direction as Coria stormed into a 6-0, 6-3 lead, putting him just a set away from a maiden Grand Slam title.

Gaudio wasn’t going to let this opportunity slip, however, and took the next set 6-4, before Coria struggled with bad cramps in the fourth, as the ATP world number 44 took things to a decider.

Coria recovered his fitness as they battled back and forth before Gaudio finally took home the title 0-6, 3-6, 6-4, 6-1, 8-6.

He couldn’t quite believe he’d won his first Major title, and told fans after the match what he wanted to do down two sets to love.

“I was suffering so much,” said Gaudio.

“I was telling my coach ‘I don’t want to be here’.

“I was a bit lucky at the end when I got two match points down and I came back.

“I don’t know how, but I won.”

Gaudio thanked the crowd for helping him turn things around, as he noticed a Mexican wave during the third set that lifted his spirits.

“I believe it was fundamental, because I was very nervous,” he said.

“I couldn’t feel the ball properly, I was not enjoying it all.

“Suddenly, the crowd did the wave, and I enjoyed my tennis more.

“I enjoyed the match, and I came back into it.”

Gaudio became the first man in the Open Era to win a Grand Slam having saved match points in the final, as he wrote his name in the history books with his Roland Garros victory.

The Argentine made his top-ten debut following the French Open, and continued his form later that year, as he made three finals in three weeks, before qualifying for the ATP Finals.

2005 was another strong year for Gaudio, who won five titles on clay as he reached a career-high of fifth in the world.

He lost in the fourth round of the French Open that year, despite leading 4-0 in the fifth set against Spaniard David Ferrer.

The Argentine reportedly told Ferrer’s coach: “Don’t worry, I’m not going to win today,” before losing six consecutive games.

Gaudio never reached the quarter-final stage of a Grand Slam again, in fact, his triumph in Paris was his only venture past the fourth round of a Major throughout the entirety of his career.

His form started to decline rapidly following 2005, as Gaudio never won another title, and had fallen out of the world’s top 100 by the end of 2007.

The Argentine revealed that he received psychiatric treatment for clinical depression in 2010, before retiring from the sport in 2011, having won just a handful of matches in the latter stages of his career.

Following retirement, Gaudio spent three years as Argentina’s Davis Cup captain between 2018 and 2021, before ironically being replaced by the man he beat on his finest day in 2004, Guillermo Coria.

Gaudio’s time at the top of men’s tennis was short-lived, but he certainly left his mark on both Argentinian and world sport.

Was Gaston Gaudio the best Argentinian ATP player of all time?

Gaudio’s French Open triumph helped him join a select club of Argentinian Major champions, but how does he stack up against his fellow countrymen?

In reality, Gaudio may well have been Argentina’s third-best tennis export, after Guillermo Vilas and Juan Martin del Potro.

The former won four Grand Slam titles during the 1970s, as he reached number two in the world rankings.

He reached a further four finals, but lost twice to Bjorn Borg at the French Open, despite the Argentine’s prowess on the clay.

Vilas is without a doubt the finest player to have come out of Argentina, but Del Potro could’ve been just as good, if not better had his body not failed him.

The 36-year-old won the US Open in 2009, snapping Federer’s five-year unbeaten streak at the event in breath-taking fashion.

He had everything going for him, and you would’ve been insane to not predict further Major success for Del Potro before injuries quickly derailed his career.

Del Potro played his farewell match recently, having missed several years of his ‘prime’ through various injuries.

Gaudio didn’t enjoy quite as much success as Del Potro or Vilas, but his 2004 French Open crown, will keep his name forever etched in the history books.

The 2025 French Open is set to begin on May 25.

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