Ben Shelton and Tommy Paul are among six players who could have already damaged their chances of doing well at the French Open this year.
Players are currently competing at Indian Wells, but it will not be long until the clay court season is upon us.
With that in mind, the entry lists for upcoming clay court tournaments are starting to be announced, including the Monte Carlo Masters.
The entry list for the Monte Carlo Masters features 44 of the top 50 ATP players, with six of the seven players absent from the list from USA, already sparking concerns about their French Open chances.
Ben Shelton and Tommy Paul could have already lowered their French Open chances
There have been a lot of complaints about the schedule and players competing too much, with the Monte Carlo Masters being the only ATP 1000 tournament that is not mandatory for players to enter without a valid reason.
Despite this, most players still enter the prestigious tournament, including world number one Carlos Alcaraz, who won the Monte Carlo Masters.
However, there are seven top 50 players who have not entered the event this year including Holger Rune, who is still recovering from his Achilles injury he suffered last year.
The remaining six absentees are all American, with Shelton, Paul, Learner Tien, Brandon Nakashima, Jenson Brooksby and Alex Michelsen all choosing not to play in Monte Carlo.
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This is concerning for American tennis, as these six players are all missing a big opportunity to test their level on clay courts against top players ahead of the French Open.
This feels particularly prevalent for the likes of Shelton, Paul and Tien, who will have the biggest hopes of going on a run at the French Open this year.
It is worth noting that all six of the American players absent from the Monte Carlo Masters are competing at the ATP 250 tournament in Houston the week prior, but Frances Tiafoe is the only American player making the trip straight over to Europe.
Tiafoe will join Taylor Fritz as the only two American players competing at the Monte Carlo Masters this year.
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When did an American man last win the French Open?
It has been nearly 23 years since Andy Roddick won the 2003 US Open, as the last American man to win a Grand Slam title, but it has been even longer since the US has had a men’s French Open champion.
That came in 1999, when Andre Agassi won the French Open after beating Andrei Medvedev in the final.
The American players who came closest to matching this last year were Paul and Tiafoe, who reached the French Open quarterfinals for the first time.
Shelton also achieved his best result at the Paris major by reaching the fourth round, while Fritz fell to a first round defeat at the French Open.
| American ATP Player | How they performed at the 2025 French Open |
| Taylor Fritz | First Round |
| Ben Shelton | Fourth Round |
| Frances Tiafoe | Quarterfinal |
| Tommy Paul | Quarterfinal |
| Learner Tien | First Round |
| Brandon Nakashima | First Round |
| Sebastian Korda | Third Round |
| Jenson Brooksby | Second Round |
| Alex Michelsen | First Round |
| Reilly Opelka | Second Round |
| Marcos Giron | First Round |
| Aleksandar Kovacevic | First Round |
| Ethan Quinn | Third Round |
| Emilio Nava | Second Round |
| Mackenzie McDonald | First Round |
This is in stark contrast to American women’s results at the clay court major, with Coco Gauff winning the French Open last year.
In fact, there have been five American women champions at the French Open since Agassi won the title in 1999.
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