New York, September 2003, Andy Roddick is crowned US Open champion and with it begins a barely believable drought now into its third decade.On Sunday, the 89th Grand Slam tournament since then will get underway at the French Open – realistically only a couple of the 18 American men in the 128-player field will harbour a realistic belief that it could be their time.Coco Gauff is the defending champion in Paris, but success for the men has been few and far betweenGettyAFPTaylor Fritz has come closer than anyone for 20 years to ending US men’s tennis drought[/caption]In the women’s draw, two-time Grand Slam champion Coco Gauff will begin the defence of the title she won in Paris last June.Gauff’s title was the 25th Grand Slam crown for American women in the same 88 tournament timeframe that has yielded no US men’s champions and only six finalists.On four occasions, Roddick was beaten by Roger Federer, Andre Agassi was a surprise 2005 US Open finalist and in 2024 Taylor Fritz reached the final in New York to end a 15-year wait for the men.The men are failing, miserably.Roddick’s sole major triumph came in New York in September 2003, a straight sets win over Juan Carlos Ferrero that was the 25th success for American men in an 11-year stretch.George W. Bush was the US President, the New England Patriots were about to embark on their second Super Bowl winning season and the iPhone was four years away from being invented.A decade earlier John McEnroe and Jimmy Connors were duking it out with Bjorn Borg in a rivalry that had echoes of Federer, Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic.Now a new wave of stars are emerging for the US, and on the eve of the French Open two of them have served early notice on the red dirt.Tommy Paul – the only active US man to reach a Grand Slam quarter-final on all three surfaces – fell short of the title in Hamburg, having already won the US Men’s Clay Court Championship in February.At the same time, a little more than 500 miles away, one of the US’s brightest talents was winning his second career title – and first on clay – Lerner Tien rallying from a set down to win the tournament in Geneva.A woman's worldFemale Grand Slam singles champions since 2004Australian Open – Serena Williams (6), Madison Keys, Sofia KeninFrench Open – Serena Williams (2), Coco GauffWimbledon – Serena Williams (5), Venus Williams (3)US Open – Serena Williams (4), , Coco Gauff, Sloane StephensHow Serena and Venus led the charge and inspired Coco GauffIt’s a very different story for the women, who have been hitting Grand Slams at a rate of almost one in two.On top of 25 champions, 11 different women have claimed 22 runner-up finishes, led by the astonishing Williams sisters.Serena and Venus, of course, blazed the trail for the women but Madison Keys, Sloane Stephens and Sofia Kenin have also been victorious on the biggest stage.Serena may have teased a comeback, having been retired four years ago and stuck on 23 Grand Slam singles titles since 2017, but Venus will be back this year, playing in the doubles event.Aside from the big-name titles, the women have been able to provide a surprise with Sofia Kenin and Madison Keys at the Australian Open and Sloane Stephens at the US Open relatively unexpected successes.Even the highest ranked of the men’s hopefuls over the last 20 years have been unable to hit the latter stages – let alone see a surprise run or two.GettyAmanda Anisimova was beaten in the Wimbledon and the US Open finals in 2025[/caption]GettyKenin’s title in Melbourne in 2020 was followed by defeat in the French Open final the same year[/caption]Jennifer Brady, Danielle Collins, Jessie Pegula, Lindsay Davenport and Amanda Anisimova – twice last year – have also made their way to finals.In Paris however it has been a challenge, with Serena’s three titles and Coco’s triumph the only victories since Jennifer Capriati in 2001.Two decades of near-misses and heartbreakFor more than two decades, success has been few and far between.Beyond the six finals since Roddick’s triumph, only 16 semi-finals have been reached by the American men – between 2010 and 2021 just John Isner and Sam Querrey made the last four, both at Wimbledon.But perhaps something is stirring – since 2022 six semifinals have been reached, with Fritz finally breaking through in 2024.Now 28, the Californian blasted his way to the US Open final in a style not dissimilar to Roddick.French Open 2026Seeded US men's first round matches(5) Ben Shelton vs Daniel Merida (Esp)(7) Taylor Fritz vs Nishesh Basavareddy (USA)(18) Lerner Tien vs Cristian Garin (Chi)(19) Frances Tiafoe vs Eliot Spizzirri (USA)(24) Tommy Paul vs Rinky Hijikata (Aus)(31) Brandon Nakashima vs Roberto Bautista Agut (Esp)He was beaten by Sinner but the breakthrough had been made.Shelton, Paul, Tien – is 2026 the year the streak ends?If 23 years is a drought, then what of 27? For that is how long it has been since a US man was triumphant in Paris.Andre Agassi’s 1999 title is the only French Open success since 1992, it was also the last time an American man ventured beyond the quarterfinals.Agassi did so again in 2003, while Tommy Paul and Frances Tiafoe both reached the last eight in 2024, but fell short.With nine men in the top 50, no country is better represented at the top end of the men’s game – but it’s time for the US men to follow the women’s lead and deliver.29-year-old Paul might be the best hope having won one clay court title already this year and reached the last eight in four of his last 13 Grand Slam appearances, including in Paris last year.Shelton has proved to be a man for the big occasionGettyAFPLerner Tien made his Grand Slam breakthrough in Australia earlier this year[/caption]Tien, also a champion this weekend, reached his first Grand Slam quarterfinal in Australia earlier this year but the 20-year-old is on a steep upward trajectory.Much will be expected in just his second French Open appearance having lost in the first round to Alexander Zverev on his debut last yearFritz has unsurprisingly never gone beyond the last eight on clay, while Frances Tiafoe’s surprise quarter-final appearance last year was the only time in 10 main draw appearances in Paris that he has won more than two games.The best hope might be Ben Shelton. The 23-year-old relishes the big occasion and has reached the quarter-final or better in five of 14 appearances so far.In Paris, with no Carlos Alcaraz, the door is potentially ajar for a challenger to the dominant Jannik Sinner.The pair have won the last nine Grand Slams, but Alcaraz is injured and Sinner looks a man hell-bent on completing the career Grand Slam.Behind him the field is wide open and clay can do strange things but so can history, as the American men have been finding out for some time.