French Open 2020 Day 5: From Rafael Nadal to Jim Courier – every man to win multiple Roland Garros titles

To mark what should have been the fifth day of the 2020 tournament, we look at the exclusive group of players to taste victory on multiple occasions

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  Jan Kodes (2): The first multiple Roland Garros winner of the Open era, Kodes went back-to-back in 1970 and 1971. Thee Czech also won Wimbledon in 1973. AFP

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  Jim Courier (2). The American is a two-time champion at Roland Garros, clinching the title in 1991 and 1992. Courier's other two major triumphs came at the Australian Open (1992, 1993). Getty Images

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  Sergi Bruguera (2). The Spaniard denied Courier three-in-a-row by defeating the American in the 1993 final. Bruguera retained the title in 1994 and made one more French Open final, in 1997. Getty Images

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  Mats Wilander (3). The Swede won the French Open at his first attempt, in 1982, and won again in 1985 and 1988. One of the best players of the 1980s, Wilander also won three Australian Open titles and the 1988 US Open. Getty Images

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  Ivan Lendl (3). The Czech ended his finals curse by winning the 1984 French Open after losing his previous four. Then the floodgates opened for Lendl, who won his second and third Roland Garros titles in 1986 and 1987, as well as three US Open titles and two at the Australian Open. Getty Images

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  Gustavo Kuerten (3). The Brazilian won the 1997 title ranked No 66 in the world in just his third Grand Slam appearance. There was far less shock value to his triumphs in 2000 and 2001. Getty Images

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  Bjorn Borg (6). The 'Ice Man' held the record of most Roland Garros titles for 31 years, first lifting La Coupe des Mousquetaires in 1974 and again in 1975. Then he went on a rampage, winning the title four times in a row from 1978. Borg also won five Wimbledon titles, but somehow never won the US Open despite reaching four finals. Getty Images

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  Rafael Nadal (12): Should it be 12 and counting? Because as long as Nadal is playing he will be a leading contender at the French Open. If Borg's record looked imposing, Nadal's is surely unbreakable. The Spaniard won the title in each of his first four visits, from 2005 to 2008, and after a rare blip in 2009, went five in a row between 2010 and 2014. After some injury-hit years, Nadal has come roaring back with another three in succession, from 2017 to 2019;. The winner of four US Open titles, two at Wimbledon and the 2009 Australian Open, Nadal sits just one Grand Slam triumph behind Roger Federer's record of 20. A truly remarkable return. Getty Images

There have been 52 editions of the French Open since the Open era began in 1968, and only eight men have won the title more than once.

While those eight are responsible for 33 titles between them, Rafael Nadal - with his ridiculous haul of 12 - makes the statistic almost meaningless.

Either way, trying to win any Grand Slam title on multiple occasions is a feat reserved for very special players, let alone the French Open - regarded as the ultimate test of endurance in tennis.

With that in mind, the photo gallery above contains every male player to win Roland Garros multiple times in the Open era, in ascending order of trophy haul.

Will Nadal eventually stretch his lead at the top? Or can Novak Djokovic join this exclusive club? Following the postponement of the 2020 tournament to September due to the coronavirus outbreak, it will be more than three months before we find out.

Notable exclusions include Australian greats Ken Rosewall and Rod Laver, both of whom won two French Open titles, but one each across the amateur and Open eras.

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