After some challenging years filled with injury setbacks and ups and downs in form, South African tennis player Lloyd Harris is making a strong statement at the 2025 French Open.

Despite being ranked 227th in the world, Harris has fought hard through the qualifying rounds to earn his spot in the men’s singles main draw at Roland Garros.

Winning Through the Qualifiers on Clay

Traditionally, clay courts haven’t been Harris’s strongest surface, but this season he’s clearly found his footing.

In Paris, he won three tough matches in a row to punch his ticket to the Grand Slam.

His final qualifier was a nail-biter against Croatian veteran Marin Cilic.

Harris came out on top in three sets—6-3, 4-6, 6-3—using his powerful serve and aggressive baseline game to shake off early nerves and close out the match.

Before that, Harris dispatched Finland’s Otto Virtanen 6-4, 7-5 and Switzerland’s Marc-Andrea Hüsler 6-4, 6-2, proving his growing confidence on the slow clay courts.

A Comeback Story in the Making

At 28, Harris is hungry to rebuild his career after a period marked by injury struggles and inconsistent performances.

He once climbed as high as 31st in the world rankings, and now he’s aiming to return to the top tier of tennis.

“It feels amazing to be back in the main draw at a Grand Slam,” Harris shared after his qualifying victory.

“Clay has always been a challenge for me, but I’ve put in the work this season and I’m feeling really confident going into the tournament.”

Tough First Round Challenge Against Rublev

Lloyd Harris’s journey at Roland Garros will start with a tough test.

He’s set to face Russian 17th seed Andrey Rublev in the first round.

The two players have met twice before on the ATP Tour, with Rublev winning both matches and not dropping a set against Harris.

Their first match was in 2020 at the Adelaide final on hard court, where Rublev took a commanding 6-3, 6-0 win.

The following year, they clashed at Wimbledon on grass, with Rublev again dominating 6-1, 6-2, 7-5.

While Harris has previously made it to the second round at Roland Garros in 2019, 2020, and 2021, fans are hopeful this year might be different, especially given his newfound clay-court confidence.

The French Open Kicks Off Soon

The 2025 French Open main draw officially begins on Sunday, May 26th, and all eyes will be on players like Harris who are eager to make their mark.