PARIS: Alexander Zverev will bid to become the first German man in 80 years to win Roland Garros when the French Open starts on Sunday.
Only two German men have ever won in Paris -- Gottfried von Cramm, in 1934 and 1936, and Henner Henkel in 1937.
AFP Sports looks at the dramatic and tragic lives of the two men:
Gottfried von Cramm
Born the son of a baron in 1909, von Cramm won Roland Garros in 1934 and 1936, beating Australia's Jack Crawford and Fred Perry of Britain respectively. He had been runner-up in 1935, losing to Perry.
Tall, blond, handsome and athletic, von Cramm was the picture-perfect Aryan sportsman as far as the Nazis were concerned, but he refused to be exploited as a poster-boy for Hitler.
In 1938, he was jailed for homosexuality.
He went on to be wounded while fighting on the Eastern Front in World War II, receiving the Iron Cross.
His personal life continued to be colourful, becoming the sixth husband of Barbara Hutton, the Woolworth heiress, a marriage that ended in divorce in 1959 after four years.
Von Cramm was killed in a car crash in Cairo in 1976 at the age of 67.
Henner Henkel
Born in 1915, Henkel won the Roland Garros title in 1937, defeating Bunny Austin of Britain. He also teamed with von Cramm to win the men's doubles in Paris and the US Championships later that same year. He played his last tennis event in 1942 during which he received his draft notice.
Henkel was wounded at the Battle of Stalingrad in 1943 and died from his wounds shortly after.
He was 27 years old.