The best Roland Garros?

While the women's tournament is taking place in Strasbourg, France, a large number of tennis players are competing nearby for a spot in the main draw of Roland Garros. This is one of the oldest and most prestigious Grand Slam tournaments. Those who make it through the qualifiers rarely reach the later stages. Most often, their limit is the Round of 16. Therefore, let's set these players aside and discuss those who have a chance to win Roland Garros this year. And is it true that this edition of the tournament promises to be the most exciting?

How did the previous French Opens go?

The French Open has always attracted a lot of attention. Firstly, it is held on clay, which is the slowest surface, and a large number of athletes simply cannot play on it. You need to be an exceptional master to perform equally well on hard, clay, and grass courts. Incidentally, it is mainly such tennis players who win Roland Garros. Rarely does a pure clay-court specialist become the champion. Reaching the final is one thing, but winning requires mental strength, nerves, and psychology.

Of course, it's unlikely anyone will catch up to Rafael Nadal in terms of titles at Roland Garros – the Spaniard has 14. No one in the history of the tournament has managed to win that many, considering not only the Open Era but all time. However, Nadal is no longer playing, and the last "giant" is Novak Djokovic. In 2023, he claimed his third and, most likely, final title.

The current champion is Carlos Alcaraz. The Spaniard prepared well for Roland Garros, winning the tournament in Rome, where he faced Jannik Sinner in the final. These two are the top contenders in the men's draw.

Who is the favorite?

Carlos Alcaraz

Identifying the favorite is quite simple – it's Carlos Alcaraz. The Spaniard knows how to play on clay, and he is in excellent form. Carlos skipped the Madrid tournament because he couldn't afford to compete in two Masters 1000 events in a row. Perhaps he wanted to, but his body needed a break. After resting, Alcaraz returned even stronger and easily won in Rome. In the final, he faced challenges only in the first set, where he had to play a tiebreak. But in the second set, the Spaniard dealt with Sinner in half an hour, securing the title and the second spot in the world rankings.

Jannik Sinner

Sinner missed several months after the Australian Open due to a ban. Everyone knows what it was related to, but we'll remind you that it was a doping issue. Jannik returned just in time for the Rome tournament, and he spent all those months preparing for clay. It was important to win in front of the home crowd, but in the final, Sinner couldn't withstand Alcaraz's relentless power, who tormented him with drop shots in the second set and left him without a trophy.

Perhaps this will be the final of Roland Garros – Jannik Sinner versus Carlos Alcaraz. At the moment, these two are in their best form and far ahead of the other athletes.

Who can be considered dark horses?

Where would we be without guys who can surprise? There are some of them, and their names are well-known. Alexander Zverev and Casper Ruud. The first is the champion of Munich, the second is the champion of Madrid. But the main thing is that Ruud played in the final of Roland Garros twice, and Zverev faced Alcaraz in the final last year.

Zverev plays excellently on clay, a skill he has proven repeatedly. Yes, the tournaments in Madrid and Rome didn't go well for him, where Alexander admittedly failed, but Roland Garros is a different level of preparation. Currently, the German is playing in Hamburg (the article was written on May 20) and is feeling great. Such tournaments are not a heavy load for him but rather an excellent opportunity to train in a competitive mode before Roland Garros.

What could hinder Zverev? He is third in the world rankings, and he will have a favorable draw, by names, Alexander can quite possibly reach the semifinals. And there, he will most likely have to play either against Alcaraz or Sinner, which will be very challenging. The Spaniard and the Italian are the main rivals for Alexander, preventing him from climbing into the top-2 or even conquering the tennis Olympus.

The second underdog is Casper Ruud. And he is the one that Alcaraz and Sinner should truly fear. The Norwegian had a brilliant tournament in Madrid, bringing him another clay title. He has played in the Roland Garros final twice and loves this slow surface. So, Ruud should be taken seriously.

Is Novak Djokovic not the same anymore?

"The Last Emperor" is what Djokovic would be called if he competed in MMA. A legend of world tennis, who has won everything possible, and at the time of writing this article, is trying to claim his hundredth career title, playing in Geneva. But at 37, Novak has nothing left to prove; everyone acknowledges his greatness and superiority. One should retire at their peak, or else bad memories might linger.

At Roland Garros, the Serb has three victories in seven finals: he lost to Nadal three times and once to Wawrinka. It's a pity that this time he is unlikely to win, as Novak Djokovic is too old for such endeavors. He failed in Madrid, withdrew from Rome, and Geneva is not a top-tier tournament to draw any conclusions from.

Where are the young players? Who should we start supporting now to avoid being called a glory hunter later?

The generational shift has already occurred—Sinner and Alcaraz now reign on the court. But they can no longer be called young. Are there any players under twenty who can compete with them? Unfortunately, there are no such tennis players. But this is only about clay!

We head to Brazil and find an 18-year-old named Joao Fonseca. The young and daring Brazilian won a clay tournament in Buenos Aires. And let's not stir up controversy that it's not the most prestigious tournament with easy opponents, that the weather was favorable for Fonseca, or that reptilians gifted him a magical racket. For an 18-year-old, this victory was his first in ATP series tournaments and certainly not his last.

Fonseca is likely not as talented as Alcaraz, everyone understands this. But is it necessary to be a cyborg to

To earn the respect of the public, João needs to become a solid top-10 tennis player who can win on both hard and clay courts. Fonseca has a very powerful shot and rarely plays defensively, applying pressure on every inch of the court. He is a bold player with enviable mental resilience.

Why should this Roland Garros be the most interesting?

It so happens that tennis is becoming faster and more aggressive with each passing day. The speed of clay courts is no longer as different from other surfaces, and everyone has to accept this fact. This Roland Garros could bring surprises. There are probably those who are hoping for a triumph from Medvedev or Rublev. But right now, these two are hardly ready to show their maximum potential.

As for those who are ready, we mentioned them above. Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner represent the true essence of men's tennis. They have been the most consistent throughout the season. Surprises? There's always room for them. At the very least, the magic of Djokovic cannot be discounted.