Roland Garros. Results. Men
May 27, 2024. Roland Garros, Round of 128. Alexander Zverev breaks his opponent's serve and secures a flawless victory. On the other side of the net is none other than Rafael Nadal, the 14-time champion of the tournament. This record will not be broken anytime soon, but we understand that there are contenders. The match against Zverev was the last for the Spaniard in Paris, and he retired at the end of last season. By 2025, we witnessed the first clay major without the great champion. How will you remember him?
Whether you are disappointed or not doesn't matter, as time moves on and no one is eternal. Some players leave, while others reach the top. This year's Roland Garros was eventful. The Scores24 editorial team did not want to stay on the sidelines and attempted to analyze the performances of well-known players. We do not claim to have the ultimate truth, but merely express our opinion. Let's get to it.
Disappointments
Let's start with the unpleasant. Any Grand Slam tournament brings surprises, both positive and negative. Roland Garros 2025 was no exception. Some confirmed their high status, while others simply hit rock bottom.
It Couldn't Be Worse
Losses come in different forms. In any given match, any opponent can play perfectly, regardless of their status. A favorite can unexpectedly lose, and there's nothing surprising about it. The key is to draw the right conclusions. It's much worse when failures become the norm. The next section is about such players. You know these guys well, and they, in turn, "adore" each other from afar.
Daniil Medvedev
A few years ago, the Russian was one of the strongest players on the tour, and it was hard to stop him from the baseline. The tennis player was able to fight for every point and regularly reached the decisive stages of major tournaments. But then came the 2024 Australian Open final, Jannik Sinner, and a loss from a 2-0 set lead.
We mention that match for a reason, as it served as a psychological turning point. Daniil has changed. Suffice it to say, he hasn't won a tournament in two years. His game now resembles a struggle without a clear goal. Medvedev ended his RG run in the first round, losing to Cameron Norrie. Yes, the Brit was once a formidable force, but not now. Daniil managed to come back from a 0-2 set deficit. And that was it. His tournament journey ended before it even began. Perhaps many were used to the Russian pushing forward in the draw despite the odds. It's time to get used to the new reality. Daniil Medvedev is going through the toughest phase of his career, with no clear way out yet.
Stefanos Tsitsipas
Many linked the Greek's career slump to the start of a romance with the stunning Spaniard Paula Badosa. But that's not the case. The current status of their relationship remains unclear, and Tsitsipas's decline continues. As a result of RG, he drops out of the top twenty of the rankings for the first time in many years. Once, Stefanos could have won the tournament in Paris, but...even reaching the quarterfinals is an unattainable task for him now. As we remember, in 2024, Stefanos parted ways with his coach and father Apostolos, hoping to develop his career independently, but unfortunately, the decline continues.
Tsitsipas started RG 2025 quite well, confidently defeating the solid Argentine Etcheverry in the first round. Next in the draw was Matteo Gigante, who hadn't stepped out of the challengers before the tournament. The result seemed obvious. However, the outcome of the match surprised many: the Greek lost in 4 sets and was merely a shadow of his former self. Moreover, the Italian exited the tournament in the next round, losing to Ben Shelton and displaying very weak tennis.
It was so bad that it could have been a joke. But alas, the two "friends" continue to slide down the rankings. The reason lies not even in specific aspects of their game but in the psychological breakdown they have experienced, and at the moment, they are unable to return to a high level. I hope to be wrong, but for now, this is the reality.
Lost, but it’s not a tragedy
Every athlete experiences setbacks, and tennis players are no exception. An individual sport places a significant emphasis on psychology, and here you can win without displaying spectacular play. The clay tournament in Paris presented some frankly strange defeats, which can only be explained by coincidence.
Casper Ruud
Just over two weeks ago, no one expected the Norwegian to be on this list. A multiple Grand Slam finalist clearly did not travel to Paris to exit in the second round. But what happened, happened. Nuno Borges played, perhaps, one of the best matches of his career, and in the fourth set, he bageled the Norwegian. Casper started the match excellently, taking the first set, but then lost three in a row. What was that? An echo of the thrashing in Rome by Sinner? In any case, it’s foolish to write Ruud off on clay; this defeat does not indicate an unpleasant trend, and setbacks happen to everyone.
Taylor Fritz
By the way, the fourth-ranked player before RG. The American has long not been the player he was five years ago. It's unnecessary to say he can't play on clay, as in 2024 in Paris, Fritz went quite far. The two-meter giant's journey ended in the first round against Daniel Altmaier. No one expected a title from Taylor, but a top-ten player should not lower his standards. The loss to the German could be a stimulus for action, helping to work on mistakes, but it certainly won't be a tragedy.
Consistency
We have finished with the most unpleasant section for tennis fans. Let's move on to a more positive note. Now, let's highlight those players who may not be reaching for the stars but perform consistently at every tournament.
Karen Khachanov
The Russian has won only three titles in the last six years and still ranks quite high. The reason is simple – the tennis player is consistent at Grand Slam tournaments. The third round is typical for Karen. The recently concluded RG was no exception:the Russian was eliminated at the 1/16 finals stage, fighting to the end against Tommy Paul. Not everyone is born a champion; it's important to at least be consistent. We wish Karen good luck with the draw. There will still be opportunities to go far.
Alexander Zverev
In this case, consistency is more of a negative. The German once again went deep in a major tournament, but is unlikely to be satisfied. Sascha still remains without a Grand Slam title. Yes, he is charged and motivated, but that's not enough. His opponents have moved ahead, and Zverev seems to be stuck in place. Although we no longer see a huge number of double faults and profanity on the court, Alexander has improved the effectiveness of his serve, but mentally, unfortunately, he remains the same. This was evident in the semifinal against Novak Djokovic. Zverev was no worse than the renowned Serb, held his ground well from the baseline, but again lacked some small details. Novak survived on emotions, with greater self-confidence, and experience to some extent.
The grass season is ahead, along with the enchanted Wimbledon for Zverev. You understand perfectly well that it's unlikely we'll see anything significant in Britain. What can we wish for the fans of the German tennis player? Patience, above all. Tennis is an interesting sport, and there will still be chances to claim the coveted title.
The Great
A photo circulated in major media showing Novak Djokovic touching the clay after his semifinal defeat at the French Open. And he leaves. Did we see the Serb's last match in Paris? In any case, only he can answer that question. The Serb is already quite old, and everything he wanted to win has already been won. No one expected a title from "Nole," but the game was still amazing. The great champion once again proved that he must be reckoned with at any age.
The match with Sinner was lost. That's a fact. However, Djokovic desperately clung to the result and at times demonstrated incredible rallies, just as he did in the match with Zverev. If the Serb were a bit younger, we would surely have seen more equal tennis. By the way, Novak lost only three service games in the match. Against someone like Jannik, that's a fantastic result.
Let's be honest: Djokovic won't play many tournaments until the end of the year. Wimbledon is certain, and then, most likely, we'll see the legend during the American series. Enjoy his tennis while you have the chance.
Final
This was the longest final in the history of the French Open, and it will definitely be in the top 3 most spectacular. For over five hours, two tour hosts battled it out – Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz. The fate of the title was decided in the decisive fifth set.
Remember, at the beginning of the article, we mentioned the match between Medvedev and Sinner in Australia, when the Russian lost after leading 2-0 in sets? Well, now the same fate befell the Italian tennis player. The start of the final for Sinner was fantastic, but the championship tiebreak in the fifth set turned out to be disappointing. Sinner could have closed out the victory in the fourth set, but first failed to convert three match points on return, and then he didn't serve for the title himself. Moreover, the same thing happened to Alcaraz, but only in the final set! The leaders of world tennis went through an incredible scenario where everything was crucial – both technique and nerves. Carlos Alcaraz defended his title. The Roland Garros champion remains the same.
We witnessed a clash of giants in world tennis. It's unclear who can challenge these players. In the coming years, they will be the ones competing for all the top titles. Yes, you might say that if the doping system were fairer, we would have seen a different final, and you are probably right. However, there's one "but" – who promised you that fairness? We have the result, and it will never be revised. Roland Garros concluded, and in a very spectacular manner. See you at Wimbledon!
P.S
Did Alexander Bublik deserve a place in this article? It's a tough question. In Paris, we saw him in a new light. Surprisingly, Bublik achieved his best result at a Grand Slam on clay, which he hated the most. The internet highlight reel champion captivated everyone with his play in Paris, defeating De Minaur and then Draper. This was a charged-up Alexander, the likes of which we had perhaps never seen before. After his victory over Draper, Bublik nearly shed a tear under the applause of the fans during the post-match interview; it was his last win in Paris this year.
You can love or hate Bublik, but he can play brilliantly when he wants to. Probably, not only we would like to see more consistent tennis from Alexander. Whether he will succeed or not – time will tell. So, who was Bublik at Roland Garros: a revelation or a breakthrough? Decide for yourself. Our editorial team leaves this question to the reader.
