Before the French Open even got underway, there was talk of top players boycotting the event over perceived injustices in how revenue is distributed. And why that never materialised, as it always looked unlikely to, we’ve now had a tournament in which most of the top players have exited before things really start to heat up. But their exits have not been voluntary. Before the tournament, the big news was that defending champion and arguably the best clay-court player, Carlos Alcaraz, would not be taking part due to a wrist injury.
The French Open No One Wanted
A Tournament of Twists, Turns, and More Twists
What followed were more withdrawals from players with real clay-court pedigree. Lorenzo Musetti announced he’d not be able to take part. Holger Rune followed suit. And then the tournament started. Medvedev made his near-customary first-round exit. Jannik Sinner, who was widely expected to complete his career Grand Slam this fortnight, provided the real bombshell, succumbing to the Parisian heat in the second round after being eerily close to wrapping up the match. Novak Djokovic raised his glass to Sinner only a day after, losing in a five-set thriller, which he had also led by two sets to Joao Fonseca.
On the women’s side, it didn’t start quite as dramatically, but there was still enough to drop the jaw. Jessica Pegula was dumped out in only the first round. World #2, Elena Rybakina, joined her a round later. Things started to get real steamy when defending champion Coco Gauff kept the streak of at least one surprise per round alive, bowing out in the third round. However, the main course arrived on Sunday, when Madrid champion Marta Kostyuk handed the four-time Roland Garros champion Iga Swiatek a straight-sets defeat. The defeat on Swiatek’s birthday was a further body blow.
The feeling now is that no one wants to win the French Open.
A New Champion in the Wings
The Pole’s defeat now means that the French Open has been blown wide open across both tours. In addition, this year will feature a new French Open champion in both the men’s and women’s categories. Alexander Zverev and Aryna Sabalenka now seem poised to be the greatest beneficiaries of what has been a tumultuous but exciting event to date. However, given how events have unfolded, it won’t surprise anyone if there are further upsets in the offing.
It is ironic that, for a tournament that started with talk of the best players sitting it out, we now have most of them literally doing so, barely into the second week in the French capital. It begs the question of whether the best players have simply not brought their best game, or if we’re having one of the most competitive French Open tournaments in recent times, which has led to some of the shock results on offer.
The tournament has already seen twenty-nine five-set matches before the fourth round even got underway, suggesting the latter might be more the case. The record for five-set matches at Grand Slams is thirty-six, which was set at the 2024 Wimbledon. If the current rate keeps up, we’re on course for a record. In any case, it now presents a lot of less fancied players with a great opportunity to make the latter stages of a slam, an experience that many have never experienced.
A Fresh Perspective
From a fan perspective, you also wonder how the events unfolding in the French capital would be received. While many fans will surely not have liked seeing their favourite players out before even the quarters, they might warm up to the thrill of what now looks more and more like an even playing field. The prospects of new French Open champions is also a journey worth following, especially for a tournament that historically produces champions from a smaller pool of players than other Slams.
Now that the defending champions and pre-tournament favourites are out of the picture, it’s up to the remaining players to decide who wants it the most. The best players have paved the way, setting the ball rolling dramatically for what could be one of the most memorable French Open events in years to come. Whatever the sentiments are, come June 6th and 7th, we are going to crown a new French Open champion, whether the players want it or not.
Main photo credit: Susan Mullane-Imagn Images
