Roland-Garros | Five storylines to follow

Every major tennis tournament is filled with doubts and uncertainties. After all, the sport’s unpredictability is what makes it so great. So here are five storylines that will make the Roland-Garros tournament interesting from the first day to the last.

The final lap

Rafael Nadal has won Roland-Garros 14 times. It is his kingdom, his Élysée. He enters the tournament at 37 and could finish at 38 if he goes a long way. Will this Roland-Garros be his last? His ultimate salvation? “There is a good chance,” the Spaniard told the media on Saturday, but he wants to keep the door ajar for now. Just about everyone in the tennis world would dream of seeing him triumph again. But it will be difficult, because he inherited the worst possible draw. In the first round, he will face Alexander Zverev, fourth player in the world ranking and winner of the Rome tournament barely a week ago.

A predictable finale

Certainty does not exist in sport. But some outcomes are more predictable than others. Since the 2022 edition of Roland-Garros, six of the eight Grand Slam finals have involved Iga Swiatek or Aryna Sabalenka. The two players, respectively first and second in the WTA rankings, are in a class of their own in terms of consistency and performance. They each played four finals in 2024. Swiatek won all four, while Sabalenka won just one. In her defense, she lost two at the hands of Swiatek. There is no doubt that the Pole is the Belarusian’s biggest threat. Swiatek has won 8 of their 11 career meetings.

Quebec’s hopes

Félix Auger-Aliassime fought well in Rome against Alex de Minaur, but he lost prematurely in his second match. He left everything at the previous tournament, in the final against Andrey Rublev. It would have been difficult to believe that it was on clay that he would find his bearings, but that is indeed the case. The 21^e player in the world ranking will have Yoshihito Nishioka in his paws in the first round. His good friend Gabriel Diallo will also be in the main draw. The 22-year-old Montrealer won his three qualifying matches to advance to his first major tournament. He will face veteran Kei Nishikori in the first round.

The return of Bianca Andreescu

We have seen very little of Bianca Andreescu since last summer. In fact, we didn’t see her at all. Her last competitive match dates back to August 8, 2023, when she was sharply shown the exit door from the National Bank Open, by Camila Giorgi, in the first round. The 23-year-old Canadian will return to action this week at Roland Garros. The good news in her case is that every time she has returned to the game after long absences, it has gone well. The bad news is that she never went further than the third round in Paris. She will cross swords with Sara Sorribes Tormo.

Danielle Collins all the way

Like Rafael Nadal, this Roland-Garros will also be the last of Danielle Collins’ career. The 30-year-old American announced earlier this year that the 2024 season would be her last and she plans to enjoy every moment she has left on court. The 12^e player in the world is having the best moments of her career, as absurd as it may seem. The former Australian Open finalist has won as many titles this year (two) as in the first ten seasons of her career. She triumphed in Miami, then in Charleston, and she reached another final in Strasbourg. She will be difficult to dislodge in Paris.