Year’s second Grand Slam, French Open, gets under way today
Djokovic, who will be going for a 23rd major title after going level with Nadal at Melbourne Park in January, sees the 20-year-old as the man to beat.
Former French tennis player and singer Yannick Noah (left) perfoms on stage with former Swedish player Mats Wilander during the Media Day of the Roland-Garros tournament on Saturday
PARIS: Rafael Nadal’s decision to skip the French Open due to injury has set up one of the most uncertain men’s tournaments in Paris in almost 20 years but a new generation led by world number one Carlos Alcaraz stands ready to grab a rare opportunity.
Nadal, who won the first of his record 14 titles at the claycourt Grand Slam in 2005, withdrew due to a lingering hip issue that has decimated his season since the Australian Open and the Spaniard expects to retire after the 2024 campaign.
As Roland Garros gears up for a surreal edition without the ever-present 22-time major champion, another tenacious Spaniard has emerged as one of the top contenders trying to keep a Grand Slam out of Novak Djokovic’s hands.
Alcaraz warmed up for his tilt at the Paris crown by winning the Barcelona and Madrid titles, and despite a hiccup in Rome is now in his third spell as number one after first reaching the peak by winning last year’s US Open.
Djokovic, who will be going for a 23rd major title after going level with Nadal at Melbourne Park in January, sees the 20-year-old as the man to beat.
Defending champion Swiatek faces acid test
The next instalment of a burgeoning three-way rivalry between world number one Iga Swiatek, Aryna Sabalenka and Elena Rybakina will play out with the world number one spot up for grabs.
Touted as the next ‘Big Three’ rivalry in tennis and with the sport in desperate need of such narratives, the trio have won seven tournaments between them this year. They have also appeared in six more finals, confirming their status as favourites going into the year’s second Grand Slam tournament that kicks off this week.
Defending champion Swiatek, who also won in Paris in 2020, is clearly the player to beat.
Having won in Qatar and Stuttgart this year, after making the finals in Dubai and Madrid on clay, the 21-year-old three-time Grand Slam champion looks to be hitting top form at just the right time.
But her number one spot in the rankings is under threat with world number two Sabalenka having chipped away at her rival’s lead after winning three titles this season.
The Belarusian dug deep to come back from a set down and beat Rybakina in their thrilling Australian Open final after having won in Adelaide as well.