French Open
French Open: Men’s Singles Preview
Tennis’ second grand slam of the year gets under way in Paris on Sunday as the French Open gets started at Roland-Garros. Who will finish the clay-court swing with a major victory?
One man who won’t be in the French capital is Rafael Nadal. The ‘King of Clay’ hasn’t recovered from a hip injury in time so won’t be in the running for a 15th title.
That leaves the door open in the men’s game. Can Novak Djokovic put his Italian Open disappointment behind him? Daniil Medvedev won the title in Rome, joining the likes of Carlos Alcaraz, Andrey Rublev and Holger Rune as a clay-court champion this season.
Ahead of the opening round at Roland-Garros, let’s take a look at who has history in Paris and who’s coming into the grand slam in the best form.
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Past champions
The last 10 years at Roland-Garros have been dominated by one man, Rafael Nadal. The Spaniard has won seven titles in the last decade, including 12 months ago when he beat Casper Ruud 6-3 6-3 6-0.
However, Nadal is missing the French Open for the first time since 2004 so won’t be able to add to his impressive 112-3 record at Roland-Garros.
Novak Djokovic has two of the other titles in the last 10 years, but he too has struggled with injury. The Serbian was forced to withdraw from last month’s Madrid Open with an elbow problem. He returned at the Italian Open, but was beaten by Holger Rune in the quarter-finals.
| Year | Champion |
|---|---|
| 2022 | Rafael Nadal |
| 2021 | Novak Djokovic |
| 2020 | Rafael Nadal |
| 2019 | Rafael Nadal |
| 2018 | Rafael Nadal |
| 2017 | Rafael Nadal |
| 2016 | Novak Djokovic |
| 2015 | Stan Wawrinka |
| 2014 | Rafael Nadal |
| 2013 | Rafael Nadal |
Who’s hot?
The clay-court swing has seen several of the world’s best players step into the spotlight. Carlos Alcaraz won the Barcelona Open and followed it up with success in the Madrid Open. His early exit in Rome was a shock, but means he arrives in Paris fresh.
Casper Ruud won in Portugal in early April and, after a few early exits in Monte-Carlo, Barcelona and Madrid, reached the semi-finals at the Italian Open.
Ruud lost to Holger Rune in Rome, but the Dane was unable to lift his second clay title of the year as Daniil Medvedev triumphed 7-5 7-5. That was Medvedev’s fifth title of 2023 and lifted him back up to number two in the world. He is 12/1 to win the French Open.
2023 Contenders
Carlos Alcaraz (5/4)
It’s astonishing that this is only the third time Carlos Alcaraz will play in the French Open main draw. He came through qualifying for the first time in 2021 and reached the third round. And last year he was a quarter-finalist – losing to Alexander Zverev. Now world number one and already with two clay titles this year, Alcaraz is 5/4 favourite to win his second grand slam.
Novak Djokovic (7/4)
While the next generation begin to make an impact on the ATP Tour, one of the old guard remains and on-form Novak Djokovic has what it takes to beat them all. Get 7/4 on Djokovic. He’s reached six finals in Paris, winning twice, and will be hoping the absence of Nadal can allow him to move clear of the Spaniard on 23 major titles.
Holger Rune (7/1)
The French open was the scene of Holger Rune’s best grand-slam performance. In 2022 the Dane reached the last eight. A product of the Mouratoglou Academy, Rune looks at home on clay and has a 13-3 record on the surface this year. He reached the final in Monte-Carlo and beat Novak Djokovic and Casper Ruud in Rome last week. It’s 7/1 that Rune lifts the title and becomes the first Danish male to win a grand slam.
Stefanos Tsitsipas (8/1)
Get 8/1 on Stefanos Tsitsipas finally breaking his grand-slam duck in Paris. The big-serving Greek has reached the semi-final and final in his career. Can he take the next step? Tsitsipas looks in great shape to do so. Since stepping back on the red dirt, he has reached the quarter-finals in Monte-Carlo and Madrid, the semi-finals in Rome and the final in Barcelona.
Daniil Medvedev (12/1)
Clay hasn’t always been Daniil Medvedev’s best friend. But this year something has changed. He is 10-2 on the surface in 2023 and lifted his first clay-court title in Rome. It’s 12/1 he continues to thrive and wins the French Open.
The Brits
Andy Murray won his first title since 2019 at the Open Aix Provence, but he will not be at Roland-Garros. That leaves Cameron Norrie, Jack Draper and Dan Evans to fly the flag.
