Roland Garros may have a really totally different really feel this 12 months with Rafael Nadal absent for the primary time in practically twenty years.
But, whereas the king of clay can be a lot missed, two main trophies are on the road and a number of younger pretenders bidding to assert the silverware.
Here, we pick 5 speaking factors for the Parisian fortnight on the French Open 2023.
Can Alcaraz take Nadal’s crown?
Spanish tennis followers shouldn’t really feel too sorry for themselves as a result of the inheritor to Nadal’s place on the prime of the game is already right here. Having solely simply turned 20, Carlos Alcaraz has already gained his first grand-slam title on the US Open and this week reclaimed the world primary rating. As assured on exhausting courts as clay, Alcaraz is an astounding athlete whereas his all-round sport and calm temperament belong to a way more skilled participant. There is lots of hype however boy is it justified.
How match is Djokovic?
Novak Djokovic has two French Open titles on his CV however what number of extra would there be had he not frequently ran into Nadal? This would seem like a golden likelihood not simply to win in Paris once more but in addition to maneuver previous his nice rival and grow to be the primary man ever to achieve 23 grand slam singles titles. All has not been properly with the Serbian since he gained the Australian Open once more, although, and he goes into the event with doubts over an elbow drawback.
Swiatek hat-trick?
Last 12 months it appeared inevitable Iga Swiatek would win a second French Open title, and she or he duly brushed apart all comers on an unbeaten run that finally ended at 37 matches. This season has been totally different, although. The Pole has struggled at instances with the expectation on her shoulders, whereas there have been bodily points, too. A WTA huge three is rising comprising of Swiatek, Aryna Sabalenka and Elena Rybakina, and the 21-year-old’s primary rating might quickly be underneath risk.
Norrie carries British hopes
(AP)
It has been a slightly underwhelming spring for Britain’s main gamers and hopes of a robust French Open seem distant. With Emma Raducanu recovering from three operations, no British girls gained direct entry – a damning statistic. Things are higher for the boys however Jack Draper’s progress has once more been frustratingly held up by damage and Andy Murray has opted to prioritise preparation for the grass-court season. As has grow to be the norm, Britain’s greatest hope of a second week look is Cameron Norrie, who has reached the third around the final two years.
Night session equality?
One of the massive speaking factors final 12 months was how organisers used their new single-match evening session. Only one girls’s match topped the invoice, and event director Amelie Mauresmo apologised after saying males’s contests had extra attraction. How near 50-50 they’ll go this 12 months stays to be seen however, with no Nadal, the star energy of the boys’s sport is decreased, whereas Caroline Garcia is by a ways France’s greatest participant.
