(L-R) Novak Djokovic, Jannik Sinner, Aryna Sabalenka and Coco Gauff will be the players to beat at French Open 2026. | Photo Credit: AP

The pinnacle of the clay season has arrived once again as the French Open begins on the hallowed courts at Roland Garros in Paris on Sunday.

The second Major of the year comes after an elaborate build up. From the events in South America in February to competitions in Europe, and even Africa, across April and May, there are ample opportunities for the players to make the transition from the hard courts to terre battue.

For the 2026 edition of the French Open, a number of storylines need to be followed closely.

Even before the first ball has been struck, the tournament has been shrouded in controversy. Top players have made no attempts in hiding their disappointment over what the organisers claimed as increased prize money. Since March of last year, these high-profile athletes, including World No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka and Jannik Sinner, as well as reigning women’s French Open champion Coco Gauff, have been trying to secure a larger share of the revenue generated by the Slams. Their target was 22 per cent but currently, the number stops at 15.

There were threats of boycotting the event and on media days on Friday and Saturday, they intended to limit their press conferences to 15 minutes. The symbolism couldn’t have been louder.

A two-way fight?

Coming to the actual competition, the battle lines have been drawn. In the men’s competition, Sinner is the undisputed favourite, especially with his top rival and defending champion Carlos Alcaraz pulling out of the event due to a wrist injury. The 24-year-old Italian had three match points against Alcaraz in last year’s final but the Spaniard pulled off a Houdini’s act for the ages to win a five hours 29 minutes long thriller in a deciding-set tiebreaker.

This time, however, Sinner appears more ruthless than ever. He clinched all three ATP 1000 events on clay this season. In Monte Carlo, he dethroned Alcaraz in the final to reclaim the No. 1 ranking before bagging the titles in Madrid and Rome without any major challenges. In the process, he also became only the second man in history after Novak Djokovic to complete the Career Golden Masters.

Sinner, currently on a 29-match unbeaten streak, now has the opportunity to join another exclusive club, where the latest entrant was Alcaraz after his Australian Open triumph. The Italian superstar aims to become only the seventh man in the Open Era to achieve the Career Grand Slam with the Coupe des Mousquetaires being the only trophy missing from his cabinet.

With a game as complete as his, Sinner should have no difficulties in reaching the final barring a possibly tricky quarterfinal against Alexander Bublik, the Kazakh maverick.

For Djokovic, Slams are the only things that count. The Serbian, who turned 39 on Friday, can’t be blamed for focussing entirely on the Majors as he chases a record-breaking 25th such title in arguably the final phase of an unparalleled career. He hasn’t won one since the US Open 2023 because of the continuous presence of Sincaraz. But now, with Alcaraz out of the picture, Djokovic will back himself to reach the final from the lower half of the draw and upset Sinner in the final.

The preparation, however, for the Serbian has been far from ideal. Since the Melbourne Major, where he defeated Sinner in the semifinal before losing to Alcaraz in the summit clash, he has played only in Indian Wells and Rome. But for someone like him, who has already won the French Open thrice, the sheer experience can outweigh the opponent.

Djokovic begins his campaign against big-serving Frenchman Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard. A potentially exciting third-round clash against Brazil’s Joao Fonseca or Croatian youngster Dino Prizmic, who stunned the Serbian in Rome, is on the cards. Beating Djokovic in a best-of-five sets encounter will require all these players and even second seed Alexander Zverev (projected semifinal opponent for Djokovic) to punch well above their weight.

Anyone’s game

In the women’s draw, every title contender has someone lurking around who has the ability to make things interesting on the day of the match. Top seed Sabalenka, who lost to Gauff in last year’s final, arrives in Paris without a single title on clay this time. She has a tough opening match against Spain’s Jessica Bouzas Maneiro and a possible fourth-round fixture against big-hitting Naomi Osaka. Ninth-seeded Canadian and rising star Victoria Mboko, former Australian Open winner and 19th-seeded American Madison Keys, and fifth-seeded American Jessica Pegula all are in Sabalenka’s quarter.

For Gauff, starting the title defence against fellow American Taylor Townsend is not as straightforward as it may seem. Townsend is an extremely good doubles player and her net skills could certainly trouble the fourth seed.

Third seed Iga Swiatek won her fourth French Open title in 2024. It was also her last trophy on clay. In the last year and a half, the Pole hasn’t been her dominating self. And the draw Gods haven’t made it any easier as she could be up against Jelena Ostapenko, 29th-seeded Latvian and 2017 French open winner in the third round. Ostapenko holds an astonishing 6-0 head-to-head record against Swiatek. She also has Marta Kostyuk and Elina Svitolina, two players in the form of their lives, on the road to semifinal where second-seeded Kazakh Elena Rybakina, the winner of this year’s Australian Open, or eighth-seeded Russian Mirra Andreeva could be waiting for her.

Sweltering conditions

If the level of competition wasn’t enough, the players will also have to save themselves from the heat wave that’s expected to hit Paris. With temperatures above 30 degree Celsius, for once, there might be multiple requests to have their matches scheduled in the night session.

The series of emotional tributes and farewells at Roland Garros is also set to continue. In an emotional farewell ceremony held last year, 14-time French Open champion Rafael Nadal was honoured with a permanent plaque embedded beside the net on Court Philippe-Chatrier. In the current edition, the organisers have decided to pay tributes to Gael Monfils, Stan Wawrinka, Althea Gibson and Caroline Garcia.

Seventy years ago, Gibson became the first woman of colour to win a Grand Slam singles title in Paris. Frenchwoman Garcia, a former World No. 4, retired from professional tennis in 2025 after 19 years on the tour.

The 41-year-old Wawrinka, the 2015 French Open champion, and the 39-year-old Monfils, a local favourite and the ultimate showman, will play the clay Major for the last time in their careers.

Published on May 23, 2026