Carlos Alcaraz shows incredible fight in Roland Garros title

 

                                              (Credit: Gonzalo Fuentes/Reuters) 

 (2) Carlos Alcaraz defeated (1) Jannik Sinner 4-6, 6-7, 6-4, 7-6, 7-6 to win the men's singles title at Roland Garros. It is Alcaraz's fifth grand slam title and his second consecutive French Open title. Despite getting down 0-2, Alcaraz came back to win three straight sets, crushing Sinner's soul in the process. It was an unbelievable performance that I think is the greatest yet that we've ever seen from Alcaraz. 

Coming back down from 0-2 down is simply amazing, but what made it even more incredible is it was the longest final in the history of the French Open. The amount of fight that Alcaraz showed was on another level. So many times he could have thrown in the towel and given up, but he dug deep and found a way to pull it out in the end. He even had to fend off three championship points. 

A major reason why Alcaraz was able to pull off the comeback was his ability to up his aggression. In the first two sets, he and Sinner were tied with 20 winners each. In the final three sets, Alcaraz was +17 in winners (50-33). His ability to take more chances and not allow Sinner to control the pace made a huge difference. Had Alcaraz not played with that same level of aggression in the final three sets, he wouldn't have pulled this out. 

Of course, even with that increased aggression, it was still a dogfight until the very end with the final two sets being tiebreakers. Sinner made Alcaraz earn it. This was not a case of Sinner choking. This was the two best players in the world going at it and unfortunately only one of them can win. 

What makes this title extra special for Alcaraz is the fact that fellow Spaniard Rafael Nadal was honored before the tournament with a special ceremony and unveiling of a plaque that bears his footprint and record number of Roland Garros titles (14) on Court Philippe-Chatrier. Winning the French Open this year is the best tribute that Alcaraz could have given to Nadal. That I'm sure has to feel very satisfying. 

All around, this was a fantastic two weeks for Carlos Alcaraz. He's quickly establishing himself as an all-time great and he's only 22 years of age. It's just getting started for him and that's something that should have the rest of the ATP Tour shaking in their boots. 

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Coco Gauff finally goes the distance at Roland Garros

                                              (Credit: Thibuad Moritz/AFP via Getty Images) 

In the women's singles final (2) Coco Gauff defeated (1) Aryna Sabalenka 6-7, 6-2, 6-4 to win the 2025 French Open at Roland Garros. It is Gauff's second career grand slam title and first French Open title. Gauff's first grand slam title came at the 2023 US Open in which she also defeated Sabalenka in three sets: 2-6, 6-3, 6-2. 

At just 21 years of age, Gauff is one of the best all-around players in the game. A lot of American players her age struggle away from the hard courts, but due to spending a lot of time on the clay growing up, Gauff is perhaps even better and more comfortable on the clay. What really allowed her to beat Sabalenka was her patience and ability to let Sabalenka be the one to make mistakes. Sabalenka had 70 unforced errors during the match to Gauff's 30. Of the 119 points she won, 58.8% were due to those unforced errors by Sabalenka. That is a crazy stat.

Even though she grew up playing a lot of clay tournaments, Gauff still had to pay her dues to win her first French Open. In 2019, she didn't get out of the qualifying rounds. In 2020, she lost in the second round. In 2021, she reached the quarterfinals. In 2022, she reached the final, making it seem like a French Open title was imminent. But then in 2023, she lost in the quarterfinals and then in 2024 she lost in the semifinals. We all knew she was knocking on the door, but there were still questions about when she would break through on the dirt. Make no mistake, Gauff has worked extremely hard to improve her clay court tennis and she finally got rewarded by winning it all this year. 

In some respects, the final was a microcosm of what Gauff's Roland Garros journey has been like. She could have thrown in the towel after dropping that first set, but instead she kept on fighting and believing. She trusted the process and her approach to the game without wavering. Such an approach is especially beneficial on clay. If she keeps playing like this, I definitely see more French Open titles in her future. 

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Top 5 contenders entering second week of 2025 Roland Garros: Women's singles

 

                                             (Aryna Sabalenka. Credit: Getty Images) 

The second week of the French Open at Roland Garros is about to get started and there are 16 women left in the draw. Click here to check out the draw if you haven't already done so. Below is my list of top five contenders left on the women's side. Click here to check out who I got on the men's side. Okay, away we go! 

#1. Iga Świątek (Poland): Iga Świątek is the No. 5 seed in the tournament, but she's still number one on my list of contenders. She's a four-time champion at Roland Garros, having won three straight titles. She hasn't dropped a set all tournament and is really on cruise control through three rounds. It will get tougher for her starting with her fourth round match against No. 12 Elena Rybakina, but so long as she's still in the tournament, Swiatek has to be my favorite to win it all on the women's side. 

#2. Jasmine Paolini (Italy): Jasmine Paolini is the No. 4 seed in the tournament, but she's number two on my list of contenders. She reached the final at Roland Garros last year and is coming in with a lot of momentum having won the Italian Open in Rome. If Swiatek is going to go down to anybody, Paolini in the quarterfinals would be my bet. It's a shame they couldn't at least meet in the semifinals, but the draws go off the rankings and this is what we got. 

#3. Coco Gauff (United States): Coco Gauff is the No. 2 seed in the tournament and has proven herself to be a dangerous clay court player. She reached the final in 2022 at Roland Garros and during this clay season, she reached the final in Madrid and Rome. She's got a pretty favorable draw to reach the final and if she gets there, she should feel confident in her abilities to win it all. 

#4. Aryna Sabalenka (Belarus): Aryna Sabalenka comes in as the No. 1 seed, but given she's never won the French Open before, I have to have her lower on my list. She reached the semifinals back in 2023, so she's shown she can compete on the clay, but a lot of great hard court players have maxed out at that point. One thing that does help Sabalenka is her draw is pretty favorable. Her fourth round match is against No. 16 Amanda Anisimova and then her projected quarterfinal match would be against No. 8 Qinwen Zheng. Sabalenka should feel really confident in her abilities to reach the semifinals. But can she go beyond that? That's the question. 

#5. Mirra Andreeva (Russia): No. 6 Mirra Andreeva rounds out my list. She just turned 18, so she's got plenty of tennis ahead of her. Still, she's showing no signs of wanting to delay success. She reached the semifinals at Roland Garros last year and so far hasn't dropped a set this tournament. A lot of people feel she can go the distance. If she does, given her youth, that would be quite a story. 

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Top 5 contenders entering second week of 2025 Roland Garros: Men's singles

 

                                             (Jannik Sinner. Credit: Susan Mullane/Imagn Images) 

The second week of the French Open at Roland Garros is about to get started and there are 16 men left in the draw. Click here to check that out if you haven't already done so. What I will do is share who I think the top five contenders are left in the tournament based on what we have seen up to this point. Click here to see who I got on the women's side. Okay, let's dive in! 

#1. Carlos Alcaraz (Spain): Despite coming is as the No. 2 seed behind Jannik Sinner, I still have Carlos Alcaraz as the favorite to win it all. He's dropped a couple sets along the way so far to Fabian Marozsan in the second round and Damir Dzumhur in the third round, but aside from that it's been pretty smooth sailing. Honestly, Alcaraz has a pretty clear path to the final. No. 4 seed Taylor Fritz getting bounced in the first round and No. 7 seed Casper Ruud getting bounced in the second round really opened things up for Alcaraz. I expect him to take full advantage. 

#2. Jannik Sinner (Italy): No. 1 Jannik Sinner is number two on my list. He hasn't dropped a set through three rounds and is really cooking with gas right now. A quarterfinal match with No. 5 Jack Draper could get interesting should Draper get through and then No. 3 Alexander Zverev is still in it as a possible semifinal opponent. Sinner's draw is tougher than Alcaraz's draw, but he's still the favorite to reach the final on that half of the draw. It'll be interesting to see if Sinner does indeed get to the final and if he does, whether or not he drops a set or more along the way. 

#3. Jack Draper (Great Britain): Even though he's the No. 5 seed, I got Jack Draper third on my list. He is playing the best clay court tennis of his career right now, dispatching of Brazilian hot shot Joao Fonseca in straight sets in the third round. A quarterfinal match against Sinner would be tough, but given the way he's playing on the dirt, not just at Roland Garros, but all clay season (final in Madrid; quarterfinals in Rome), I think Draper has earned the right to be number three on my list. He's looking mighty dangerous or as the British like to say, the real McCoy. 

#4. Novak Djokovic (Serbia): Despite being the No. 6 seed, Novak Djokovic is looking really strong right now. He hasn't dropped a set and is a three-time French Open champion. With each passing match, he's looking more and more strong. Some might want to put Zverev ahead of Djokovic, but given Djokovic's championship pedigree, I gotta give him the nod. Djokovic is facing unseeded Cameron Norrie in the fourth round, so we should on paper see a Djokovic/Zverev quarterfinal match. That should be an interesting match should everything hold. 

#5. Alexander Zverev (Germany): Rounding out my top five is No. 3 Alexander Zverev. He reached the final last year and is still in search of his first grand slam title. He has a tough draw in front of him with Djokovic and Sinner on his half of the draw, but in order to be the best, you need to beat the best. I think the challenge for Zverev is simply having to go through those two guys to reach the final and then have the prospect of facing Carlos Alcaraz in the final. One thing is for certain: If Zverev does go all the way, he will have earned it. 

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Rafael Nadal gets warm tribute at Roland Garros

 

                                             (Credit: Susan Mullane-Imagn Images) 

On Sunday, 14-time French Open champion Rafael Nadal got a warm tribute at Roland Garros that involved his contemporaries Roger Federer, Novak Djokovic, and Andy Murray joining him on the clay. The ceremony took place on Court Philippe-Chatrier, where a plaque was unveiled on the court with his footprint and number of French Open titles engraved on it. 

(Credit: RafaelNadalFans.com) 

While Nadal was a great all-around player, winning 22 grand slams and winning each grand slam (Australian Open, French Open, Wimbledon, and US Open) at least twice, it was the French Open that he dominated like nobody else (man or woman). I know records are meant to be broken, but there is a very live possibility that Nadal's 14 French Open titles stands the test of time. Not just in terms of being the most French Open titles, but the most titles that anyone has at any of the other grand slams. 

Between his first French Open title in 2005 and his final French Open title in 2022, there were just four years in those 18 years that Nadal didn't win it. He had a winning percentage of 77.8%. Not a match winning percentage. A tournament winning percentage. His match record was 112-4, which is good for a 96.6% winning percentage. That is nuts. 

Given that ridiculous level of dominance, it is only fitting that Roland Garros gave him such an amazing tribute. He legitimately is a talent on the clay that Paris and the world may never see again. When you have people like that in your midst, you need to do all you can to give them their due and honor them. Words honestly cannot fully express just how amazing Nadal's dominance at Roland Garros was. It's other worldly. 

While the tennis world and especially Roland Garros will miss watching Nadal play, it's comforting to know that his footprint and 14 titles is forever etched into the dirt that he played so gracefully on. Nadal may not go down in history as the greatest all-around tennis player, but one thing is indisputable: He's the King of Clay and forever will be. 

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10 things to look for at the 2025 French Open

 

 

The French Open at Roland Garros in Paris is set to begin this upcoming week, which means it is time for me to write my 10 things to look for. Click here for the draws in case you haven't gotten a chance to look at that and do feel free to scroll through the blog for some recent content that is French Open related. Okay, let's dive in! 

#1. Can Jannik Sinner build on his Italian Open success? While he came up short in the final to Carlos Alcaraz, world number one Jannik Sinner did reach his first career final at the Italian Open earlier this month. That should give Sinner a lot of confidence as he is set to begin his quest for a French Open title. If Sinner does win the French Open, I think we'll be able to look back on his performance in Rome as a catalyst. 

#2. Can Coco Gauff go the distance for the first time? Coco Gauff comes in as the number two seed in the women's draw and has been knocking on the door at Roland Garros. She reached the final back in 2022 and reached the semifinals last year. Earlier this month, she reached the final of the Italian Open, so she's continuing to be a major threat on the dirt. At some point, she'll win a French Open. It's just matter of her having that breakthrough tourney. Will this be the year? That's the question. 

#3. Can Carlos Alcaraz defend his title? Carlos Alcaraz comes in as the number two seed and defending champion on the men's side. He won the Monte-Carlo Masters and Italian Open, so he's coming into Roland Garros with a ton of momentum. He's the favorite to win the French Open, but this time he has to deal with the pressure that comes with being the defending champion. It'll be fun to see how he handles that extra pressure. 

#4. Can Iga Świątek overcome her seed to defend her crown? Iga Świątek comes in as the number five seed in the tournament while also having won three straight French Opens and four overall. If you look at her success at Roland Garros, Swiatek is the clear favorite. When you look at her seed and consider the fact that she lost in the 3rd round at the Italian Open, there is room for some doubt. Personally, I think she'll be motivated to prove that she's still the best clay court player in the world. The fact that she'll have a bit of a chip on her shoulder could make her even more dangerous. 

#5. Can Aryna Sabalenka win a grand slam away from the hard courts? Aryna Sabalenka comes in as the number one seed and top player in the world on the women's side. However, she's never won a French Open or Wimbledon. The furthest she's gone at the French Open is the semifinals in 2023. At some point, she needs to prove she can win a grand slam on other surfaces after being a dominant force on the hard courts. She did win the Madrid Open on clay earlier this year, so that should give her some confidence to have her breakthrough moment at Roland Garros. 

#6. Can Novak Djokovic pull a rabbit out of his hat? Even though he's the number six seed, Novak Djokovic had a rough clay season, losing in the second round in both Madrid and Monte-Carlo while skipping Rome. If Djokovic is able to reach the semifinals, that would be phenomenal given his recent results. I wouldn't bet on it, but at the same time, you can never count the Joker out. He's always a threat. 

#7. Can Jasmine Paolini build on her Italian Open title to win Roland Garros? Jasmine Paolini comes in as the number four seed, fresh off a title at the Italian Open. Paolini reached the final at Roland Garros last year and should be feeling confident in her ability to go the distance this year. She's got a lot of momentum and is playing excellent tennis at the moment. 

#8. Can Alexander Zverev make a serious run? Alexander Zverev comes in as the number three seed and reached the final last year. However, he went out in the second round at Monte-Carlo, the fourth round at Madrid, and the quarterfinals at the Italian Open. I guess he's making progress and picking up a bit of steam, so maybe he'll make some more noise than I think. It certainly will be interesting to see how he does after having a lukewarm clay season coming in. 

#9. Can Jessica Pegula make some noise? Jessica Pegula comes in as the number three seed, so on paper she should be a favorite to reach the semifinals. That being said, she only has one quarterfinal appearance at Roland Garros back in 2022 and she didn't play Roland Garros last year. I'd say odds are well above 50% that she exits in somewhere between the first and fourth round, especially after she had back-to-back third round exits in Madrid and Rome (Italian Open). But hey, maybe she'll surprise me. 

#10. What will happen to Casper Ruud? Casper Ruud comes in as the number seven seed with clay results kind of all over the map. He reached the semifinals at Roland Garros last year and then this year, he lost in the 3rd round at Monte-Carlo, lost in the quarterfinals in Rome, and then won it all in Madrid. I could buy any number of results from Ruud at this year's French Open. I'll be very interested to see where the chips fall for him. 

Prediction: On the men's side, I got Carlos Alcaraz going the distance. He's playing the best clay tennis of anyone and comes in with a lot of momentum having won the Italian Open and Monte-Carlo Masters. I fully expect him to defend his title. As for the women's side, even though she's had a down clay court season and is seeded where she is, I still gotta pick Iga Swiatek to pull through and defend her crown. She's been the best clay player in the women's game these past few years and deserves to be treated as the favorite given her overall body of work. 

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Which Italian Open champion is more likely to win at Roland Garros: Carlos Alcaraz or Jasmine Paolini?

 

                                             (Credit: sportsdigest.in) 

In Rome, (3) Carlos Alcaraz defeated (1) Jannik Sinner 7-6, 6-1 to win the men's singles title at the Italian Open while (6) Jasmine Paolini defeated (4) Coco Gauff 6-4, 6-2 to win the women's singles title. Recently, I did a blog post breaking down the success rate of Italian Open champions at the French Open at Roland Garros. Click here to check that out in case you missed it. 

With that blog post in mind, I'll now address which Italian Open champion is more likely to win at Roland Garros: Carlos Alcaraz or Jasmine Paolini. Both had fantastic performances in Rome while also having a tall task in front of them to follow up a title in Rome with a title in Paris. 

To start the debate, let me first state that Alcaraz and Paolini each had strong performances at Roland Garros last year. Alcaraz won his first French Open title defeating Alexander Zverev 6-3, 2-6, 5-7, 6-1, 6-2 while Paolini reached the final, losing to Iga Swiatek 6-2, 6-1. Both players should be feeling confident going into Roland Garros with an Italian Open championship in hand while also having the performances they did a year ago. 

That said, Alcaraz is ranked higher than Paolini and he is the defending champion while Paolini came up a tad short last year. Not only did she come up short, but she did so against Iga Swiatek, who has won four French Open titles and three French Open titles in a row (2022-24). Swiatek is the top clay player in the women's game right now and you know she'll be hungry to bounce back from her 3rd round exit at Rome and defend her Roland Garros title. 

Another factor to consider is the Italian Open is Alcaraz' second 1000 masters title on clay this season while it's the only one for Paolini. At the Madrid Open, Paolini lost in the 3rd round while Alcaraz won the Monte-Carlo Rolex Masters. Alcaraz has shown more consistency during this clay season while Paolini had a less than stellar performance in Madrid. 

Overall, I think if you have to pick between the two, Carlos Alcaraz is more likely to win the French Open this year than Jasmine Paolini. He's had an even stronger clay court season and I think on paper is the favorite whereas I think despite her performance at Rome, Iga Swiatek is still the favorite on the women's side. This of course doesn't mean Paolini isn't a major threat to win it all in Paris. She'll be coming in with a lot of momentum and confidence and then hey, while she didn't win it all last year, she did reach the final. Outside of Swiatek, Paolini is arguably your favorite. It's just that on the men's side, Alcaraz is the favorite. It certainly will be interesting to see how both do at the French Open and whether or not they'll be able to back up their titles in Rome with a title in Paris. 

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