The 2024 French Open is now behind us, which means it is time for me to write my 10 things to take away from the two weeks that were in Paris. Let's get after it!
#1. Carlos Alcaraz is nearing a career grand slam: Carlos Alcaraz defeated Alexander Zverev 6-3, 2-6, 5-7, 6-1, 6-2 to win the men's final. This is Alcaraz's third grand slam singles title at his third different grand slam. He won Wimbledon last year and the US Open in 2022. He just needs to win the Australian Open to complete the career slam and he's just 21 years of age. That's crazy. I can't say I'm surprised though as he was my pick to win it all on the men's side. He's a becoming a superstar before our eyes. This almost certainly won't be the last French Open he wins.
#2. Iga Świątek is the princess of clay: Chris Evert is still the queen of clay with her record seven French Open titles on the women's side, but after winning her fourth French Open title this year, Iga Świątek has earned the title of princess of clay and yes, she was my pick on the women's side. At just 23 years of age, she's got a great chance to surpass Evert's record and who knows, maybe she'll give Rafael Nadal's all-time record of 14 French Open titles a run for its money, too. By the way, if you didn't the result, Świątek defeated Jasmine Paolini 6-2, 6-1 in the final.
#3. Novak Djokovic's summer is in doubt: Novak Djokovic had to pull out after winning his 4th round match due to tearing the medial meniscus in his right knee. He underwent surgery afterwards, making his Wimbledon in doubt. It'll be interesting to see if he gives it a go in London or if he'll skip it so as to gear up for the US Open.
#4. Coco Gauff continues to be a legit threat on the clay: Coco Gauff fell to Iga Świątek in the semifinals. There's no shame in that. Her last four French Opens have ended in the quarterfinals, final, quarterfinals, and now semifinals. If there's anyone that's going to challenge Świątek in the years to come for French Open titles, it's gonna be Gauff, who amazingly is just 20 years of age.
#5. Alexander Zverev made some strides: Alexander Zverev made the second grand slam final of his career. His first being back in 2020 at the US Open. At 27 years of age, he is in the prime of his career and should have some hope that if he keeps knocking on the door, eventually he'll win a grand slam. Wimbledon is going to be key for him this year.
#6. Jasmine Paolini has figured something out: Before this season, the furthest Jasmine Paolini had gone in a grand slam is the 2nd round. At the Australian Open this year, she advanced to the 4th round and at the French Open this year, she had a dream run to the final before losing to Iga Świątek who is one of the greatest clay court players ever. At 28 years of age, the Italian Paolini appears to have really figured out something in her game. It'll be interesting to see how she does at Wimbledon and the US Open later this year.
#7. The end is finally here for Rafael Nadal: Rafael Nadal fell to Alexander Zverev in straight sets in the 1st round. Nadal losing that early at a tournament he dominated for so long is all you need to know about where his career is. It's coming to a close. The only question is whether or not he'll be back for one more French Open or not. Whenever he does officially say goodbye, he'll go down as one of the greatest players to ever play and the undisputed king of clay.
#8. Mirra Andreeva has burst onto the scene: At just 17 years of age, Mirra Andreeva made a run to the semifinals before falling to Jasmine Paolini in straight sets. It was an amazing run for Andreeva as it was the furthest she's ever gone at a grand slam. She is now ranked #23 in the world and I'm sure her ranking will only continue to climb. It's always exciting when someone this young makes their presence felt in such a strong way. I look forward to seeing how she does in the future and how the rest of her summer goes.
#9. Jannik Sinner hangs onto world number one ranking: While he wasn't able to win it all at Roland Garros, by reaching the semifinals where he lost to Carlos Alcaraz in five sets, Jannik Sinner hangs on to the world number one ranking. He won his first grand slam this year in Australia and wasn't quite able to get it done on the clay this year. At just 22 years of age, I do think he'll likely win a French Open at some point, but the problem he has is Carlos Alcaraz being a year younger than him. It's certainly going to be fun to see the two of them battle it out in the coming seasons.
#10. It's good to have Naomi Osaka back: Naomi Osaka may have lost in the 2nd round, but she did so in as strong of fashion as possible. She lost to the eventual champion Iga Świątek by a final score of 6-7, 6-1, 5-7. She nearly knocked Świątek out of the tournament who as I mentioned, is becoming one of the most dominant clay players of all-time.
To push Świątek to the edge like that has to give Osaka a lot of confidence. Especially since clay and grass have never been her thing. The 3rd round is the furthest she's gone at the French Open and Wimbledon. The hard courts are where she dominates as she has two US Open titles and two Australian Open titles. If she's playing well on clay against the top clay player in the world, who knows what awaits her when she gets back on the hard courts and even grass.
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