With the 2026 French Open at Roland Garros about to begin in Paris, it is time for me to write my 10 things to look for. Click here to check out the draws. Ok, let's dive in!
#1. Will anyone challenge Jannik Sinner? Jannik Sinner comes in as the number one ranked player in the world and with Carlos Alcaraz out with a wrist injury (he'll miss Wimbledon as well), it's fair to wonder if anyone will really challenge Sinner. Sinner and Alcaraz are clearly the top two players in the world and so if one of them goes down, the other is going to be the heavy favorite. It'll be interesting to see who gives Sinner the biggest challenge in this year's event. There's certainly an opportunity for a lot of guys, but the question is, will anyone capitalize?
#2. Can Elina Svitolina build on her title in Rome? At the Italian Open on the women's side, world No. 7 Elina Svitolina defeated No. 4 Coco Gauff in the final 6-4, 6-7, 6-2. Svitolina is coming into Roland Garros with a lot of momentum, but she's never won a grand slam before and the furthest she's gone at Roland Garros is the quarterfinals. She's reached the quarterfinals five times, so she's comfortable getting to that point, but reaching the semifinals is another story. It would be cool if Svitolina could at least make the semis. If she can do that, who knows? Maybe this will be there year she finally breaks through to win a slam.
#3. Can Casper Ruud build on his run to the final in Rome? One guy to keep an eye on is Casper Ruud, who is coming in ranked No. 16 in the world and the 15 seed. He made a run to the final at the Italian Open in Rome and fell to Sinner in straights sets 4-6, 4-6. Even though he lost, those were close sets. I look forward to seeing how much confidence Ruud takes from his performance in Rome.
#4. Can Aryna Sabalenka win a French Open title? Coming in ranked No. 1 in the world on the women's side, Aryna Sabalenka is still eying her first French Open title. She got close last year, losing to Coco Gauff in the final 7-6, 2-6, 4-6. I feel like at some point, Sabalenka will break through to win at Roland Garros, but she still has to go out and do it.
#5. Can Alexander Zverev make the most of this opportunity? If there was ever a time for Alexander Zverev to win a grand slam, this would be it. With Alcaraz out, Zverev is the number two seed in the tournament and he's done well on clay, reaching the final at Roland Garros in 2024. Zverev has to feel like he has a great opportunity in front of him, but time and time again, he finds a way to disappoint. Perhaps this year will be different. If he wants to finally break through and go all the way, odds are good he'll be facing Sinner in the final and there's also a good chance he'll have to defeat Novak Djokovic as well. All of this is to say even with Alcaraz out, Zverev still has his work cut out for him.
#6. Can Coco Gauff defend her title? Coco Gauff is ranked No. 4 in the world and as I posted earlier, she won the French Open last year, defeating Aryna Sabalenka in the final. Being the defending champion puts more of a target on your back and more pressure. If Gauff is able to defend her crown, that will speak volumes about what kind of player she's become. We already know she's really good given she's won the French Open and US Open (2023), but if she actually wins a grand slam back-to-back years? That's the stuff legends of the game are known for having done.
#7. Can Novak Djokovic go all the way? Given he's on the same half of the draw as Alexander Zverev, Novak Djokovic has to feel like he could get back to the final at Roland Garros. He's the number three seed and the number four ranked player in the world. If Djokovic is able to upset Zverev and reach the final, that would certainly make for an entertaining final assuming Sinner is waiting on the other side.
#8. Can Elena Rybakina win her second grand slam of the year? Elena Rybakina comes in ranked No. 2 in the world and as the defending Australian Open champion. Hard court and clay are different surfaces, yes. But even so, Rybakina is still coming with a good deal of confidence having won the first grand slam of the year. The furthest Rybakina has gone at Roland Garros is the quarterfinals in 2021 and 2024, she did win Wimbledon back in 2022, so she's shown an ability to win a grand slam away from the hard courts. If she can somehow go the distance this year, all she'll need is the US Open to complete the career slam.
#9. Can Ben Shelton or Felix Auger-Aliassime reach the quarterfinals? Ben Shelton comes in as the No. 5 player in the world while Felix Auger-Aliassime comes in ranked No. 6. Both guys have reached the 4th round at Roland Garros before, but neither has been able to go beyond that point. On paper, they should reach the quarterfinals, but clay is always harder for some guys and it's the least predictable surface. If these guys aren't able to reach the quarterfinals, we could be looking at a very interesting quarterfinal draw.
#10. Can Iga Swiatek win a fifth Roland Garros? No. 3 Iga Swiatek is gunning for her fifth Roland Garros title after winning in 2020, 2022, 2023, and 2024. Make no mistake, the French Open is Iga Swiatek's best grand slam. She is yet to win the Australian Open and she hasn't won Wimbledon or the US Open more than once. Given her success on the clay, it would be foolish to rule out Swiatek.
Prediction: On the men's side, I have to go with Jannik Sinner. He's been the best in the world and with Carlos Alcaraz sidelined, it's really hard seeing anyone beat Sinner. Maybe I'll be proven wrong, but I have to roll with Sinner. As for the women's side, give me Iga Swiatek. She's won this event four times and I don't think she's done winning at Roland Garros. Even though she's No. 3 in the draw, she should be the No. 1 among all the favorites.
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