10 things to look for at the 2026 French Open

 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. 

 ATPGuy.com on Facebook: @ATPGuyNation 

ATPGuy.com on X (Twitter): @atp_guy 

ATPGuy.com on Bluesky: atpguydotcom.bsky.social  

Ben Parker on Facebook, Instagram, Threads, X (Twitter), YouTube, and Bluesky: @slamdunk406

10 things to take away from the 2026 Australian Open

 

                                             (Credit: Getty Images) 

With the 2026 Australian Open now in the rear view mirror, it is time for me to write my 10 things to take away from the two weeks that were Down Under. Ok, let's dive in! 

#1. Carlos Alcaraz proved he can win the career grand slam: Carlos Alcaraz defeated Novak Djokovic in the men's singles final 2-6, 6-2, 6-3, 7-5 to win his seventh grand slam title and first Australian Open title. As a result, Alcaraz has now won a career grand slam. Pretty impressive given he's 22 years old (turning 23 in May). Winning a career grand slam is an important box to check off if you want to enter the conversation for being one of the all-time greats. While we all knew it was just a matter of time before Alcaraz checked off this box, doing it now takes some pressure off of him. It'll be interesting to see how many Australian Open titles he wins in the future. 

#2. Elena Rybakina wins a second grand slam: Elena Rybakina defeated Aryna Sabalenka 6-4, 4-6, 6-4 in the women's singles final. It's the second grand slam title of Rybakina's career after winning Wimbledon in 2022. Being a multi-grand slam champion is far different than winning one. It shows consistency. Especially when you do it on multiple surfaces. At just 26 years of age, Rybakina is halfway to a career grand slam. The furthest she's gone at the French Open is the quarterfinals and the furthest she's gone at the US Open is the 4th round. While it's far from a guarantee that she'll win a career slam, being halfway there is a lot better than 25% of the way there. 

#3. Novak Djokovic can still play at an elite level: At 38 years of age, the fact that Novak Djokovic is still able to reach grand slam finals is amazing. The Australian Open is his best event, which he has won 10 times. He defeated Jannik Sinner in the semifinals  3-6, 6-3, 4-6, 6-4, 6-4. That shows he's still able to play at an elite grand slam level. The question is how much longer does Djokovic want to do this? I'm sure he wants to win 25 grand slams just to surpass Margaret Court's mark, but given she played in a vastly different era and took advantage of not everybody coming out to play the Australian Open, he shouldn't beat himself over the head if he doesn't surpass her mark. 

#4. Aryna Sabalenka shows she is beatable on the hard court: While she is widely considered the top hard court player in the world, Aryna Sabalenka losing in the final shows that she can be beaten on the hard courts. She also is still in search of that career slam with the French Open and Wimbledon still on her list to win. Sabalenka had a fantastic tournament overall, but until she figures out how to win grand slams on the grass and clay, she needs to win as many hard court slams as possible. It'll be interesting to see if she can have a break through on grass or clay this year and whether or not she's able to get back on top at the US Open.  

#5. Alexander Zverev just can't quite break through: Alexander Zverev fell to Carlos Alcaraz in the semifinals in a five set thriller: 4-6, 6-7, 7-6, 7-6, 5-7.  Despite being a reliably top five player in the world, Zverev still is yet to crack the code to winning a grand slam. He's becoming a more successful Tim Henman/David Ferrer. A guy that gets close, but doesn't quite get over the hump. This year's Australian Open unfortunately reinforced that narrative in a painful way. 

#6. Jessica Pegula is knocking on the door: At 32 years of age, Jessica Pegula reached the semifinals before losing to Rybakina in straight sets  3-6, 6-7. It's the furthest she's gone at the Australian Open and only the US Open has she reached the final (2024). Ranked No. 5 in the world, maybe this will be the year Pegula finally wins her first grand slam. This year's Australian Open could be the springboard she needs to make that happen. 

#7. Alexander Bublik built on his Hong Kong title: After winning the title at the Hong Kong Open, world No. 10 Alexander Bublik reached the 4th round, where he lost to No. 6 Alex de Minaur in straight sets 4-6, 1-6, 1-6. It was the best performance Bublik has had at the Australian Open and ties for the best performance he's had at a grand slam (2023 Wimbledon & 2025 US Open). The big question with Bublik is can he breakthrough to reach the quarterfinals at a grand slam? So far, that answer has been no, but it was still overall a good tournament for him. 

#8. Elina Svitolina gets back to a grand slam semifinal: For the first time since 2023 Wimbledon, Elina Svitolina reached the semifinals of a grand slam, losing to Sabalenka in straight sets 2-6, 3-6. It was a great tournament for her as she cracked the top ten in the world as a result. She's now ranked No. 9. While it feels unlikely she'll ever win a grand slam, maybe this is the year she'll break through. Having a strong result at the Australian Open is always a great way to start the year. 

#9.  Jannik Sinner showed he can be beaten: Ranked No. 2 in the world, losing to Novak Djokovic showed that Jannik Sinner can be beaten by someone other than Alcaraz and that should give the rest of the tour some hope. At the same time, he lost to a man who is arguably the greatest of all-time. Still, Sinner not reaching the final was a reminder that he is human. Especially since the hard court is his best surface. 

#10. Naomi Osaka still has work to do: Ranked No. 16 in the world, Naomi Osaka is working her way back to being a top player. She lost in the 3rd round via walkover after winning her first two matches. At 28 years of age, there's still plenty of time for Osaka to get back in the mix to contend for more grand slams, but at the same time, this year's Australian Open was a reminder that she still has a lot more work to do. It'll be interesting to see how the rest of the season goes for her. 

 ATPGuy.com on Facebook: @ATPGuyNation 

ATPGuy.com on X (Twitter): @atp_guy 

ATPGuy.com on Bluesky: atpguydotcom.bsky.social 

Ben Parker on Facebook, IG, Threads, X (Twitter), YouTube, & Bluesky: @slamdunk406  

 

 

 

10 things to take away from 2023 Wimbledon

                                             (Credit: Susan Mullane-USA TODAY Sports) 

2023 Wimbledon has come and gone, which means it is time for me to write my 10 things to take away from the two weeks that were at the All England Lawn Tennis Club. Let's dive in! 

#1. Carlos Alcaraz established himself as #1 in the world: Everyone thought Novak Djokovic would cruise to an 8th Wimbledon title and a 24th grand slam title, but Carlos Alcaraz had other plans, defeating Djokovic 1-6, 7-6, 6-1, 3-6, 6-4 in the gentlemen's singles final. I would say after the way he outplayed Djokovic and beat him in a 5th set, Alcaraz solidified himself as the top player in the world. It should also be noted that Alcaraz came in at #1 while Djokovic came in at #2, so in hindsight we should have respected Alcaraz' ranking a bit more going in. 

#2. Marketa Vondrousova is a grand slam champion: Marketa Vondrousova defeated (6) Ons Jabeur 6-4, 6-4 in the ladies' singles final. It's Vondrousova's first grand slam title though it wasn't her first trip to a grand slam final. Back in 2019, she reached the final at Roland Garros, losing to Ashleigh Barty 1-6, 3-6. What makes Vondrousova's title particularly amazing is that she became the third unseeded player to ever win a Wimbledon title and the first on the women's side. She's now ranked #10 in the world as a result of her title and will enter the US Open with more pressure. It'll be interesting to see how that goes for her and then just long-term, whether or not she'll be able to win more slams. She's only 24 years old, so she's still got many years in front of her. 

#3. Novak Djokovic is human: Part of this is the simple fact that he's now 36 years old, but just in general, Djokovic showed himself to be human. He got out-played by a guy who simply played better than he did. As Djokovic said, he's won some matches that he probably shouldn't have won, so now it's even-Steven. Still, while he wasn't able to win it this year, Djokovic is still a major contender at slams. He'll get #24 soon and likely walk out with even more before it's all said and done. 

#4. Ons Jabeur needs to do some soul searching: Ons Jabeur came into the ladies' final as the heavy favorite. Everyone expected her to defeat Vondrousova. Jabeur was playing in her third grand slam final after reaching the Wimbledon and US Open finals in 2022. Instead of coming through and winning her first slam, she was not able to deliver the goods and lost to an unseeded player who was in her second grand slam final and first one since 2019. Not to take anything away from Vondrousova, but Jabeur should have won this match. It'll be interesting to see how she'll respond in future slams, especially in her next final assuming she gets back to one. 

#5. Daniil Medvedev needs to up his game on the grass: While he did reach the semifinals, Daniil Medvedev got rolled in straight sets by Carlos Alcaraz, losing 3-6, 3-6, 3-6. As one who has won a grand slam before (2021 US Open), one would expect Medvedev to perform better in the semis. He has work to do on the grass for sure. On the positive side, this was the furthest Medvedev has gone at Wimbledon, so there's certainly hope for him to do even better next year. Still, getting waxed in straight sets is not the way he wanted this to end. 

#6. Aryna Sabalenka needs to up her game on the grass: Aryna Sabalenka came in as the #2 ranked player in the world and was my pick to win the ladies' singles title. She came up a bit short in the semis, losing to Ons Jabeur 7-6, 4-6, 3-6. This was Sabalenka's second trip to the semis at Wimbledon and she just wasn't quite able to reach her first Wimbledon final, yet alone win it all. She won the Australian Open earlier this year and is only 25 years of age. She's just starting to hit her prime and will have plenty of chances. So hopefully for her this will be a really good learning experience. 

#7. Jannik Sinner had a bit of a breakthrough tournament: Jannik Sinner fell to Novak Djokovic in the semis 6-3, 6-4, 7-6. This was the furthest Sinner has gone at any grand slam, so for him this was a real breakthrough tournament. Coming in as the 8th seed, Sinner had a relatively smooth run to the semis, not facing a seeded player until he faced Djokovic. So it's fair to wonder whether or not he just happened to benefit from a soft draw. Still, you have to beat the guy in front of you and you can't really control who you face, so that's certainly not a reason to diminish Sinner's run.

#8. Iga Świątek needs to figure out the grass: Progress was definitely made by world #1 Iga Świątek given that this was her first trip to the Wimbledon quarterfinals. That said, it's clear that grass is the surface she needs the most work on. She's won Roland Garros three times, making the clay her top surface and then she's won the US Open (2022) while also reaching the Australian Open semis in 2022. If she can figure out the grass and start winning Wimbledon, she'll be on path to domination in the women's game. 

#9. Christopher Eubanks burst onto the scene: Christopher Eubanks came out of nowhere to reach the quarterfinals, upsetting (5) Stefanos Tsitsipas in the 4th round 3-6, 7-6, 3-6, 6-4, 6-4. Eubanks played at Georgia Tech and hails from Atlanta, Georgia so he was truly representing the Peach State in this tournament. The furthest Eubanks had gone at any other grand slam until this year's Wimbledon was the 2nd round, so this was truly an amazing run by him. It'll be interesting to see if he'll be able to build on this and make deep run at the US Open. 

#10. Elina Svitolina is knocking on the door: Elina Svitolina fell to Marketa Vondrousova 3-6, 3-6 in the semifinals. This was Svitolina's second trip to the Wimbledon semis (2019) and her third trip to a grand slam semifinal overall (2019 US Open). She's knocking on the door and keeps putting herself in position to be a threat, but she just hasn't been able to find that extra gear to reach a final or go the distance. It'll be interesting to see if she can find that next gear and win a slam in the future. She's 28 years old, so she's still got enough years ahead to make it happen. 

ATP Guy on Twitter: @atp_guy 

ATP Guy on Facebook: @ATPGuyNation 

Ben Parker on Facebook, Instagram, & Twitter: @slamdunk406