French Open sees changing of the guard
Federer, Williams among the marquee players who won’t be at Roland Garros
The names missing from the French Open field are as noteworthy as can be: Roger Federer, Serena Williams and Maria Sharapova.
They are the owners of a combined six titles at Roland Garros and 46 Grand Slam singles trophies in all and the three most marketable athletes in tennis.
Federer decided to skip the entire clay-court circuit to focus on preparing for grass and hard courts. Williams is pregnant and due in the fall, with plans to return to the tour in 2018. Sharapova’s ranking wasn’t high enough to gain direct entry as she returns from a 15-month drug suspension.
Still, there are plenty of storylines to keep an eye on at Roland Garros, where play begins Sunday:
AGASSI AND DJOKOVIC
Novak Djokovic has been in a slump for nearly a year (his last Grand Slam title came at the 2016 French Open, when he won his fourth major in a row) so he opted to shake things up. His latest move was bringing aboard Andre Agassi as a coach for the French Open. They were out there practising in Paris on Thursday.
NADAL’S RESURGENCE
Winning three clay-court tournaments in a row signalled that Rafael Nadal is back and once again a candidate to win the tournament he has dominated the way no man has dominated any Grand Slam event. Could he win his 10th French Open championship a year after withdrawing before the third round with an injured left wrist?
LIFE IS HARD AT NO. 1
Both players ranked No. 1 right now in singles, Andy Murray and Angelique Kerber, have been struggling most of the year. Murray is 16-7 with one title, Kerber is 19-10 with no titles and an 0-7 record against top-20 players.
WHICH WOMAN STEPS UP?
Williams or Sharapova would have been popular picks to win the French Open. Without them, there is no clear favourite for the title. Simona Halep, the runner-up in 2014 and maybe the best current player without a major trophy, has been playing well on clay, but she tore a ligament recently. Other women who could make a splash include No. 3-ranked Karolina Pliskova, a finalist at the U.S. Open in September, or No. 6 Elina Svitolina, who just won the Italian Open on clay.
GENERATION NEXT
This is the first week in the 40-year-plus history of the ATP computer rankings that the top five men are all 30 or older. When that quintet of major champions (Federer, Nadal, Djokovic, Murray and Stan Wawrinka) finally slows down, there will be a gap at the top. Keep an eye on some of the up-and-coming younger guys in Paris, such as Alexander Zverev, Dominic Thiem and Nick Kyrgios.
KVITOVA BACK
Only two months after picking up her racket for the first time following a knife attack at her home last year, Petra Kvitova will be playing at the French Open. The twotime Wimbledon champion said Friday she will make her comeback at Roland Garros, although she still lacks power and strength.
Kvitova has missed all season while recovering from surgery on her racket-holding left hand.
AMERICAN TEEN
Amanda Anisimova, a 15-yearold from New Jersey, became the first player born in 2001 to earn a spot in a Grand Slam main draw when she claimed the U.S. Tennis Association’s wild card for the French Open. Anisimova reached the junior final in Paris last year.
SWINGIN’ IN THE RAIN
The French Open is still the only Grand Slam tournament without a roof — there are plans to have a retractable cover above the main stadium in a few years — and things did not go well last year. An entire day of play was washed out, the first time that happened at the event in 16 years.