Wide open at the top at Roland Garros
Absent superstars like Federer, Williams and Sharapova won’t dampen the drama at the French Open
PARIS — 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 three of the most marketable athletes in tennis.
That trio’s reasons for being absent? 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 into the tournament as she returns from a 15-month drug suspension and the head of the French Tennis Federation decided not to give her a wild card.
Still, there are plenty of storylines to keep an eye on at Roland Garros, where play begins Sunday.
Here is what to watch on the red clay courts of the year’s second Grand Slam tournament:
ANDRE AND NOLE
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 Thursday in Paris. Agassi won eight major titles — four fewer than Djokovic — but has never coached. “It felt like we know each other for a very long time. We clicked and connected very fast,” Djokovic said. “He’s someone that inspires me a lot.”
NADAL’S RESURGENCE
Winning three clay-court tournaments in a row signalled that Rafael Nadal is back and 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. “Last year, I just played and there was pressure,” Kerber said, “but this year is more like, ‘OK, the expectations are bigger.’”
WHICH WOMAN IS NEXT UP?
Williams or Sharapova would have been popular picks to win the French Open. Without them, there is no clear favourite to take 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 in her right ankle recently. Other women who could make a splash include No. 3 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-years-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. Worth keeping an eye on some of the up-and-coming younger guys in Paris such as Alexander Zverev, Dominic Thiem and Nick Kyrgios.
KVITOVA’S RETURN
Two-time Wimbledon champion Petra Kvitova will make her return to action Sunday at Roland Garros, less than six months after being stabbed during an attack at home in the Czech Republic. Kvitova’s first match will be the first match of this year’s tournament in Court Philippe Chatrier, the French Open’s main stadium, against Julia Boserup of the United States.
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. She’ll also be the youngest player in the French Open since Alize Cornet in 2005. Anisimova, who reached the junior final in Paris last year, plays in the first round Sunday against Kurumi Nara, a 25-year-old from Japan who is ranked 90th.
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, and other weather-related decisions by tournament officials drew criticism from players.