The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Players to watch
WOMEN
IGA SWIATEK
Ranked: No. 1
Country: Poland
Age: 20 (turns 21 on May 31) 2022 record: 37-3 (5 titles) Career titles: 8
Grand Slam titles: 1 — French Open (2020)
Aces: Enters on a 28-match winning streak, including five titles in a row . ... Only player from Poland to win a Grand Slam singles championship . ... Her title at 2020 French Open while ranked 54th made her the lowest-ranked women’s champion at Roland Garros in the Open era, which began in 1968 . ... Split from coach Piotr Sierzputowski in the offseason and hired Tomasz Wiktorowski, who used to work with 2012 Wimbledon runner-up Agnieszka Radwanska . ... Has reached at least the fourth round at each of the past six major tournaments.
PAULA BADOSA
Ranked: No. 3
Country: Spain
Age: 24
2022 record: 22-10 (1 title) Career titles: 3
Grand Slam titles: 0 — Best: QF, French Open (2021)
Aces: Her only time past the fourth round at any Grand Slam tournament in 11 appearances came a year ago at Roland Garros — when her run ended at that stage with a loss at 8-6 in the third set . ... Entered last season at No. 70 in the WTA rankings and reached a careerbest No. 2 this year . ... Leads tour in tiebreaker victories in 2022 . ... Went a tour-leading 17-3 during the spring clay-court circuit last year.
JESSICA PEGULA
Ranked: No. 11
Country: United States
Age: 28
2022 record: 19-11 (no titles) Career titles: 1
Grand Slam titles: 0 — Best: QF, Australian Open (2021, 2022)
Aces: Works with David Witt, former longtime coach of Venus Williams . ... Reached first final of a WTA 1000 event — one level below Grand Slam tournaments — at Madrid Open on red clay in May . ... Came within one victory of breaking into the top 10 in the WTA rankings for the first time . ... Made it at least to the fourth round of 10 of the past 12 WTA 1000s, dating to the start of last season . ... Her parents own the NFL’s Buffalo Bills and NHL’s Buffalo Sabres.
COCO GAUFF
Ranked: No. 18
Country: United States
Age: 18
2022 record: 14-10 (no titles) Career titles: 2
Grand Slam titles: 0 — Best: QF, French Open (2021)
Aces: Will be her 11th career Grand Slam appearance; her debut came at Wimbledon in 2019, when she made it to the fourth round at age 15 as the youngest qualifier in tournament history . ... Made deepest run at a major last year at Roland Garros, before losing to eventual champion Barbora Krejcikova. Gauff held five set points in the opener but ended up bowing up in straight sets, then said: “My hitting partner told me this match will probably make me a champion in the future. I really do believe that.”
NAOMI OSAKA
Ranked: No. 38
Country: Japan
Age: 24
2022 record: 12-4 (no titles) Career titles: 7
Grand Slam titles: 4 — Australian Open (2019, 2021), U.S. Open (2018, 2020)
Aces: Pulled out of the claycourt tournament in Rome in May because of an injury to her left Achilles tendon . ... Before last year’s French Open, announced she would not participate in news conferences in Paris, then was fined after skipping the media session with reporters following her first-round victory and threatened with further punishment; decided to withdraw from the tournament before her second-round match, revealing she had dealt with anxiety and depression and needed a mental health break . ... Took time off then, also sitting out Wimbledon, and again after a third-round loss at the U.S. Open in September against eventual finalist Leylah Fernandez. ... Formed own management company with her agent.
MEN
NOVAK DJOKOVIC
Ranked: No. 1
Country: Serbia
Age: Turns 35 today
2022 record: 12-4 (no titles) Career titles: 87
Grand Slam titles: 20 — French Open (2016, 2021), Australian Open (2008, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2015, 2016, 2019, 2020, 2021), Wimbledon (2011, 2014, 2015, 2018, 2019, 2021), U.S. Open (2011, 2015, 2018)
Aces: After legal saga over whether he could stay in Melbourne despite being unvaccinated, was eventually deported and so unable to try to defend his title at the Australian Open in January . ... Also missed two big tournaments in the United States this year because he could not travel there as a foreigner who has not received shots against COVID-19 . ... Currently is tied with Roger Federer for the second-highest Grand Slam title total among men, one behind Rafael Nadal . ... Went 27-1 at majors in 2021, coming within a loss in the U.S. Open final of becoming the first man since Rod Laver in 1969 to win a calendar-year Grand Slam.
ALEXANDER ZVEREV
Ranked: No. 3
Country: Germany
Age: 25
2022 record: 24-9 (no titles) Career titles: 19
Grand Slam titles: 0 — Best: RU, U.S. Open (2020)
Aces: Won the men’s singles gold medal at the Tokyo Olympics in 2021 . ... Lost to Dominic Thiem in a fifth-set tiebreaker in the 2020 U.S. Open final after taking a twoset lead . ... Still has issues with the “yips” on second serves . ... Brought aboard 1993-94 French Open champion Sergi Bruguera for coaching help . ... ATP Tour announced in October it is investigating allegations of abuse brought by a former girlfriend of Zverev’s . ... In March, he was put on probation for a year by the ATP for hitting the chair umpire’s stand with his racket after a match.
STEFANOS TSITSIPAS
Ranked: No. 4
Country: Greece
Age: 23
2022 record: 31-10 (1 title) Career titles: 8
Grand Slam titles: 0 — Best: RU, French Open (2021)
Aces: A year ago at Roland Garros, became the youngest man to make it to the final of a Grand Slam tournament in more than a decade. Took a two-set lead against Djokovic before losing in five . ... Each of his past four French Open appearances ended with losses to men who have won at least one Grand Slam title: Djokovic twice, Stan Wawrinka and Dominic Thiem . ... Reached the semifinals at four of the past six majors.
RAFAEL NADAL
Ranked: No. 5
Country: Spain
Age: 35 (turns 36 on June 3) 2022 record: 23-3 (3 titles) Career titles: 91
Grand Slam titles: 21 — French Open (2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020), Australian Open (2009, 2022), Wimbledon (2008, 2010), U.S. Open (2010, 2013, 2017, 2019)
Aces: Leads the way with 21 Grand Slam singles titles after breaking a tie with Djokovic and Federer for the men’s record by winning the Australian Open in January. ... Played only two matches from June through the end of last season because of chronic pain in his left foot, tested positive for COVID-19 in December, then after beginning season 20-0, missed time with a rib injury. Left foot bothered him again during loss in Rome in May . ... 105-3 French Open record means he’s always among the favorites, if not THE favorite . ... Spent more than 17 years ranked in the top 10.
CARLOS ALCARAZ
Ranked: No. 6
Country: Spain
Age: 19
2022 record: 28-3 (4 titles) Career titles: 5
Grand Slam titles: 0 — Best: QF, U.S. Open (2021)
Aces: A popular pick to win his first Grand Slam title in what will be only his sixth appearance at a major . ... Moved into the top 10 of the ATP rankings in April, while still 18, the youngest player to do so since Nadal in 2005 . ... Beat Nadal and Djokovic in consecutive matches en route to the title at the Madrid Open in May, the first player to beat those two giants of the game at the same clay-court tournament. ... After winning Madrid, decided to skip Rome to rest and recover ahead of Roland Garros . ... Coached by 2003 French Open champion Juan Carlos Ferrero.