A look at the Roland Garros 2023- Contenders and the Underdogs
What do you get when you combine the elegance of Paris, the beauty of spring, and the drama of tennis? You get Roland Garros, one of the most exciting and prestigious sporting events on the calendar. Roland Garros, also known as the French Open, is the year’s second Grand Slam tournament and the only one held on clay. Clay is a unique surface that requires skill, stamina, and strategy to master. It also produces some of the most exciting and unpredictable matches in tennis history.
Here are some of the most intriguing contenders for this year’s Roland Garros and what makes them so special.
Carlos Alcaraz: He won his first Grand Slam at the US Open in 2022, as well as two Masters 1000 titles on clay in Miami and Madrid. He defeated Nadal, Djokovic, and Zverev in Madrid and became the youngest player to win an ATP 500 title in Rio de Janeiro. He has a strong and mature game on clay.
Stefanos Tsitsipas: He reached the final of Roland Garros 2021 but lost to Djokovic in five sets. He is the world No. 3 and plays a versatile and composed game on clay. He won the Monte Carlo Masters 2021 and advanced to the semi-finals in Barcelona and Rome.
Novak Djokovic is the current world number one and a 23-time Grand Slam champion. He won Roland Garros in 2016 and 2021, both times defeating Nadal. He will be motivated to win his second title in Paris and extend his lead over Nadal in the Grand Slam race.
Rafael Nadal is the 14-time champion and king of clay. He has won Roland Garros more times than any other player in history. He is out of the top ten for the first time since 2005, but he remains a natural favorite on his favorite surface. He has defeated Djokovic in six Roland Garros finals.
Iga Swiatek is the defending champion, having won the tournament twice in 2021 and 2022. She has a dominant game on clay and has not dropped a set in either of her titles.
Petra Kvitova is a multiple Grand Slam champion and the world number two. She has improved her clay game and won recently in Miami on hardcourts.
Emma Raducanu is the world number two and the winner of the US Open in 2021. She has a powerful and aggressive clay game and has reached the semi-finals in Rome and Berlin this year.
Holger Rune is a 19-year-old Danish sensation who has risen to the top 10 this year. He is the highest-ranked Danish singles male tennis player in the ATP rankings, and the second-highest in history. He has a fearless and flamboyant clay game and has reached the quarterfinals in Rio and Acapulco. He also took Djokovic to three sets in Indian Wells.
He has a high-energy game that is built around a consistent serve and powerful groundstrokes. He is very comfortable on clay. He is also known for his mental toughness and fighting spirit.
Lars Christensen and Patrick Mouratoglou are his coaches, and he started training at the Mouratoglou Academy in 2016. Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer were his childhood idols.
He won his first Grand Slam at the US Open in 2022, as well as two Masters 1000 titles on clay in Miami and Paris. He defeated Nadal, Djokovic, Zverev, Medvedev, and Tsitsipas in Paris, becoming the first player in history to defeat five top-10 opponents in the same event.
Leylah Fernandez is a 20-year-old Canadian tennis player who was born in Montreal to a Filipino-Canadian mother and an Ecuadorian father. She is fluent in English, French, and Spanish.
She has a crafty and aggressive clay game and has won one WTA Tour title, the 2021 Monterrey Open. She also reached the final of the 2021 US Open, where she defeated three top-5 players including defending champion Naomi Osaka.
Her father Jorge, a former soccer player, coached her when she was five years old. She also has a younger sister, Bianca Jolie, who is a tennis player3.
She won her first junior Grand Slam title at the 2019 French Open, becoming the first Canadian female winner of a junior Grand Slam title since Eugenie Bouchard at the 2012 Wimbledon Championships.
Jannik Sinner: He is a 21-year-old Italian tennis player, born in Innichen, South Tyrol, in northern Italy. He grew up in Sexten, where his father is a chef and his mother is a waitress at a ski lodge. He has a brother named Marc.
He has a powerful and consistent clay game and has won seven ATP titles in singles and one in doubles. By winning the 2020 Sofia Open, he became the youngest ATP titleholder since 2008 and the youngest to have five titles since Novak Djokovic in 20072.
Riccardo Piatti coached him since he was three years old. He also works with Darren Cahill, Simona Halep’s coach. Growing up, his idols were Roger Federer and Maria Sharapova3.
He advanced to the quarterfinals of all four Grand Slam tournaments, including the 2022 Wimbledon, where he was defeated by eventual champion Novak Djokovic after holding a two-set lead. He also reached the final of the 2021 Miami Open, where he was defeated by Hubert Hurkacz.
Coco Gauff: She is an 18-year-old American tennis player who was born in Atlanta, Georgia to Corey and Candi Gauff. Her father was a basketball player at Georgia State University, and her mother was a track and field athlete at Florida State University. She has two younger brothers, Codey and Cameron.
She has a dynamic and versatile clay game, having won four WTA singles titles and seven doubles titles. By winning the 2019 Linz Open at the age of 15 years and 7 months2, she became the Tour’s youngest singles titleholder since 2004.
Her father, Corey, coached her when she was six years old. She also collaborates with Jean-Christophe Faurel and Diego Moyano. Her childhood idols were Serena Williams and Roger Federer.
She advanced to the Roland Garros quarterfinals in 2021, where she lost to the eventual champion Barbora Krejcikova. She also reached her first major final in women’s doubles with Caty McNally at the US Open, where they were defeated by Samantha Stosur and Zhang Shuai.
Imagine you’re sitting in the stands of Court Philippe Chatrier, watching two of the world’s best tennis players compete for the coveted Roland Garros trophy. The sun is shining, the crowd is cheering, and the clay is flying. You are witnessing history being made. Don’t put it off any longer; purchase your French Open tickets now to guarantee your seat and witness history being made. The 2023 Roland Garros tournament is more than just a tennis tournament; it is a celebration of passion, excellence, and tradition.
Join us from May 28th to June 11th for an unforgettable experience!
