The second Grand Slam of 2025 is just around the corner and the storylines are waiting to be written at Roland-Garros.
Carlos Alcaraz and Iga Swiatek will be the defending champions in the men’s and women’s singles, but there are question marks hanging over both after challenging build-ups, with world No.1 Jannik Sinner and 24-time Grand Slam king Novak Djokovic also enduring disrupted preparations for Roland-Garros.
Here are five stories to follow in your All Court Tennis Club guide to a tournament that gets underway on May 25th.
SAINT OR SINNER
What can we expect from world No.1 Jannik Sinner?
The undisputed king of men’s tennis was given a hero’s welcome back to the sport in recent days after serving a three-month suspension following a positive doping test in March 2024.
Many were uncomfortable with the ‘deal’ agreed between Sinner’s lawyers and the World Anti-Doping Agency that saw him return from his ban just in time to play in the Rome Masters tournament, while he also ensured he didn’t miss any Grand Slam events.
Sinner is the dominant force in men’s tennis, but he has not always been at his best on clay courts and has yet to play in a final at Roland-Garros.
Verdict: Sinner looked strong in his comeback event, but his uncertain record at Roland-Garros will give his rivals hope that he can be stopped.
TROUBLE FOR IGA
Iga Swiatek has been the undisputed ‘Queen of Clay’ over the last half a decade, with her four Roland-Garros titles since 2020 highlighting her dominance on the surface.
However, the Polish star headed into this phase of the tennis year with big concerns hovering over her after failing to win a tournament since her victory at Roland-Garros last June.
There was an expectation that she would bounce back to form once she got the red clay under her feet, but she was hammered 6-1, 6-1 by Coco Gauff in Madrid and then lost early against Danielle Collins in Rome.
Verdict: Swiatek’s decline does not appear to be a temporary blip and it’s hard to see her defending her title in Paris.
DJOKOVIC’S LAST STAND?
Novak Djokovic has one last mission in tennis as he looks to cement his legacy as the all-time great of the sport.
He is tied with Australian great Margaret Court with 24 wins in Grand Slam tournaments and has made no secret of his desire to make that record his own.
Yet with his 38th birthday looming later this month, the sands of time seem to have caught up with this Serbian legend after Djokovic lost his first matches in the clay court events in Monte-Carlo and Madrid in recent weeks in alarmingly swift fashion.
He played at an ATP 250 tournament in Geneva this week in a bid to get more match practice ahead of Roland-Garros, but the game may be up for the most successful male player of them all.
Verdict: While you can never write off an all-time great, it Djokovic’s last great victory may now be in his past.
SABALENKA AND ALCARAZ
World No 1 Aryna Sabalenka and defending Roland-Garros champion Carlos Alcaraz deserve to be installed as favourites heading into the Paris major.
Sabalenka’s best run in Paris was a semi-final appearance in 2023, but she is now an unstoppable force when she is at her best.
Swiatek’s slide in fortunes has fulled Sabalenka’s belief and she will be eager to add a Roland-Garros title to her collection and her power-packed ground shots will be hard to repel for her rivals in Paris.
Carlos Alcaraz is also a force to be reckoned with on clay, but the concern has been around his fitness levels ahead of a title defence in Paris.
The 22-year-old Spaniard injured his leg in the final of an ATP 500 tournament in Barcelona last month and there must be some concerns that he may not hold up physically over the course of two long weeks.
Verdict: If Sabalenka and Alcaraz hit top form, they will be hard to stop at Roland-Garros.
LOOK OUT FOR
Argentina’s Francisco Cerundolo and Britain’s Jack Draper are two players capable of causing huge upsets at Roland-Garros.
Cerundolo has given 2024 Roland-Garros runner-up Alexander Zverev real trouble in their recent meetings, with the German admitting he ‘hates’ playing against a player who has an impressive understanding of clay courts.
As Cerundolo will not be among the top eight seeds at Roland-Garros, he will be a dangerous floater to be avoided.
Draper is another player to watch as he has been one of the surprise stories of the clay court season.
British players traditionally struggle on clay courts and Draper has limited success on the surface prior to his run to the Madrid Open final and a solid performance at the Italian Open.
This 23-year-old has pushed his game up several gears in 2025 and will be a threat in Paris.
Verdict: Cerundolo and Draper should reach the quarter-finals at Roland-Garros.