This is a feature of tennis, not a bug. This is a virtue of tennis, not a shortcoming. But holy heck, do the men’s and women’s draws for the 2026 French Open (or Roland Garros per the directive of the hommes and femmes in branding) present two different scenarios. A mountain vs. a valley. A monopoly vs. a socialist society. Order vs. chaos.
In the men’s draw, there is Jannik Sinner, and then there are 127 other players tasked with trying to beat the man who has more tournament titles (five) than defeats this year (two). Not only that, but his biggest rival and the two-time defending champion, Carlos Alcaraz, is out with a wrist injury. If Sinner does not win, it will take extraordinary force majeure (an injury, a hot day or warm sushi) or extraordinary force of will from an opponent. It’s sports, anything is possible. But it’s Sinner vs. the field. And note that his win would complete the career Grand Slam, the box set of majors that Alcaraz picked up in Australia.
