Fascinating to see how this one plays out: the first French Open without Rafael Nadal since 2005.
Of course, back in the early noughties, the Spaniard sported white pirate shorts and a white bandana and pranced around the court after a spectacular winner pumping his right fist while bringing his left knee towards his head.
The whole celebration aerodynamically powered by guttural cries of "Vamos".
Scintillating. The unfettered joys of youth.
Those moments, while not quite sepia tinted, belong to a rangy limbed wannabe. The young prince took out the top seed Roger Federer in the semis and wore down Mariano Puerta in the final to claim the first men’s singles title of his nascent career.
Former France international footballer Zinedine Zidane – no less – handed the 19-year-old the Coupe des Mousquetaires.
In 2022, when Nadal saw off avowed fan boy Casper Ruud in straight sets, he raised the trophy on a record-extending 14th occasion.
No-one has won a singles title that many times at any of four Grand Slam tournaments in Melbourne, Paris, London and New York. It’s akin to a territorial annexation.
Fittingly, the French tennis federation chief Gilles Moretton, spoke of the emotions when Nadal called the French Open tournament director Amelie Mauresmo to tell her that his injured hip had not healed.
"His legend is somewhat tied to our tournament,” deadpanned Moretton during the glitzy draw ceremony for the 2023 French Open three days before the start of the extravaganza.
Replacement
So if the undisputed king is dead, who will try to emulate his noble rule?
Two-time lord of all Novak Djokovic, one of the few men to have beaten Nadal on the clay in Paris, will be the hot favourite to claim a third French Open title – not bad under the circumstances – and with it a record 23rd Grand Slam singles crown.
"I know I can always play better," Djokovic said after losing to Holger Rune in the quarter-final at the Italian Open in Rome.
"I am definitely looking forward to working on various aspects of my game, of my body, hopefully getting myself in 100 percent shape. That's the goal."
Top seed Carlos Alcaraz, who became the first man to beat both Nadal and Djokovic on his way to the Madrid Masters in 2022, is seeded to meet the 36-year-old Serb in the semi-finals.
Second seed Daniil Medvedev will have even more confidence after winning his first clay court event at the Italian Open on 21 May.
The Rome event effectively put the cat among the pigeons in the women’s draw. Last year, Iga Swiatek was a wrecking machine. She notched up 37 consecutive victories to take tournaments on the hard courts in Doha, Indian Wells and Miami as well on the clay courts in Stuttgart, Rome and the French Open.
Weakness
Latterly though, cracks have appeared.
Swiatek has won two of her four finals and limped out of her Italian Open quarter-final against Elena Rybakina with a thigh strain.
But the 21-year-old Pole says she has recovered and, as defending champion, she appeared at the draw ceremony to declare her readiness for the fray.
"It's my favourite tournament," said Swiatek. "I love coming back and so I practise harder and there's even more motivation to do well."
Swiatek will not only be seeking to win a fourth Grand Slam singles championships, she will also be attempting to become only the sixth woman to defend her title in Paris since 1968 when the French Open allowed professional players to compete at the event.
If successful, Swiatek will share the accolade with the likes of Margaret Court, Chris Evert, Monica Seles, Steffi Graf and Justine Henin; regal company indeed.
Challenge
But to earn her place among such exalted company, she will need to put down Rybakina's burgeoning confidence.
After benefiting from Swiatek's withdrawal in Rome, Rybakina went on to claim the Italian Open.
"Now that I've got more matches on clay, it's a bit easier and gives me a bit more confidence," said the 23-year-old.
"Hopefully I can go far at the French Open"
Even if she goes all the way to her second Grand Slam trophy nearly a year after winning Wimbledon, she will not reach top spot in the rankings.
That battle for supremacy will take place between Swiatek – who has occupied the slot for 62 weeks – and Aryna Sabalenka who beat her in the final at the Madrid Open earlier in May.
Several scenarios exist but it all boils down to one doing better than the other.
Swiatek, a whirly-eyed fan of Nadal, would do well to ask her idol for a few tips.
