Roland-Garros 2025: Favorites, Outsiders, French … All know before drawing
Some have already arrived in Roland-Garros and multiply training on the Parisian crushed brick. Others take advantage of a last preparation tournament to make the last settings before the start of the tournament. But all the players in the running at the French Internationals, who start on Sunday May 25, will have the look turned to the Orangery of Auteuil, in Paris, where the draw will take place, Thursday at 2 p.m.
In female and masculine paintings, a duo stands out
In men and women, two heads are quite clearly exceeding the fray. Holding from the title Porte d’Auteuil and winner of the Masters 1000 of Monte-Carlo and Rome, the Spaniard Carlos Alcaraz seems capable of keeping his crown if he manages to limit the level fluctuations which slowed him at the start of the season. Its main rival will undoubtedly be the world number one, the Italian Jannik Sinner. Although having been suspended three months after two positive anti -doping controls to an anabolic, he recalled, as soon as he resumed, by reaching the final of the Roman tournament, why he was the owner of the circuit. “I tell myself that Alcaraz will be monstrous, and sinner even stronger than in Rome”summarizes Fabrice Santoro, consultant for Amazon Prime Video.
In the female table, Iga Swiatek could have had the status of a favorite grand. Winner of the last three editions of Roland-Garros, she is at home in Western Paris. But the Polish has no longer won the slightest tournament since her last coronation Porte d’Auteuil, and has given up her place as a world number one in Aryna Sabalenka. If the overpowered Belarusian shines mainly on hard surface – it has won the last five Grand Slam tournament finals disputed on this surface – it seems to better and better understand the ocher. With the fall of Swiatek in the WTA ranking (5e), the two players could be placed in the same quarter of the table.
The Grand Bal des Outsiders
Behind the big favorites there are a crowd of pretenders, who all have their fragility. The Norwegian Casper Ruud won the Madrid tournament, but he was swept away (6-0, 6-1) by Jannik Sinner in the process, in Rome. The Danish Holger Rune can boast of being the only player to have dominated Alcaraz on clay in 2025, but he did not confirm later. As for the world’s number 3, the German Alexander Zverev, and the man with the 24 Grand Chelem titles, the Serbian Novak Djokovic, they are far from their best level. The surprise could come from the Italian Lorenzo Musetti or the British Jack Draper, who have accumulated many victories in recent weeks.
In women, the favorites seem to have less margin on the peloton of the prosecutors, led by Coco Gauff (2e). The American comes out of two finals, in Madrid and Rome, and places himself as a serious candidate for the title, like the Italian Jasmine Paolini, sacred in the eternal city, a year after having reached the final of Roland-Garros. The Chinese Zheng Qinwen will also be scrutinized, she who particularly likes the clay of Roland-Garros, where she won Olympic gold in the Paris Games 2024.
French tennis relies on men
With a single representative in the top 100 – Varvara Gracheva, 68e -, tricolor tennis looks gray in women. “They are not expected, the least we can say”observe l’ex-61e World Camille Pin. The French delegation may consider itself satisfied if one of its players is still in the running in the third round, especially since its usual leader, Caroline Garcia, has hardly played matches for eight months, between the desire to take a break and physical setbacks.
On the men’s side, hopes are allowed. Arthur son (14e) has taken a new dimension this season and can legitimately target a place in the second week. Problem: the Frenchman has always stalled in Roland-Garros, where he has not yet won the slightest match. He will have the advantage of not having all the pressure of French tennis on his shoulders thanks to Ugo Humbert-a little allergic to clay, but finalist in Bercy in Indoor, in November 2024-, Corentin Moutet, eighth finalist at Roland-Garros in 2024, or Giovanni Mpeshi Perricard. Intermittent of the show because of a physique which bothers him, at 38, Gaël Monfils will remain to monitor, he who shines each time he sets foot on the court.
