There is a magic to the French Open.
The bright red clay courts at Stade Roland Garros are iconic and have ruined thousands of perfectly good tennis shoes.
Giants of the sport have come and conquered the grounds (Rafael Nadal much more than others), and the likes of Rene Lacoste leveraged success at the tournament beyond just trophies, building a legendary sportswear brand.
History is always on the table at the French Open, and this go-around is no different. Before anyone can write their names in the history books, let’s look at the most interesting storylines ahead of this year’s tournament, which begins first-round play on Sunday.
The 2026 men’s singles champion is a result which seems most inevitable. Italian superstar Jannik Sinner is well positioned to capture his first French Open title and complete a career Grand Slam.
Sinner is on a 29-match winning streak dating back to February, most recently capturing the Italian Open title to become the first Italian man to do so since 1976.
It was his sixth consecutive Masters 1000 tournament victory. No other man has won more than four such tournaments in a row. Sinner and Novak Djokovic are the only two men to win all nine Masters 1000 tournaments, which were introduced in 1990. Djokovic was 31 when he accomplished this feat. Sinner is 24.
“What you’re doing is hard to describe with words,” Italian Open finalist Casper Ruud told Sinner following their match last Sunday.
It doesn’t hurt to try.
Sinner’s elite combination of power and poise makes him nearly unbeatable. In the last year, he leads the ATP Tour in per cent of service games won (93.1) and return games won (32.3). That is categorical dominance. Never too high or low, Sinner’s quiet confidence is frightening for competitors.
There is also a particular injury to Sinner’s biggest rival that helps his already great chances at winning the title.
Reigning back-to-back men’s singles champion and top rival to Sinner, Carlos Alcaraz, is on the sideline this time around. Alcaraz, meant to be chasing fellow Spaniard Nadal’s ludicrous 14 Roland Garros titles, hurt his wrist at the Barcelona Open just over a month ago.
Alcaraz announced earlier this week that he will also miss Wimbledon, which doesn’t begin until late June.
Alcaraz is more than a thorn in Sinner’s side; he is a career Grand Slam champion with a 10-7 career head-to-head record against the Italian, with two wins to Sinner’s one in Slam finals against one another. Not to mention, Alcaraz is a year younger at 23.
All nine Grand Slams since the beginning of 2024 have been won by either Sinner or Alcaraz. For at least the next two Slams, the fate of this streak rests on one man’s shoulders.
Victoria Mboko, No. 9 in the women’s draw, is arguably Canada’s brightest star in the sport. The 19-year-old Torontonian is fresh off her best finish at a major, making it to the fourth round in Australia.
On Friday, Mboko knocked off Jaqueline Cristian in three sets to advance to the Strasbourg Open final, which is a tune-up tournament for Paris. Mboko persevered through a medical timeout early in the match and did not look back. She’ll take on Emma Navarro of the U.S. in the final on Saturday.
Mboko is nearing household-name status domestically, and can make her presence known far beyond Canada with a deep Roland Garros run. She faces 20-year-old Czech Nikola Bartunkova in Round 1.
No. 24 seed Leylah Fernandez, who fell to Mboko in the Strasbourg quarters, is the other Canadian women in the event. She matches up with American Alycia Parks.
Fourth-seeded Felix Auger-Aliassime leads theCanadian men, taking on Germany’s Daniel Altmaier in the first round. The Montreal native started the clay season strong, reaching the quarterfinals in Monte Carlo and falling to Sinner. In three tournaments since, Auger-Aliassime has not made it past the round of 16, even falling in the round of 64 in Rome.
Still, Auger-Aliassime is the only Canadian man since Milos Raonic to be ranked top-five.
Unseeded Canadians include Denis Shapovalov, who opens his tournament against qualifier Jaime Faria of Portugal, and Gabriel Diallo, who is set to meet Australian James Duckworth.
The men’s side will see a new champ, but Coco Gauff is poised to defend her 2025 women’s title. The 22-year-old American has been solid on clay this season, reaching the final in Rome before falling to Elina Svitolina.
Aside from No. 1-ranked Aryna Sabalenka, who has won three tournaments this season, the WTA Tour has seen a mix of winners. Five different women have won the six Masters 1000s this season.
Sabalenka is far ahead in the WTA rankings, but she has not been in top form as of late, falling in the round of 32 at Rome. The runner-up at last year’s tournament is a four-time Slam champion, but is looking for her first titles at Roland Garros and Wimbledon.
No. 4 Gauff will have to knock off stiff competition en route to another final, like No. 2 seed Elena Rybakina, who won the Australian Open earlier this year, and No. 3 Iga Swiatek, who is a four-time champ at Roland Garros.
Gauff will kick off her tournament against friend and compatriot Taylor Townsend.
Off the court, tension has been brewing on the ATP and WTA circuits regarding player compensation. Stars like Sabalenka and Gauff have spoken out against Grand Slam tournament directors for not raising the players’ share of total revenue.
Several top players have said there are issues with each of the major tournaments when ti comes to profit share. While the total prize-money purse at Roland Garros has gone up by over 5-million euros (approximately $8 million CDN) since last year, the revenue share has decreased from 15.5 per cent in 2025 to 14.9 per cent this year.
Gauff and others expressed an openness to boycott future Slams, but those talks have since simmered. That being said, many top-10 players including Sinner and Sabalenka plan to quietly protest by withholding or refusing media availability.
As the tournament goes and the draw wanes, it will be interesting to see how far the sport’s stars will go to hamper the media operations and to cause a stir.
Alcaraz is hurt, Djokovic is relatively old, and as mentioned, Sinner is only one man. There is a real chance that one of the game’s young up-and-comers can make a run in Paris.
Arthur Fils is a candidate. Playing on home soil, and in the best form of his career, the 21-year-old Fils has never made it past the fourth round at a Slam.
The Frenchman has no issues on clay, capturing the Barcelona Open in April. Fils missed much of last year with a back injury and plummeted down the ATP rankings, but fittingly making a run back toward the top 10.
The 23-year-old Ben Shelton has grown his star in the last year, winning the National Bank Open presented by Rogers in 2025, and the Munich Open last month — the latter a clay ATP 500 tournament.
Shelton is the highest-seeded American on the men’s tour at No. 5. A powerful lefty, Shelton has played confident tennis of late and is looking to get over the hump as a two-time Grand Slam semifinalist.
It’s not all about the youngsters.
Some tennis legends are set to make their final French Open appearances next week, most notably the ‘Flying Frenchman’, Gael Monfils.
One of the most beloved French players of the last half-century, Monfils hasn’t made a Slam final, but has charmed crowds with trick shots and his infectious smile. He announced before the season that he will retire following the campaign.. He is set to play fellow Frenchman Hugo Gaston in what should be a roaring first-round match.
Meanwhile, 2015 champion Stan Wawrinka is in the midst of his farewell tour, and is set to take on Fils in Round 1.
Expect Belgian David Goffin and Romanian Sorana Cristea to receive warm welcomes and farewells in their final Roland Garros appearances. Both have had modest success at the tournament over the years.