Rafael Nadal is ready to begin his campaign for an unprecedented 10th crown at Roland Garros, which starts on Sunday in the French capital. He carries the confidence of a strong clay-court run on the ATP World Tour, which has given him much confidence and great memories. Under the tutelage of former World No. 1 and fellow Mallorcan Carlos Moya, his team is more than satisfied with how things have gone so far. A 10th title in Monte-Carlo, a 10th crown in Barcelona, a fifth trophy in Madrid. And many positive feelings that he carries into the second Grand Slam of the year. At the start of the year, was it unbelievable that Nadal would arrive in Paris is such...
1. 2017 Roland Garros: This is the 50th tournament in the Open Era (since 1968) and 87th at Roland Garros since 1925 (tournament was not held from 1940-45 during World War II). In 1925, the draw was opened to players outside of France. The French Championships started in 1891 and this is the 116th overall staging of the tournament. There are three former champions in the field – reigning champ Novak Djokovic, 2015 titleholder Stan Wawrinka and nine-time winner Rafael Nadal (2005-08, 2010-14). 2. Big Four Dominate: Since Roland Garros in 2005, when Nadal won his first Grand Slam title, the Big Four have accounted for 43 of the past 48 Grand Slam titles. During the current stretch, Nadal has...
It was one year ago that Andy Murray began to plot his climb to the top spot of the Emirates ATP Rankings on the European clay. A title in Rome was followed by a run to the final at Roland Garros and the Scot was soaring. But Murray is the first to admit that his current clay-court campaign is a bit different. Much has changed for the World No. 1 and after consecutive early defeats at the ATP World Tour Masters 1000 events in Madrid and Rome, he is seeking to rediscover his rhythm on the terre battue of Paris. While he acknowledges that his struggles are real, Murray believes that he needs to embrace them in order to break...
Stefanos Tsitsipas is enjoying the moment with his parents in Paris, where he will play Ivo Karlovic in his Grand Slam main draw debut after an emotional win in qualifying.