French Open storylines: Nadal's tribute, Swiatek's record and line judges' last stand

New York Times

24-05-2025

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Can Iga Świątek make women's tennis history?
Will her idol, Rafael Nadal, get the tribute his success deserves?
Is this the denouement for line judges on tennis courts?
And is the most important thing in play in Paris the weather forecast?
The 2025 French Open promises to be a cracker. Here, The Athletic's tennis writers, Matthew Futterman and Charlie Eccleshare, chart some of the key storylines to follow over the next fortnight.
At this point, Iga Świątek probably isn't thinking about becoming the first woman in the Open Era to win four consecutive French Opens. She likely just wants to get to the second week the way she's been playing of late.
The thing about Świątek's pursuit of history, though, is that she's already made plenty of it. She has four French Opens already. She's one of the best women ever on clay. Chris Evert thinks she will break her record of seven Roland Garros titles, and if she were to never play the tournament again, Świątek would already be in statue territory.
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So the question this year is two-pronged: Can she find her form and cement her reputation as maybe the most untouchable woman on red clay, given that Evert played in a far smaller world when tennis was far less competitive. It's an argument Evert makes anytime Świątek's greatness comes up — and those two prongs go hand in hand.
Word is that her form makes the French Open more open on the women's side than it has been since 2020, but the problem with that argument is that any of the big favorites for the title will have to beat Świątek in the semifinals (Aryna Sabalenka) or the final (Coco Gauff) if she gets that far. If she does, she is likely to be in the imperious form that has seen her dominate here. A draw can look very open, until it's closed.
Matthew Futterman
The French Open is the only Grand Slam to resist the appeal of electronic line calling (ELC), with Wimbledon to abandon 147 years of history by ditching line judges for this summer's event.
It's also the most prestigious clay-court event that entrusts humans with calling the lines, as ELC is now mandatory at ATP and mixed events, which encompass all the clay-court events at 1,000-level, one rung below the Grand Slams.
ELC is at the center of a philosophical quandary for players, because the technology — which allots for the amount of clay on the court and the speed of trajectory of the ball as it bounces — can come into conflict with the language players have been using to interpret clay-court shots as in or out for years: ball marks.
This has led to several disagreements between players and umpires, with some players taking a photo of the mark to 'prove' that the technology is wrong.
In theory, those players should welcome umpires getting off their chairs to inspect marks. But as tournaments before ELC showed, they are more likely to end up arguing with them about which mark is correct and whether or not that mark is touching a line. The vast majority of players are in favour of ELC, even the ones who grouse about calls that have gone against them.
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When explaining the decision to retain line judges, French Tennis Federation (FFT) president Gilles Moretton said in April that the nation's 'pride' at being 'the best country for providing referees on the circuit' was part of the thought process.
Those officials will have to make good on that claim over the next couple of weeks, as they deal with a group of players so used to machines that they will be expecting close to perfection.
Charlie Eccleshare
Rafael Nadal won this tournament 14 times. So why shouldn't Roland Garros send him off for a third time?
The last two were awkward. They came after early, one-sided defeats to Alexander Zverev and Novak Djokovic in last year's French Open and the Olympics, yet more illustrations of how finding the right moment to exit the biggest stages in the sport is nearly impossible.
Sunday night's ceremony on Court Philippe-Chatrier should be better. Nadal won't have to endure the ovations in sweaty clothes while still angry and depressed after a loss. The 14-time champion, who recently declared that he does not miss tennis because he left it behind satisfied with his achievements, will be the star of his show.
Perhaps the tournament will dedicate a statue to him on the grounds? Oh, wait… it already did that.
Matt Futterman
A Grand Slam wouldn't be a Grand Slam nowadays without some sort of political machinations going on in the background, and this year's French Open is no different.
On Thursday at Roland Garros, as well as learning who they would be facing in the first round, a group of the world's best players were meeting with executives from the four Grand Slams. They were there to follow up on a letter they'd sent in March, calling for a greater share of tournament revenue. That letter was signed by the world's top 10 players on the ATP and WTA side. As well as asking for a more equitable revenue split, it asked for a greater say in how the sport was run.
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These points, and a request for the majors to make financial contributions to welfare programmes, such as pensions and healthcare, were all raised by the handful of players present in Thursday's meeting. The Grand Slams will review the points raised and report back to the players.
Backroom negotiations have become a recurring theme at the biggest events over the last few years — whether it's the ongoing battle between the governing bodies and the Professional Tennis Players Association (PTPA), or the discussions over whether to hold a men's event in Saudi Arabia.
Charlie Eccleshare
Alexander Zverev, Daniil Medvedev, Stefanos Tsitsipas, and Andrey Rublev may yet find the glory they have been seeking. But time is running out and they've been heading in the wrong direction.
All except Tsitsipas are 27 or older, and Tsitsipas will be 27 in three months. They have been top-10 mainstays for years. Only Zverev is still there — and he hasn't played top-10 tennis for months. In a news conference ahead of the French Open, Tsitsipas was sanguine about the challenges ahead, especially compared with what he faced a few years back.
'I feel like the lineup right now is much more difficult than it was back then,' he said.
'Players are so much more mature. Shots have changed. Players have second forehands in this moment. They're playing with two forehands almost. I have to adapt my game.'
Medvedev said the longevity of Nadal, Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic colored expectations.
'If we take them out, I feel like a lot of players after getting closer to 30 or after 30 maybe drop their level, then maybe come back,' he said in a news conference. 'It's just the physical part of something getting to us. Maybe it's something else.'
Regardless, with each passing Slam, their chances of winning one dim.
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Matthew Futterman
Nadal believes that playing clay-court matches at night is a sin. The French Open night session is a fixture of the tournament, so no dice there, but his belief is a gateway into understanding a Grand Slam, which is affected by the weather more than any other: not because rain stops play, but because rain hits clay.
A grey, dank evening at Roland Garros exists in another universe than a hot, sunny afternoon. A matchup can swing based on atmospheric conditions, and if a match goes long, it can evolve through different weather conditions and change character completely.
At last year's event, heavy rain in the first few days played havoc with the schedule and turned matches into a sludgy, heavy affair. Later in the event, the sun came out, and the balls were kicking off the red clay and spinning out of players' strike zones once more.
So check the weather at Roland Garros, not only to understand if an umbrella will be required.
James Hansen
Tell us what you're looking out for at the French Open this year in the comments — and here's a reminder of the men's and women's singles draws: