What happened at Roland Garros 2026?
- 7 hours ago
- 9 min read
Hi loves,
Well, well, well. Roland Garros 2026 has come to an end - and it feels like it went on for months. Round after round, match after match, there were shocks, surprises and new stars. Looking at the last few years it feels like we have always had a small pool of players in both draws we were expecting the champions to come from, and where the winners did eventually come from. This year that all changed - and what a welcome change indeed. We have much to discuss, so let us waste no more time and look at what happened at Roland Garros 2026!
Chaos on the Clay
I would usually start with the champions, but that doesn’t seem right this time. The tournament progression prior to these finals feels important to discuss before we look at who won, and how. The young players on tour that we have been getting excited about had their moment to shine, on both the men’s and women’s side of the game. However, the men took the circumstances of no Alcaraz full stop and Sinner going out early (more on this later) into their own hands. From early on we knew two players would be winning their maiden Roland Garros title. Even more dramatically, in the men’s draw we knew we would have a first time grand slam champion from the fourth round. Now, I love me some Sincaraz epics, especially after their match-of-a-generation final last year on Court Philippe-Chatrier at this very tournament, but this made me so excited - someone would be achieving their dream. The question is; who?
Looking back at the fourth round draw, we have a split between the older original ‘next gen’ group and the younger, up and coming next generation. Rublev, Ruud, Felix A-A, Tiafoe, Zverev and Berrettini were all going under the radar not making headlines looking to show the youngsters how it’s done (as if they really knew how to do it…). But all the media focus and excitement was surrounding Mensik, Fonseca and new superstar Rafael Jodar. I won’t dwell on Jodar too much, because it feels like we will be talking about him consistently when he starts winning his hundreds of grand slams predicted for him, but he is seriously good. And coming through two five set epics is pretty good going at the first slam where people actually give a damn about you. He was downed by Zverev in the quarter finals in straight sets, probably exhausted, and there is no shame in that at his age. Excitement surrounds this guy and it is clear to see why - on the clay especially. Could he follow in another Rafa’s footsteps on the clay? TBC. See, I said I wouldn’t dwell on him but I just can’t help it - it’s all the buzz, it’s irresistible.
Mensik and Fonseca were on a quarter-final collision course following their equally exhausting runs up to that point. Fonseca survived a scare against fellow young, gifted player Dino Prizmic. From two sets to love down he soared and delivered a mental masterpiece, proving that with every tournament and match he is learning and improving, in particular learning to deal with the crowds he attracts. He lost a tight match against Hamad Medjedovic in Rome a few weeks previously where he admitted to the crowd getting to him, later asking them for more ‘respect’. So coming through in another tight match, but this time with a grand slam atmosphere, felt like a big step in his development. Following this up with the win of his young career against his idol, the great Novak Djokovic, once again coming from two sets to love down (and finishing the match with three aces, may I add) felt like the cherry on top. But the tournament obviously wasn’t over yet. People were questioning how he would come back down to earth and beat two-time Roland Garros finalist Caspar Ruud. Well, they needn't worry, because he found a way. And thus we get to the quarter-final against Mensik. Mensik had his problems in his run up until this match, and we will get to that the wider conversation it sparked. I think we are all certain this would be the first match of many between these two at the top level and in the biggest tournaments. They are two undeniable talents, but Mensik came through this particular match fairly comfortably producing a serving masterclass. Cool, calm and calculated, the young Czech man proved he was the better man on the day. He set up a semi-final against the far and away favourite for the title, the ‘nearly man’ of tennis; Alexander Zverev. Looking absolutely exhausted, Mensik’s Roland Garros 2026 journey came to an end. A great run, and he will be back.
On the women’s side of the draw we had the favourites dropping like flies, also. We had four time champion Iga Swiatek losing in the fourth round, defending champion Coco Gauff losing in third round and world number one Aryna Sabalenka losing in the quarter-finals, the three favourites were out of the way. The nature of Sabalenka's loss was perhaps the most shocking thing to come out of the women's draw this year. With Gauff and Swiatek out the way she virtually had a clear view of the trophy she so desires. Coming up against Diana Schnaider shouldn't have really been anything Aryna should be concerned about (with the greatest respect to Schnaider). She had match points, and blew it. Losing the third set 6-0 is not something we are used to seeing with Sabalenka, who is a fighter. Although this was devastating for Aryna, it made it more interesting for us fans!
Elina Svitolina and Marta Kostyuk were two players we were all watching after their victories in Madrid and Rome. It was a battle of the Ukrainians when they met in the quarter-finals, with Kostyuk coming out on top. Kostyuk had an amazing clay court swing, picking up two titles and reaching her first slam semi-final. She has been on an upward trajectory and if she can continue at the level she has been playing at and adjust to the grass better than she has in previous years then I see no reason why she can’t break new ground on the green stuff too.
Have the ‘old guard’ missed their chance?
Now, of course the question behind all of this is will the ‘old next gen’ players ever win that elusive slam? For clarity, the players we are talking about here are Felix Auger-Aliassime, Taylor Fritz, Caspar Ruud, Andrey Rublev, Frances Tiafoe, blah blah blah. Honestly, the brutal truth is that they will likely never have a better chance than this, and they blew it. Okay, Fritz has been injured and had barely touched the clay before his first round loss to Nishesh Basavareddy, so we can slightly cut him some slack in this specific conversation. But Ruud, Felix and Rublev are the top three who will be ruing their missed chances I imagine. Ruud knows he can perform in Roland Garros, and just so happened to come across the best clay court player the game has ever seen in Nadal and the best all round player the game has ever seen in Djokovic (in my humble opinion) in the finals he has reached. Felix is only 25 so still has a long career ahead of him you imagine, but he just doesn’t seem to really want it as much as others do. His attitude on court doesn’t fill me with confidence. Does he really want it? Or is he content with what he has? Top 10 to top 15 player, winning the odd tournament, ticking along. Maybe I am being harsh…
This Roland Garros was HOT, HOT, HOT
Now, before looking at the winners, I want to talk about a conversation which was bubbling under all tournament - the conditions, player welfare and how much the game has changed in the last few years alone. Paris was hit by a heatwave in the first week of the tournament with temperatures hitting 33 degrees, which is unprecedented for this time of year. And boy, did we see the effects of this. The best example of this was Jakub Mensik collapsing after his second round match against Mariano Navone. After winning 13-11 in the final set break tiebreak after 4 hours and 41 minutes, the Czech fell to the ground looking incredibly distressed and in an immense amount of pain, waving and calling for help for what appeared to be cramp. Unable to get up, he was treated on court by a physio or doctor with bags of ice. Caspar Ruud also admitted to not knowing where he was during his first round five set epic against Safiullin. Suffering from what he believed was heatstroke he threw away the tourth set just so he could recuperate some energy for the fifth. Although not as extreme as Mensik or Ruud, the most publicised example was Jannik Sinner and his dramatic fall off in his second round match against Juan-Manuel Cerundolo. Sinner has been known to struggle in very hot conditions, previously retiring in Shanghai last year and only being saved by the roof being closed in Australia in January during his match against Eliot Spizzirri. Even with this history, he looked very comfortable in his match against Cerundolo not at all concerned about the heat, up until the moment he served for the match. The fall off was sudden and very dramatic. He was dizzy and wanted to vomit, and although he did not attribute it to the heat it was surely a factor. He always looks so strong and stoic, but not this time. No career slam for Jannik this year.
The world is changing, and the sport is changing. As a result, rules need to change or be more flexible. The heat rule varies across tennis, with each of the majors and the tour having a variety of different scales and thresholds. Roland Garros utilises the most widely used rules, stating play is to be suspended if it reaches 32.2C (90F). I don’t necessarily think there should be a change in the rules, as they only really came into effect at the end of last year, but with these temperatures becoming more common there should probably be better facilities across the tournament grounds - widespread air-conditioning, more shade, cool air vents for the players etc. Play has never been suspended at Roland Garros before due to heat, and if they will be sticking to these heat rules then some developments need to be made.
Grand Finals give us new slam champions.
Thankfully, both finals weren’t played in such challenging conditions. We had stories going into both, with all four players aiming to lift a grand slam trophy for the first time, and both finals consisting of an experienced player and a less experienced player. I want to start with the men’s final, where Alexander Zverev finally achieved the thing he has chased his entire life and won a grand slam title. I feel conflicted, I must admit. He absolutely deserved to win this title this year, he was the best, most consistent player from start to finish. He is a great athlete and technician. He also manages type 1 Diabetes, which must be a huge challenge to overcome as an elite athlete. But I cannot get away from the fact I really do not like him as an individual. I won’t dump on his achievement, but I also cannot be too excited about it either. I can, however, get excited about Flavio Cobolli. He is a part of the previously mentioned crop of young talents coming through. Pushing the overwhelming favourite to five sets in his first grand slam final is no mean feat, and I hope this is first of many for him. I mean, who doesn’t want to see that smile and passion on the biggest stages in the world? As I say, an exciting prospect.
A champion I can say I am pleased to see is 19 year old Mirra Andreeva - a prodigy who has finally come of age. Turning pro when she was just 15 years old, she seems like a seasoned professional already, even though she is still a teenager. Facing 24 year old qualifier Maja Chwalinska, an amazing story in her own right, she was the favourite to win this match and after a shaky start with both players struggling to deal with the wind and hold serve, Mirra really found her form and stormed to the title. Making her trademark speech and thanking herself for all her hard work and perseverance, I am sure she has won the hearts of many new tennis fans with her charming demeanor. I think the biggest positive for Andreeva throughout this tournament, though, was her improved maturity on court and her lack of meltdowns. She has historically shown intense frustration on court; screaming at her box and hitting herself when it does not go her way. You can’t help but think that calming down and showing maturity was what was the determining factor of whether she was ready to win a major.
The Relationship Between Roland Garros and Women’s Tennis
Last year I went on a rant about the fact Roland Garros and tournament director Amélie Mauresmo are pretty open about the fact they do not value women's tennis in the same way they value men’s. I will not do that this year, no matter how much it still bothers me. However, some progress was made this year when a women’s match was given the converted night match slot. The match between Aryna Sabalenka and Naomi Osaka was the only acceptable choice for the night match slot, and it was thankfully what they picked. Although it is only one match out of 11, it's something. Honestly, I think there would have been riots if they hadn’t put it as the night session, so well done to them for choosing correctly and wisely.
Overall, a drama-filled and exciting two weeks making a great climax to the clay court swing of 2026. Congratulations again to Mirra Andreeva and Alexander Zverev - very much deserved.
Aaaaaaand, breathe. The clay court session is officially over. There’s always so much to discuss, and I haven’t even mentioned the fact that the grass court season starts TODAY (queue the excited noises and cheers from me). I’ll be back with the first grass court entry of 2026 soon, and news on a certain GOAT returning to tennis...
Until next time, keep serving!
El x
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