ICYMI: Everything you Might have Missed between the Australian Open and Roland Garros

The Roland Garros Main Draw starts May 25. If you want to watch the brutal, beautiful magic of the Parisian clay but have not been following since Jannik Sinner lifted the Australian Open trophy in January, here are a few quick hits that might help you catch up on how things have changed in the past four months, starting with the champions from down under, Madison Keys and Jannik Sinner.

Keys Cools

From the start of the year to the end of March, Madison Keys was on an incredible run, including her first Grand Slam title in Australia. But since a 6-0 6-1 shellacking at the hands of Aryna Sabalenka in the semifinals at Indian Wells, things have not quite been the same, with the WTA #7 having won more than one match in a tournament just once since then.

Sinner Suspended

In early March, ATP #1 Jannik Sinner reached a settlement with anti-doping authorities to serve a 3-month suspension related to his positive test for Clostebol, a banned substance, at Indian Wells in 2024. The Italian returned to the tour in early May for his home event in Rome, where he reached the final. He may have picked up a minor injury there, so watch out for that in Paris.

Zverev Fades

Jannik Sinner was ATP #1 when he was suspended. He is still #1 now. In a rolling 52-week ranking system, how does that happen? Well, it takes some cooperation from the #2. We have already written about Zverev in the One Incredible Moment section of this weekly roundup, but to make a long story short, Zverev did not step up. You might notice that he is not even #2 anymore - Zverev is the #3 seed at Roland Garros, having dropped below Carlos Alcaraz. Zverev, however, was not alone here. Sinner played 1 tournament in the first 4 months of the year. He had the most rankings points since January 1 from the end of that tournament into April.

Sabalenka Dominates

The WTA #1 has been on a tear this year. You may remember that Aryna Sabalenka was the finalist at the Australian Open after having won the title in Brisbane. Since then, she has played 7 tournaments. She never plays well in the Middle East, and that continued in Doha and Dubai. Since then, she has been on a tear. From mid-March to the end of April, she made 4 consecutive finals in Indian Wells, Miami, Stuttgart, and Madrid. The best way to frame Aryna Sabalenka's dominance is by using the ranking system. 10,000 rankings points is rarified air, and Sabalenka comes into Roland Garros with 10,683 points. After winning the title in Madrid, she went over 11,000 points. Only 3 women have ever done that: Aryna Sabalenka, Iga Swiatek, and Serena Williams. Sabalenka reached that mark without even playing Wimbledon.

Swiatek Slumps

"Slump" is a relative term, but compared to the all-time great status for which Iga Swiatek is on pace, she is in something of a slump. If she does not win the title at Roland Garros, there would be 0 titles on her ranking. She has not been to a final since the Olympics. And her ranking has dropped to 5. Swiatek brought in a new coach towards the end of last year, and there are a lot of questions swirling about his status going forward. Our modeling indicates that she is very likely to return to her place at the top of women's tennis, but there is some cause for concern for the 3-time defending Roland Garros champion.

Djokovic Appears Mortal

Novak Djokovic is in a similar position to Swiatek's, with one key difference: Djokovic is 14 years older. You might remember that Djokovic retired from his Australian Open semifinal with a hamstring injury. Since then, he has hit a bit of a rut. He lost his first matches in Doha and Indian Wells. Then, after making a run to the final in Miami, he did something that he has not done in 20 years: lose 3 consecutive matches. After skipping Rome, the 24-time Grand Slam champion won his 100th career ATP Tour title on May 24 in Geneva, but that does not necessarily lower the red flags around his game.

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