2023 French Open Preview: Men's field wide open at Roland Garros with Nadal absent

The world’s best players have assembled sur la terre battue.

The lone clay court slam of the tennis calendar begins in Paris, France with 256 men and women competing in a deep, talented field at the 2023 French Open at Roland Garros.

Familiar sights and sounds will grace the beautiful red courts of the French Open this season as Novak Djokovic chases history, Iga Swiatek hopes to be a repeat champion, and a swath of talented challengers are keen on capturing a first-career slam.

Meantime, the tournament’s greatest champion will be sidelined as Rafael Nadal recovers from a hip injury that has held him out of competition since January, while another Spanish talent looks to claim the mantle and win a second career major.

Here are six storylines to follow ahead of the Roland Garros:

A French Open without Rafa — c’est la vie

In a cyclical and ever-changing sport with new faces ushered in to replace the old, it’s remarkable how Rafael Nadal has been a constant for so long.

Now, for the first time since 2003, Roland Garros will be without its greatest champion.

14-time French Open winner Rafael Nadal was unable to successfully recover from a psoas injury suffered to his hip in a second-round loss at the Australian Open early this season, and the 36-year-old Spaniard hasn’t taken the court since, missing the entirety of the clay court season - his most dominant surface.

He has since announced that he will take a few months off from training, with plans to make one final comeback push with the expectation that 2024 will be his final calendar year on tour.

It’s hard to encapsulate what Nadal has meant to Roland Garros.

How to explain?

Rafa to Roland Garros is like Michael Phelps to the swimming pool - Usain Bolt to the 100-metre dash - Bill Russell to an NBA Final.

There is simply, and won’t be, anyone greater.

Nadal has gone an astounding 112-3 at the event and has triumphed in 14 of the last 18 editions. 90 of those victories have come in straight sets.

In 2008, 2010, 2017, and 2020, he won without losing a single set.

Last season, he managed to win while receiving a numbing agent for his ailing left foot, which suffers from chronic pain because of Muller-Weiss syndrome.

While his absence will be felt around the grounds and leave a major void, it also creates a prime opportunity for a new name to announce oneself as a major champion in Paris.

Carlitos eyeing a second slam

While this year’s edition of Roland Garros misses out on one Spanish legend, it eagerly welcomes his potential heir apparent.

Fellow countryman Carlos Alcaraz has returned to Roland Garros having reclaimed the world number one ranking and has already fast established himself as one of the most successful young tennis players ever.

Though no one can rightfully expect Alcaraz to achieve the heights that Nadal has at this event, the Spaniard heads into the second major of the season as the most electrifying and dynamic player of the next generation.

The skillset the recently turned 20-year-old possesses is complete.

He can unleash jaw-dropping winners from the back of the baseline with his aggressive and accurate ball striking on both the forehand and backhand wing. His speed and defensive skills are world-class, his game in the forecourt features crisp volleys and perfectly disguised drop shots, and he’s shown a competitive fortitude and resilience very few feature at such a young age, let alone at all.

The smorgasbord of tools led him to a US Open title last season and the youngest ATP world No. 1 in tour history.

Now he has again regained that mantle with a tremendous clay campaign going 12-1 on the surface with titles in Barcelona and Madrid.

Alcaraz has only once faced 22-time major champion Novak Djokovic, winning a thrilling three-set encounter last season on clay.

A potential semi-final encounter with Djokovic awaits here at Roland Garros.

Novak hungry for major record

A chance for grand slam supremacy is on the horizon for one Novak Djokovic.

His record 10th Australian Open crown back in January moved him into a tie with Rafael Nadal at 22 majors, and he can move into sole possession of the men’s all-time grand slam victory with a title this fortnight in Paris.

While Djokovic is a brilliant clay court player, who has twice been crowned champion at Roland Garros with triumphs in 2016 and 2021, he has struggled with form these last few months.

Djokovic has compiled a 5-3 record on the red dirt this season, suffering early exits in Monte Carlo and Banja Luka, while in Rome he lost in a tight three-set contest to Holger Rune of Denmark in the quarterfinals.

The tame results may not matter.

Djokovic often thrives in a best-of-five format, allowing him the necessary time and patience to play his way into elite form and peak towards the end of a tournament - even his B-level tennis can simply overmatch most competitors.

With his greatest rival Nadal out, Djokovic understands a prime chance awaits to grab sole possession of history and become statistically the greatest men’s player ever.

“History being on the line is something that is very flattering and motivating,” said Djokovic in his pre-tournament press conference. “I think the tournament is quite open. Maybe a few guys are at the top of the favourites list, but anyone can take it. I’m hoping it can be me.”

While Alcaraz and 2021 finalist Stefanos Tsitsipas sit in a stacked top half of the draw, a handful of contenders sit in the third and fourth quarters of the field.

World number two and 2021 US Open winner Daniil Medvedev is coming off the best clay court season of his career coming away as the champion in Rome.

There is 20-year-old Holger Rune who has won one title and reached two finals on the surface this year and owns a sterling 7-2 record against top-five opponents.

Last year’s runner-up Casper Ruud has nine career titles on clay, third-most of anybody at the event (behind Dominic Thiem and Djokovic).

Italian Jannik Sinner is also a contender for a deep run, having reached the round of 16 or better at Roland Garros in the last three editions.

WTA’s Big Three

For the better part of two decades, The Big Three has been the common refrain of the most successful men’s players in tennis history – Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal, and Roger Federer.

The trio collectively dominated the men’s circuit, combining to win 64 majors since 2003.

Federer has since called it a career, and Djokovic is the only one healthy and competing at this year’s French Open.

On the women’s side, Iga Swiatek, Aryna Sabalenka, and Elena Rybakina have all cemented themselves as the class of the women’s tour with their results over the last 12-plus months of tennis.

Following Ash Barty’s retirement last year, Swiatek promptly seized hold of the world number one ranking and captured her second French Open title, her first US Open crown in the summer, four WTA1000s, and produced a 37-match winning streak from late February to June.

Despite not being awarded any ranking points or getting her due credit, Kazakhstan’s Elena Rybakina won Wimbledon in 2022, and has since reached the Australian Open final, and won two big titles in Indian Wells and Rome.

Meantime, Sabalenka currently leads the tour in 2023 with a 29-5 record and three titles, highlighted by her maiden slam in Melbourne at the front end of the year – she also notably defeated Swiatek in a three-set final in Madrid three weeks ago.

While parity has often ruled the women’s game, there is currently stability and staying power at the top with Iga, Aryna, and Elena.

All three will have a strong chance at going the distance in Paris.

Canadians hope to find form in Paris

It’s been a quiet and uneventful clay court campaign for the Canadian tennis contingency.

On the men’s field, stars Felix Auger-Aliassime and Denis Shapovalov both had setbacks in form and in due part because of injury.

Auger-Aliassime, who reached a career-high ranking of number six late last season, has completed just three matches on the surface heading into Roland Garros with one win at the Lyon Open before withdrawing from the event out of precaution.

The native of Montreal is defending the round of 16 points from last year and opens his tournament Monday against Italian veteran Fabio Fognini.

Shapovalov, who is dealing with knee pain, has gone 1-2 on clay, playing just two tournaments in Barcelona and Madrid.

He will clash with hard-hitting American Brandon Nakashima.

Mississauga’s Bianca Andreescu is one of a handful of major champions in the women’s field, with her memorable 2019 US Open slam forever a lasting memory for Canadian tennis fans.

Andreescu had shown glimpses of her greatness on the hard courts at Indian Wells and Miami before suffering a shocking ankle injury at the event in Florida in the round of 16.

She’s made a quick recovery to get back on court but is without a match win on clay this year – she’ll face 18th-seeded Victoria Azarenka in her opening round.

Leylah Annie Fernandez, a quarterfinalist at the tournament last season, meets Magda Linette of Poland Sunday morning.

Toronto’s Rebecca Marino gets an intriguing opening-round clash against NC State collegiate star Diana Shnaider.

Ottawa’s Gaby Dabrowski will represent Canada in doubles, competing alongside Luisa Stefani.