When fans watched Novak Djokovic crush Robby Ginepri 6–0, 6–0, 6–3 in the first round of the 2005 French Open, could they have known what was coming next?
That turned out to be the first Grand Slam match win for Djokovic, who won his 369th such match Friday against Italy’s Lorenzo Musetti 7–5, 6–7 (8), 2–6, 6–3, 6–0. With the win, he tied Swiss legend Roger Federer’s record. Rafael Nadal is third with 314.
Musetti did not make it easy on Djokovic, but the 37-year-old defending champion recovered to take the final two sets. He will play Argentina’s Francisco Cerúndolo Monday morning in the fourth round.
Djokovic’s first match victory in a major came mere days after he turned 18, and took place so long ago that he won it while representing Serbia and Montenegro. Montenegro gained its independence from Serbia a year later.
Djokovic remains in search of his record 25th major championship.
The world No. 1 player Iga Świątek has normalized after a close call in the second round, is now on pace to make it three French Open titles in four years.
In Świątek's way is No. 6 Marketa Vondroušová, who isn't known for her clay court talent, but has taken advantage of an easy draw to make it into the quarterfinals at Roland-Garros. However, oddsmakers aren't giving her much of a chance against the No. 1 player in the world.
Vondroušová has enjoyed an easy path to the quarterfinal after a poor clay swing.
The world No. 6 player isn’t known for her clay court prowess and only won six of 10 matches in the run-up to the French Open. However, she hasn’t had to face a top 90 player thus far and is into the quarters, but she faces the toughest possible test in the No. 1 player in the world in Świątek.
Świątek has enjoyed plenty of success against Vondroušová, 3-0 all-time in official matches, including a 6-1, 6-2 win in the first round of the 2020 French Open.
After facing a match point in the second round against Naomi Osaka, Świątek has dropped six games across the last two matches and is back to her dominant form.
In this clay swing, Świątek is a blistering 18-1, and has dropped only three sets in those 18 wins.
When she wins, it’s typically in blowout fashion, so I’m counting on the odds on favorite to win with ease again.
PICK: UNDER 18.5 Games (-128)
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World No. 3 Carlos Alcaraz on Friday announced his withdrawal from the upcoming Italian Open, which begins on May 6 in Rome, in a post onto his account on X, formerly Twitter.
Alcaraz, whose bid to win a third straight Madrid Open fell short after a three-set loss to Andrey Rublev on Wednesday, revealed that he experienced "some discomfort" in his right forearm.
"I felt some pain after playing in Madrid, some discomfort in my arm. Today I did some tests and I have a muscle edema in my pronator teres, a consequence of my recent injury. Unfortunately I will not be able to play in Rome. I need to rest so I can recover and play 100% pain free. I am very sorry, I will see you next year @InteBNLdItalia," Alcaraz wrote.
Alcaraz first sustained the arm injury during a training session in Monaco prior to the start of the clay court season. The Spaniard was then forced to miss both the Monte Carlo Masters and the Barcelona Open, but managed to tough out the injury in the Madrid Open, wearing a compression sleeve on his right arm.
It's unclear if Alcaraz will be healthy enough to play in the ATP Tour's second Grand Slam of the year, the French Open, which begins on May 20.
Alcaraz, 20, holds a 15-4 record and has won one singles title (Indian Wells) thus far in 2024.
If indeed this 2024 vintage of the French Open marked the last time that 14-time champ Rafael Nadal played this event, be assured there is an heir apparent. An heiress apparent, anyway. Saturday on Court Philippe Chatrier, Iga Swiatek, 23, won the French Open women’s singles title for the third straight time and fourth time in the last five years. In this afternoon’s final, in what was less a tennis match than a tennis demonstration, she swept aside Italy’s Jasmine Paolini 6–2, 6–1 in 68 minutes.
Recalling Nadal, Swiatek sometimes appeared to play tennis. Other times she was playing an elevated, clay-specific version of the sport. She guided her heavy, spin-drizzled whipping groundstrokes with power and precision. She served capably. She transitioned from impenetrable defense to potent offense. She hugged the baseline between unbeatable and unplayable.
Many of Swiatek’s talents and skills are obvious to the naked eye. Others, less so. In the second round, she was a point from losing to Naomi Osaka, who entered the tournament tied with Swiatek with four majors. Swiatek took a risk on a return. She won the point. And the game. And soon thereafter the match.
Her campaign salvaged, she was never threatened again, dropping just 17 games in her next five matches, adding to her tally of 21 straight wins at Roland Garros. Confidence begetting confidence, on the rare occasion she is made to fight, Swiatek does so.
The comparisons to Nadal—who won only 64% of his majors here, as opposed to Swiatek’s current ratio of 80—are apt. So, too are the comparisons to Steffi Graf, who married skill and athleticism with unflappability. One stat that tells a rich story: this was Swiatek’s 22nd overall pro title. She has played in 26 finals.
Do spare a thought for Paolini, the delightful and winsome 28-year-old, who has emerged as both a lead figure of the Italian tennis invasion and a new star on the WTA Tour. Mid-career, her gifts are finally coalescing. If she is modest in stature, she is overflowing with energy and confidence. She leaves this event embedded in the top 10 and is still alive to play the women's doubles final tomorrow with partner Sara Errani.
But today she had few answers for Swiatek and her battery of skills, which gives her something in common with 126 other players in the draw. This was Swiatek’s day. At her event. During her era.
For two decades, the Big Three was a sort of rhythm section to men’s tennis. Women’s tennis now has a-the-big one.
