Djokovic's Last Dance? Roland Garros Begins

The 125th edition of Roland Garros, tennis's most prestigious tournament on red clay, opens its curtain today in Paris at Stade Roland Garros. In the tournament, to be played from 24 May to 7 June, the main-draw first-round matches begin simultaneously on numerous courts at 11:00 Paris local time. The season's second Grand Slam arrives with an agenda loaded with both records and emotional farewells.

The most talked-about name of the opening day is third seed Novak Djokovic. The Serbian star, who turned 39 last week, is chasing his 25th Grand Slam title — which alone would mean a record. A three-time Roland Garros champion (most recently in 2023), Djokovic, arriving at this age and with a not-heavy match schedule, brings with him not only the question "can he win one more Grand Slam?" but also "is this one of his last dances in Paris?" Djokovic will face Frenchman Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard today in the night session on Court Philippe-Chatrier (around 20:15).

The tournament's clear favorite, meanwhile, is world number one and top seed Jannik Sinner. The Italian, who arrives in Paris on a 29-match winning streak, also won all three clay-court Masters 1000 tournaments this season (Monte Carlo, Madrid, Rome). Should he win Roland Garros, Sinner will become one of the rare players to complete the Career Grand Slam in the Open Era. Sinner, who lost to Carlos Alcaraz at the end of a five-set marathon in last year's final, will begin the tournament tomorrow (Monday) against Frenchman Clément Tabur.

The biggest absence this year is two-time defending champion Carlos Alcaraz. The Spaniard, who withdrew from both Roland Garros and the summer's Wimbledon due to a wrist injury, left a large gap in the favorites' equation. Alcaraz's absence both opens Sinner's path further and provides extra motivation for experienced names like Djokovic.

The standout matches on the opening day (today, Paris local time) are as follows: on Court Philippe-Chatrier the day session begins at 11:00; the court's program features second seed Alexander Zverev (the 2024 finalist) against Frenchman Benjamin Bonzi, and No. 7 Mirra Andreeva — opening the day as the highest women's seed — against Frenchwoman Fiona Ferro. On Court Suzanne-Lenglen, seventh seed Taylor Fritz takes on American Nishesh Basavareddy. The day will close with the Djokovic–Mpetshi Perricard match in the night session on Chatrier.

In the men's draw, the top of the seedings line up as follows: 1. Sinner, 2. Zverev, 3. Djokovic, 4. Félix Auger-Aliassime, 5. Ben Shelton, 6. Daniil Medvedev, 7. Taylor Fritz, 8. Alex de Minaur. In the women's draw, world number one and top seed Aryna Sabalenka is aiming for a first Roland Garros title; last year's champion Coco Gauff will try to defend her crown. Sabalenka will face Jessica Bouzas Maneiro in her opening match of the tournament.

Another emotional dimension of the tournament is the career farewells. Three-time Grand Slam champion Stan Wawrinka is playing his last match at Roland Garros and was drawn against Frenchman Arthur Fils (the 17th seed) in the first round. Beloved French tennis figure Gael Monfils is also playing his last Roland Garros before retiring at the end of this season; he will meet Hugo Gaston in the first round. These farewells are a reminder that, on the red clay, a generation is slowly handing the stage to the young.

In conclusion, Roland Garros 2026 begins with a loaded agenda shaped by Sinner's historic Career Grand Slam pursuit, Djokovic's possible "last dance," and Alcaraz's absence. The most critical encounter of the opening day will be Djokovic's match in the night session on Chatrier. Whether the 39-year-old champion can once again go deep on the red clay will be the most intriguing question from the tournament's very first day.