The second Grand Slam of the year will be taking place imminently, as the best in the sport of tennis will be descending on France for the Roland Garros later this month.
The competition, which is also known as the French Open, will begin on Sunday, May 22, and will conclude on Sunday, June 5 where a Men’s champion will be crowned and take the honors upon the world’s most famous clay court.
Of course, it is not only the Men’s singles competition that will take place at the Stade Roland Garros in Paris, France, with a range of other events also scheduled to take place, including the Women’s singles event.
However, fans and those interested in betting on the Roland Garros will be required to wait a little longer before they can get truly excited about the upcoming Grand Slam, with the draw not being scheduled to take place a little before the competition takes place. Nonetheless, we already know that there will be a number of stars to be attending the major tournament.
Defending champions are expected to compete at the 2022 Roland Garros
It has been confirmed that defending Men’s singles champion, Novak Djokovic will be able to participate and try to keep his title, as it will be the first Grand Slam that he has been able to attend.
Of course, he was involved in a lot of controversy in Australia at the beginning of the year when he looked to try and play in the Australian Open in Melbourne, however he was subsequently deported due to not being able to meet certain criteria and eligibility requirements.
As we know, the 20-time Grand Slam champion is a huge draw for tennis fans all over the world, and there will be many that will be excited to see him on the red dirt courts in Paris. Whether he is able to add a third Roland Garros title to his honors list is something many will be waiting to see with great anticipation.
Furthermore, we know that Barbora Krejčíková is the current defending Women’s singles champion and she is also expected to be competing on the red dirt in the coming weeks, with the current World No. 3 looking to add further success to her resume.
Roger Federer out
Roger Federer, though, will be one participant that will not be featuring at the French Open this year, as he continues in his quest to come back from a knee injury that required surgery that has troubled him for a couple of years.
The 41-year-old has rarely been seen on the ATP Tour for a while now, although he does have plans to play in the Laver Cup in London in September, which means he would ultimately miss the French Open, Wimbledon, and the US Open.
His place in the competition has since gone to German player, Peter Gojowczyk.
Rafael Nadal set to compete
Rafael Nadal was another doubt for the competition, however the man to have won the most Men’s singles titles in history (13) has made himself available following a rib injury and will be looking to add another title to his incredible list of honors.
The Spaniard is synonymous with the red dirt courts, therefore his expected participation in the competition will be one that will provide the tournament with a major boost! Fans from around the world will flock to see what he is able to achieve once again.
Jo-Wilfried Tsonga set to retire after French Open
However, elsewhere, there may not be a dry eye at the Stade Roland Garros at one point throughout the competition, as veteran tennis star and France’s own, Jo-Wilfried Tsonga will be retiring once his event comes to an end.
The former World No. 5 recently revealed that he had listened to his body, and despite being 36-years-old, the 18-time ATP Tour winner has revealed it is time to put the racket down and stop when he wants and feels is right.
Tsonga may not have been successful in terms of winning in the Grand Slams, however he also gave his competitors some of the fiercest challenges that they had ever faced. He reached the Australian Open final four years after turning pro when he lost to Djokovic in 2008, whilst he reached the semifinals of the French Open and Wimbledon on two occasions.
Injuries have plagued his career in recent years, which is why he has tumbled down the rankings, but there is no doubt Tsonga will be looking to enjoy one last professional outing at his home Grand Slam.
Story by Catalin Constantin
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AFP
