Fun French Open whets Wimbledon appetite – Second Serve

Everyone needed a lie down after two intense French Open finals.

When Coco Gauff and Carlos Alcaraz both fell flat on the court after winning the respective Roland Garros singles titles, it summed up a chaotic conclusion to a thrilling tournament.

It was a French Open that delivered the lot – and whets the appetite for the Wimbledon, which is just around the corner.

Recent editions of the clay-court Grand Slam tournament have been rather predictable.

Rafael Nadal regularly handed out one-sided beatings on his way to a scarcely-believable 14 triumphs over a 17-year stretch, while Iga Swiatek did similar in her four victories between 2020 and 2024.

So two exciting singles tournaments this year – both going all the way with nobody able to predict which way they would turn – were a fitting finish.

Alcaraz facing Jannik Sinner in the men’s final was not a surprise. But the first meeting between the ATP Tour’s standout pair in a Grand Slam showpiece ended in an all-time classic to further fuel what is fast becoming a must-see rivalry.

Would you rule the Serb great out of winning Wimbledon for an eighth time and matching Roger Federer’s all-time men’s record? Absolutely not.

But you’d think he would need to avoid defending champion Alcaraz and world number one Sinner on the way.

Throwing in a genuine British hope with Jack Draper – who is now fourth in the world – further fuels the excitement for the All England Club.

On the women’s side, Sabalenka will remain favourite despite the painful nature of her defeat by Gauff.

Sabalenka’s powerful game works on any surface and, although she fell agonisingly short of a first clay-court major, you would still back her to win a non-hard court major.

But, with eight different winners in the past eight years, the women’s singles at Wimbledon has been unpredictable in recent years.

Britain’s Draper might have lost earlier than expected when he was beaten by 62nd-ranked Alexander Bublik in the last 16 in Paris, but he has reached a new career high of fourth in the world.

Italy’s Lorenzo Musetti moved up to sixth after reaching the semi-finals, while American Tommy Paul – up to eighth after making the quarter-finals – is the third man in the top 10 to climb to a new career high.

It always felt Iga Swiatek’s reign as the ‘Queen of Clay’ was under threat going into Roland Garros – and so it proved.

The four-time champion’s semi-final exit means she has dropped to seventh in the world – her lowest ranking since the start of 2022.

The biggest leap in the WTA rankings is, of course, 22-year-old Boisson.

Who says the British can’t play on clay?

Norrie, 29, slipped perilously close to dropping out of the top 100 before reaching the Geneva final and then the Roland Garros last 16 for the first time.

Draper reached the fourth round and Jacob Fearnley advanced to the third round on his debut – losing to Norrie – while Katie Boulter and Sonay Kartal both earned their first main-draw wins.

Boulter, Emma Raducanu and Kartal each continued their upward trajectory in the world rankings, with Kartal now a top-50 player for the first time.

Doubles pair Neal Skupski and Joe Salisbury continued their progress a pairing by reaching the men’s final, while Alfie Hewett was runner-up in the wheelchair singles.

Hewett fought back from heartbreak, though, to clinch a sixth successive doubles title with partner Gordon Reid.

A host of LTA grass-court tournaments have already started in the UK.

On Monday, the WTA event at Queen’s – the first time that a women’s tournament has been held at the west London club since 1973 – returns.

Britain’s Boulter, Raducanu and Kartal headline the event, which you can follow across the BBC.

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