BARBARA SCHETT PREVIEWS ROLAND-GARROS 2023

The men's singles favourites:

Carlos Alcaraz is my favourite, the way he has played this year, the way he has played on clay. He has played a lot more tennis than Novak. He wants nothing more than winning the title. Carlos is winning tournaments left, right and centre. He has the experience and expertise.

Physically Carlos is on a different planet but he also shows a lot of skill. It is a joy to watch him play, he is paying the best tennis of his life at the moment, but you can never write off Novak Djokovic as he has the experience of winning so many finals. I would still put my money on Novak at Roland-Garros.

Alcaraz has won six tournaments this year and the way he played in Madrid and Barcelona, he is full of confidence. He has taken tennis to a whole new level which we didn’t think was possible after witnessing the big three in the past. I think he can win it and I’m sure he will win it future.

The only thing I worry about in the long-term is him physically and how his body will hold up over 15 years. I thought the exact same thing with Rafael Nadal though because of his physical game and his knee and foot problem but then he has had such a long career. To me, if he is healthy, he will number one for a good few years.

We have so many other contenders though - Tsitsipas, Medvedev, Zverev, Rune. Alexander Zverev is a danger if he is fit.

The women's singles favourites:

On the women’s side – it’s between Iga Swiatek, Aryna Sabalenka and Elena Rybakina. Iga Swiatek is playing some solid tennis even though she recently lost against Sabalenka in Madrid but the conditions there are much faster. The conditions in Paris should favour Swiatek, she feels comfortable there and is proving she is definitely playing at a high level of tennis and how she defends that number one spot as well because she must be under enormous pressure. 

I think it’s good for Iga to have these two players [Sabalenka and Rybakina] that can challenge her and make her stay at the number one spot. Rafa, Roger and Novak fuelled each other to become better players and hopefully we can see that on the women’s side. 

We have three completely different players and personalities. Swiatek is extremely solid and has handled this pressure of being world number one so well, she always bounces back and seems so strong mentally. She is going strong in Rome and is an all-rounder, she can play on every surface. Grass maybe a little bit better but on clay, I think the conditions suit her really well. It won’t be as fast as Madrid where she lost to Sabalenka. I think her mindset is right and she believes in herself. She is the favourite going into the French Open for sure.

Swiatek had a phenomenal year last year and no-one has really challenged her until now. She is the most complete and consistent player and has worked a lot on the mental part which is almost 80% of what you need. She seems motivated and wants to be up there for a long time.

Watch every match from Roland-Garros on Eurosport and discovery+.