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All eyes are on the 2024 Roland Garros event right now. It’s going to be quite a spectacle, as it always is, and it’s also going to be an emotional one for many reasons. That said, my focus today is to bring into the spotlight 5 things that Roland Garros 2024 could produce that we will never see again.
You’ve probably got your own ideas about what these ‘things’ might be. And yes, there are more than just 5 things that could unfold this year that will never be replicated. However, I’ve focused on the most prominent possibilities to make this look ahead as relevant and as exciting as I can. With that in mind, the 2024 French Open is right on the doorstep.
So, with just a day or two before the event officially begins for most of the players, let’s get right into this discussion.
The King of Clay playing in the French Open
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Rafael Nadal’s love affair with Roland Garros will officially end in Paris this year. Amazingly, he is gunning for a 15th French Open title this year, which is simply outrageous. And the question – can Nadal win a 15th French Open this year is one of the hottest topics out there as we head into Roland Garros 2024. Then again, he’s been given a howling draw as he faces the recent Rome Masters winner, Alexander Zverev, in round one.
Whatever happens, the fact that this will be the last time we see Rafa playing on Philippe-Chatrier really is the end of an era. In fact, it’s the end of a period in tennis history that may never be repeated. His dominance at this tournament speaks for itself, and he heads into the 2024 French Open with a 112-3 record in Paris. How about that for a statistic?
He’s put together this win/loss record over the course of 18 French Open appearances, but this one promises to be his last. At least, that’s true unless something major changes in Rafa’s plans for the near future.
A possible 15-time winner – Rafael Nadal
It seems almost a mythical number, yet Nadal could win his 15th French Open title this time around, as mentioned above. As I’m sure you know – no man has ever won the same Grand Slam 15 times before. And when you think of the dominance combined with the longevity required to achieve something like that, it’s enough to boggle the mind!
Nadal first won Roland Garros as a teenager back in 2005. However, not many of us would have believed that he would go on to claim 14 French Open titles in his illustrious career. He truly is the King of Clay, and the statue in the grounds of Roland Garros is well deserved.
Of course, all these years later, age may finally be slowing his dominance on clay. But you can never count out Nadal’s burning desire and fighting spirit when it comes to Roland Garros. The tournament just seems to spark the animal in him, and if he wins his 15th French Open this year, what an ending to his clay court career it would be!
25 Grand Slam titles secured by winning Roland Garros – Novak Djokovic
It was Roland Garros 2023 when Novak Djokovic officially surpassed Rafael Nadal for Grand Slam titles. How ironic that he would achieve such a thing at the tournament that Rafa has dominated throughout his career! Nevertheless, when Djokovic took down Casper Ruud in the final last year, he secured 23 Grand Slam titles – moving beyond Rafa’s 22 Grand Slam titles.
Of course, he later won the 2023 US Open, taking his total to 24 Grand Slam titles. But this time around, he is looking to take down his 25th Grand Slam title at the place he has ‘struggled’ most in his career. That said, this is probably the most vulnerable that Djokovic has looked in recent years.
In 2024, he split with long-term coach Goran Ivanisevic, and he has yet to claim a single title. For Novak Djokovic, that’s almost unheard of, so he will need to dig deeper than ever to make it 25 in Paris.
WTA Madrid – Rome – Roland Garros treble – on the cards for Iga Swiatek
At just 22 years old, Poland’s Iga Swiatek is the undisputable world number one by quite some distance. On her day, almost nobody can come close to her level of tennis. Furthermore, her athletic ability, skills, and calm mind have made her almost unbeatable on clay over the past two seasons. Yet, for 2024, she’s chasing something extra special at Roland Garros.
Not only is she looking to secure three French Open titles in a row, but she’s looking to match an achievement previously secured by Serena Williams only. As you can see, that achievement is a historical triple crown covering Madrid, Rome, and Roland Garros in the same season.
Given that only Serena Williams has accomplished this before, it’s fair to say that such a treble is a very rare feat. Therefore, if Iga Swiatek is able to win the 2024 Roland Garros event, there is a distinct possibility that we may never witness this again. Then again, if Swiatek keeps up the kind of tennis we’ve seen from her in recent times, she might have a chance to do the treble on several occasions in her career.
Who really knows? But either way, it will be exciting to witness!
Oldest French Open champion – possible for Nadal or Djokovic
We all like to think that the legends of the game will just play forever – at least, I like to tell myself that lie. However, it’s inevitable that their day will come, which makes events like Roland Garros 2024 ones to cherish. As for the possible achievements for Nadal and Djokovic this year, besides the ones mentioned above, there is one for the ‘oldies’ here.
Ironically, Djokovic could break his own record by winning the tournament. When he won the 2023 French Open, he became the oldest Roland Garros winner ever at 36 years and 6 days old. Of course, this means if he wins the tournament this year, we’d have a 37-year-old champion, which would be very hard to replicate.
Alternatively, if Nadal surprised us all and claimed the 2024 Roland Garros crown, he would win the tournament at 38 years of age. In fact, if Rafa was to win the 2024 French Open title, he wouldn’t just be the oldest-ever French Open winner. He would be the oldest-ever Grand Slam champion – surpassing the record held by Ken Rosewall, who won the Australian Open at 37 years, 1 month, and 24 days old!
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