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The second Grand Slam of the year is almost here, and it’s shaping up to be an extremely exciting tournament. And regardless of whether you’ve secured your French Open tickets or not for this tournament, I’ve got some key information to share before things kick off in Paris. As you’ve no doubt guessed already, here I shall be covering a full French Open preview for 2023.
I will be covering various aspects like the French Open format, what competitions will be held, how to access French Open live streaming, and more. There is a fair bit to get through before the first ball is struck in Paris, so let’s get started right away.
French Open Preview – A Quick History Lesson Before the Tournament Begins
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Did you know that the French Open was founded over 130 years ago? That makes it one of the oldest competitions in tennis, and it is widely regarded as one of the most challenging events in our sport. To be specific, Roland Garros was founded in 1891, and it has been held at various locations throughout its lengthy history. Examples of these locations include the Société de Sport de Île de Puteaux, Tennis Club de Paris, and its current location – Stade Roland Garros, Paris.
Interestingly, the tournament started out with sand as the official surface. It switched to clay in 1908, and it has been played on clay ever since. As for the most successful players in terms of French Open winners, the awards go to Rafael Nadal for the men and Chris Evert for the women. These players have 14 and 7 singles titles, respectively.
Main Contenders This Year – French Open 2023 Preview
Given that the French Open is a Grand Slam event, it goes without saying that the best in the business are coming to Paris to compete. Also, throughout the event, we shall be sharing our ATP French Open predictions and WTA French Open predictions for those who fancy a wager or two. Of course, these predictions coincide with the latest French Open odds too, which brings me to the top contenders for Roland Garros 2023.
Men’s Singles – French Open Preview
Although the French Open draw hasn’t been made yet, the outright odds for the men’s singles have already been published. On that note, here are the top three favourites along with their odds (correct at the time of writing):
- Carlos Alcaraz – 2.25
- Novak Djokovic – 2.87
- Holger Rune – 9.00
Also in contention, you’ve got guys like Jannik Sinner, Stefanos Tsitsipas, Casper Ruud, Daniil Medvedev, Alex Zverev, and others.
Women’s Singles – French Open Preview
The women’s singles isn’t quite as wide open as the men’s singles, in my humble opinion. After all, players like Iga Swiatek and Aryna Sabalenka are going into this Grand Slam as the stacked favourites. As for the most recent odds to determine the main contenders, here they are:
- Iga Swiatek – 1.72
- Aryna Sabalenka – 4.00
- Elena Rybakina – 9.00
In terms of other players who could challenge for the title in Paris, you’ve got Coco Gauff, Paula Badosa, Barbora Krejcikova, Ons Jabeur, and others. Many of these players are down as the top French Open seeds too, as expected.
All Events Involved in Roland Garros 2023
Like many other Grand Slam events, Roland Garros isn’t just a tournament that hosts singles competitions. In fact, there are many other events for you to tune into. These include the French Open wheelchair competitions, French Open doubles (men’s, women’s, and mixed), as well as French Open juniors. Note that these competitions all follow separate formats, and they don’t all start at the same time either.
Because of that, I recommend checking out our French Open schedule when you can to gain an idea of what competitions will be played on what days. This schedule will be updated daily too, so you’ll always know what’s coming up throughout the tournament.
Roland Garros Open Preview – More Key Information Heading Into This Event
Now that I’ve covered much of the main information for this French Open 2023 preview, let’s now address some additional areas. After all, to give you the most comprehensive French Open preview possible, it’s important to leave no stone unturned. Therefore, let me wrap this up by discussing a few other important areas regarding the tournament.
French Open Qualifying
Like all Grand Slam events, the French Open qualifying kicks off ahead of the main draw. The women’s and men’s qualifying begins on Monday, May 22nd, and it will end on Friday, May 26th. As for how many players can qualify, a total of 16 players can qualify for the men’s and women’s singles events. They must win three matches to do so, which is obviously easier said than done. There is also a shot at becoming one of the French Open lucky losers for those who fall at the final hurdle in qualifying.
French Open Wildcards
One other way to get into the French Open main draw is to receive one of the French Open wildcards that are available. These allow a player to bypass qualifying, and they are given at the discretion of the French Tennis Federation. For the men’s event, 8 wildcards have been awarded to players such as Paire, Kokkinakis, Fils, and others. As for the women’s event, they’ve been awarded to Parry, Navarro, Birrell, and five others (a total of 8 also).
French Open Rules / Format
Although the rules for the French Open vary somewhat between the events, as seen with French Open doubles rules for example, they are pretty easy to follow on the whole. All events are played in a best-of-three-set format with the exception of the men’s singles event, which is the best of five sets. And regarding the number of players, singles events have 128 in the main draw whereas the doubles events have just 64.
French Open Prize Money
The French Open prize money this year is pretty staggering. In total, the prize pool that will be shared this year is €43.9 million, displaying a 13.76% increase from 2022. Of course, the prize money is distributed accordingly for all of the main competitions at the French Open.
French Open Schedule Overview
For those interested in the general French Open schedule for 2023, you need to know the key dates and get them on your calendar. As stated earlier, qualifying is set to begin on Monday, May 22nd. However, the main draw will then start on Sunday, May 28th. From here, matches will be played until the tournament reaches its conclusion on Sunday, June 11th.
French Open TV Live Streaming
In order to watch the 2023 French Open, you need to actually know where it is being broadcasted. The official broadcaster for the 2023 French Open is Eurosport. Therefore, you can access streaming with an individual Eurosport plan, or use the most appropriate alternative – Discovery+.
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