Roland Garros 2023 Report (men)

For true Nadal fans, it took some getting used to at Roland Garros 2023, as for the first time since 2005, Rafael Nadal was absent from the tournament lineup in Paris. The 14-time Grand Slam champion is still struggling with a lingering injury and was forced to miss his beloved tournament. Berrettini was also absent due to injury, and former finalist Murray skipped Roland Garros 2023 to fully focus on Wimbledon. Nick Kyrgios also missed the tournament due to a foot injury sustained in an armed robbery earlier this month. The world's elite were also in attendance, with Carlos Alcaraz, of course, the top favorite to win.

Dutch at Roland Garros

For the Dutchmen, two men competed in the singles: Tallon Griekspoor and Botic van de Zandschulp. Griekspoor struggled in his first round against Spanish clay-court player Pedro Martinez, but managed to recover after losing two sets and ultimately secured victory. The North Hollander then faced Poland's Hubert Hurkacz, a match that turned into a thriller. With the score tied at 2-1 in sets in Griekspoor's favor, our compatriot served for the match at 5-4, but he was unable to secure the victory. Ultimately, Hurkacz (ATP-14) advanced to the next round.

Highlights Roland Garros 2023

For Botic van de Zandschulp, the tournament ended in disappointment. The top-seeded Dutchman faced Argentinian Thiago Agustin Tirante, but lost in four sets and had to leave Paris early. Van de Zandschulp, however, was far from the only seeded player to find the first round their undoing. Whether it was a genuine upset is debatable, but the fact remains that Felix Auger-Aliassime is in the world's top ten and lost to the experienced Italian Fabio Fognini, ranked 130th in the world. Jan-Lennard Struff, a finalist in Madrid shortly before Roland Garros, was eliminated in the first round by Jiri Lehecka, and former finalist Dominic Thiem also lost in the first round.

The biggest upset of the first round, however, was Thiago Seyboth-Wild's victory over Daniil Medvedev. Seyboth-Wild, the Brazilian world number 172, played the match of his life, impressively defeating his Russian opponent (ATP-2) in five sets. This, while Medvedev seemed to have rediscovered his good form on clay with his victory at the BNL d'Italia , a week before Roland Garros 2023. Another highlight was the victory of the experienced Frenchman Gaël Monfils over Sebastian Baez. Monfils, returning from injury, immediately faced a drawn-out five-setter against his Argentinian opponent, and in that fifth set, Monfils staged a stunning comeback. He trailed as much as 0-4, but still managed to turn things around and win the set—and thus the match—7-5. Unfortunately for Monfils, he had to retire in the following round due to injury.

Altmaier ensures early elimination of Sinner

The second round saw few upsets, apart from Daniel Altmaier causing an early exit for Jannik Sinner. In a match lasting almost 5.5 hours (!), the German proved too strong for the talented Italian. The third round proved to be a breeze for players including Cameron Norrie (against Lorenzo Musetti), Taylor Fritz (against Francisco Cerundolo), and Andrey Rublev (against Lorenzo Sonego), while in the fourth round (round of 16), all the favorites managed to win their matches. Thus, Novak Djokovic, Alcaraz, Casper Ruud, Stefanos Tsitispas, Holger Rune, Karen Khachanov, and Alexander Zverev qualified for the next round. The most notable name to join this list of players was Tomas Martin Etcheverry. The world number 49 defeated players including Alex de Minaur, Borna Coric, and Jack Draper to reach the last eight.

During these quarterfinals, Zverev proved to be a size too strong for Etcheverry, while Alcaraz easily dispatched Tsitsipas. Djokovic, though dropping a set to Khachanov, won in four sets, and Ruud won the Scandinavian clash with Rune. When Ruud also proved too strong for Zverev in the semifinals, the Norwegian could prepare for his second consecutive final in Paris. The other semifinal, between Djokovic and Alcaraz, initially looked set to be a nail-biter, but due to cramp for the Spaniard, it ended in an anticlimactic draw in Djokovic's favor: 6-3/5-7/6-1/6-1.

Roland Garros Final 2023

So, the 2023 Roland Garros final went between Ruud and Djokovic. A touchy affair, as the Serb could win his ^23rd Grand Slam title in this final, becoming the best tennis player of all time. Both players played the first set at a high level, and it had to be decided by a tiebreak. Djokovic proved to be the better player (7-1), quickly breaking Ruud in the second set and then winning it shortly after (6-3). The third set initially seemed to be a foregone conclusion for Ruud, with a 0-3 lead, but Djokovic refused to give up and took that set 7-5. Thus, the Serb not only won the Roland Garros final; he also dethroned Alcaraz as world number one and, by winning his ^23rd Grand Slam title, became the most successful player of all time.