Doping cases, lingering lawsuit among biggest questions ahead of the French Open

The Canadian Press

· Posted: May 24, 2025 8:38 AM EDT | Last Updated: 4 hours ago

With the French Open acceptable to commencement connected Sunday, an statement could beryllium made that the headlines astir tennis lately person been as, oregon more, intriguing disconnected the tribunal — and successful the tribunal of instrumentality — than connected the tribunal of play.

There were the high-profile doping bans served by Jannik Sinner, the antheral seeded No. 1 astatine Roland-Garros, and Iga Swiatek, the pistillate who is the three-time defending champion astatine the clay-court major. There's the pending class-action suit brought by players against groups that tally the sport. And there's an effort by the athletes to get a larger stock of revenues from the 4 Grand Slam tournaments.

Yes, determination is involvement successful who is going to triumph the titles 2 weeks from now, of course. And determination are plentifulness of storylines connected to specified things arsenic whether Swiatek tin drawback retired of her caller tally of poor-for-her results, whether Carlos Alcaraz tin triumph a 2nd consecutive title successful Paris, whether Novak Djokovic tin drawback a grounds 25th Grand Slam trophy, whether Coco Gauff tin drawback her 2nd astatine property 21, and truthful on.

Here is what to cognize earlier the contention statesman astatine the French Open:

Are tennis players going to get much wealth from the Slams?

Hard to accidental yet. This is conscionable astatine the beginning. The background: Djokovic, Gauff, Sinner and women's No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka were among 20 apical players who signed a missive — obtained by The Associated Press successful April — that was sent to the heads of the 4 Slam tournaments, seeking further prize money, contributions to subordinate payment programs funded by the pro tours and much accidental successful decision-making.

Those events reportedly gave astir 10% to 20% of their astir $1.5 cardinal successful combined revenues to players successful 2024.

Leaders of the 4 large tournaments — the French Open, Wimbledon, the U.S. Open and the Australian Open — met successful Paris with immoderate of the starring players.

Jessica Pegula, the 2024 U.S. Open runner-up who is seeded No. 3 successful Paris, was not successful municipality successful clip for the face-to-face session.

"I deliberation it went beauteous well, from what I understood. Hopefully advancement tin beryllium made. I cognize that respective apical players connected the men and women sides were determination and were present. We're showing — not conscionable the apical players, each of us; but led by a batch of the apical players — that we're precise unified connected this topic," Pegula said. "Getting a higher gross stock based connected what the tournaments are bringing in, (and) not conscionable that, but subordinate welfare, for pensions, for bonus excavation for the men, (the Slams) don't lend anything. And that's our issue. They're the 4 pinnacles of our athletics and we're conscionable asking for that to beryllium a batch much adjacent and a batch much fair."

What is caller successful the suit filed by a radical co-founded by Novak Djokovic?

In March, the Professional Tennis Players' Association, a radical co-founded by Djokovic respective years ago, sued the WTA, the ATP, the International Tennis Federation and the International Tennis Integrity Agency successful national tribunal successful New York, calling them a "cartel." The players said they don't get capable of the revenues and raised different complaints astir however tennis is structured.

This week, the 4 defendants jointly filed a question to disregard the class-action antitrust suit, saying the PTPA "is not a due plaintiff."

The WTA besides filed a abstracted question to dismiss, arguing that the antheral plaintiffs — including 2022 Wimbledon runner-up Nick Kyrgios — should not beryllium suing the women's tour, and the pistillate plaintiffs should beryllium compelled to spell to binding arbitration.

How person Iga Swiatek and Jannik Sinner played since their doping bans?

Swiatek, banned for 1 period precocious past year, is going done a existent unsmooth agelong for her, failing to scope truthful overmuch arsenic a last since leaving the French Open past twelvemonth and sinking to No. 5 successful the rankings aft 3 years nary worse than No. 2. She's spoken astir trying to recalibrate her mindset.

Sinner returned astatine the Italian Open aft serving his three-month suspension and promptly reached the rubric lucifer determination earlier losing to Alcaraz. Despite missing time, Sinner remained astatine No. 1.

Do radical expect Carlos Alcaraz to triumph different French Open title?

Alcaraz is seeded No. 2 and portion helium dealt with immoderate limb injuries that troubled him during the clay season, his show successful Rome makes him a fashionable prime to triumph what would beryllium a 5th Grand Slam championship.

Who could vie for the women's trophy astatine Roland-Garros?

With Swiatek connected shaky crushed lately, determination are respective women considered candidates to travel done with a archetypal rubric successful Paris. That database includes Gauff, the runner-up to Swiatek successful 2022 and a finalist astatine Rome past weekend; Jasmine Paolini, the runner-up to Swiatek past twelvemonth and the Italian Open champion; the top-ranked Sabalenka, whose champion French Open was a semifinal tally 2 years ago; and No. 6 effect Mirra Andreeva, who conscionable turned 18 but has won a brace of Masters 1000 titles successful 2025.