French Open 2022: 5 talking points

Barty void

This is the first major tournament since Ashleigh Barty, the world number one, 2019 champion and three-time grand slam winner, stunned the tennis world by announcing her retirement.

The void left by the charismatic Australian will be huge and difficult to fill. Poland’s Iga Swiatek, the 2020 champion, is now top of the rankings and favourite for the title in the French Open 2022 betting but the women’s game is in danger of slipping back to a succession of one-time major winners.

That depth and uncertainty can be exciting, but the sport needs more consistent champions.

Open to all

French Open chiefs have taken a different approach to Wimbledon in the wake of the invasion of Ukraine with Russian and Belarusian stars allowed to compete, albeit under a neutral status.

The All England Club’s stance has been met with criticism within the sport, including from the likes of Djokovic and Nadal.

Roland Garros chief Amelie Mauresmo has therefore not followed suit, but she has issued a stark warning to Russian and Belarusian players about the potential sanctions that would come with making pro-Vladimir Putin statements in the media.

The umpires’ eyes have it

The French Open is the only one of the four grand slam events not to use electronic line-calling, or Hawk-Eye.

Roland Garros organisers maintain that the system cannot be 100 per cent accurate on the grainy surface. Disputed line calls have been a feature of the clay-court build-up this year – see Denis Shapovalov’s four-letter meltdown in Rome – but Paris is not for moving.

Instead the archaic sight of an umpire clambering down from their chair to look for a mark in the dirt will continue to settle any close calls.