It’s time for the culmination of the clay season — the French Open (or, Roland-Garros, more properly) — when hundreds of the world’s top tennis players will gather in Paris to test their chances and their patience on the dirt in the second major of the year.

The main draw kicks off on Sunday, May 24, 2026, at 11:00 am Paris time (5:00 am ET in the U.S.). This year’s ultimate red clay test concludes with the men’s singles final and the women’s doubles final on Sunday, June 7, 2026.

Here’s a preview of this year’s Roland-Garros, with a look at some of the big questions and fine details so you can get the most out of the next two weeks of action from Paris.

1) Is anybody ready to challenge Jannik Sinner? With Carlos Alcaraz (and Jack Draper and Lorenzo Musetti and Arthur Fils and Holger Rune) withdrawing from this year’s Roland Garros, can anybody end Sinner’s 29-match winning streak? Statistically speaking, carrying out another seven rounds over two weeks of play isn’t exactly favorable. Yet, at this point, it’s not clear who could possibly stand in his way. It may turn out that the weather will prove to be Sinner’s biggest opponent, as temperatures are expected to hit the 90s every day for at least the first week of the tournament — conditions that have induced severe cramping throughout his career. If he can defeat them all, he lands a career Grand Slam.

2) Is the Queen of Clay back? Iga Swiatek has not had the clay season she would have wanted. She is 6-3 coming into this year’s Roland-Garros. And although the first two tournaments were very subpar, she did display form reminiscent of her dominant days during the Italian Open before losing to eventual champion Elina Svitolina in three sets. Were those few matches in Rome enough to put her back on track for her most important tournament of the year? We’ll see. But if she makes it to the quarterfinals, she’s projected to face Svitolina once again. That will prove to be a serious mental test. If she passes, she’ll be in a good mental space to take the whole thing.

3) Can anybody crack the Big Four? No, not the (almost entirely) retired ATP players. We’re talking Aryna Sabalenka, Elena Rybakina, Iga Swiatek, and Coco Gauff. They’ve dominated the majors for the last few years, with a Madison Keys exception here and a Barbora Krejcikova exception there. Given health and recent form considerations, Jessica Pegula, Amanda Anisimova, Mirra Andreeva, Victoria Mboko, and Karolina Muchova don’t seem poised to disrupt them. But don’t sleep on Elina Svitolina, who seems to be peaking at just the right moment.