With the Italian Open having now concluded, at last tennis fans can turn their focus to the next Grand Slam: Roland Garros.
A historic and unique event, it offers the perfect end to a long clay-court season, culminating in a celebration of tennis in the French capital.
On both the men’s and women’s sides, there are clear favourites.
However, there are many others who will provide the stories that truly capture the imagination of both the crowd and those watching from home.
Jim Courier has selected who he thinks might occupy that role this year.
Jim Courier picks his French Open underdog
Speaking to the Tennis Channel immediately after Carlos Alcaraz’s Italian Open triumph, attention naturally had to turn to Roland Garros.
After all, it is the next major event in the tennis calendar, with Rome providing the perfect preparation for Paris.
And whilst the Spaniard will naturally be the favourite, especially after his comprehensive win in the final over Jannik Sinner, Courier offered up his dark horse to enjoy a deep run.
The American claimed: ‘I’m going to go with the hometown, Arthur Fils. Someone who has played better on the clay than I expected him to. I know he’s a beast on hard courts and should be on the grass as well. He’s at number 14, so he needs to get into the quarter-finals to outperform his seed.
‘I think based on what we’ve seen from him on the clay this season, he can do that. He’s beaten Tsitsipas twice in the run-up this year.
‘He’s got confidence, he’s got a little bit of rest now going into it. He’s going to have a lot of French fans for him.’
Sinner has selected his favourite to win Roland Garros, in a pick that should surprise no-one.
How has Arthur Fils performed this year?
Well, after a career-best year in 2024, it would have been tough to live up to such lofty expectations heading into 2025.
After all, Fils added two more ATP titles to his trophy cabinet, one at the 500-level, as well as beating some elite opposition throughout a stunning 12 months.
And whilst he may not have claimed any silverware just yet, the Frenchman has consolidated his ranking with some solid performances to reach a career-high of 14th in the world.
Achieving this was made easier by making back-to-back quarter-finals in the Sunshine double whilst also beating Alexander Zverev in Miami, since translating that form into clay.
Fils made the quarter-finals again in Monte-Carlo and the semi-finals in Barcelona, but both times was overcome by Carlos Alcaraz.
Courier is well-founded in predicting a big tournament for the 20-year-old, who will play in front of his home crowd as the highest-ranked French player at the event.
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