The five players who will be a much bigger threat at the French Open than they were at the Australian Open

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The first Grand Slam of the year has come to a close, with several players disappointed after their Australian Open performances.

A visit to Melbourne Park was fruitful for many, as they impressed at the year’s first Major tournament.

Jannik Sinner won the Australian Open title, beating Alexander Zverev in the final, 6-3, 7-6, 6-3, as he defended the trophy he won for the first time in 2024.

On the women’s side, Madison Keys won her first Grand Slam, as she knocked down two-time defending champion Aryna Sabalenka in a three-set thriller.

However, while for some a trip down under brought a lot of joy, others didn’t fare quite so well, and will already have their sights set on the French Open in May.

As Grand Slam tennis switches to clay, many will look to forget about the Australian Open and look to push on towards Major success in 2025.

The five players who will be a big threat at the 2025 French Open

The French Open is now just over 100 days away, as the stars of the ATP and WTA Tour look forward to showcasing their talents on the Parisian clay.

Five players in particular, will be confident of a better showing, when they take to the courts at Roland Garros.

Holger Rune

It wasn’t a dreadful Australian Open tournament for the Dane by any means, as Holger Rune lost to Sinner in the fourth round.

Rune arguably provided the world number one with the toughest challenge on his way to the title, and at times threatened to pull off a huge upset.

It’s at the French Open, where the 21-year-old can cause some real damage, however, having reached the fourth round in each of his three appearances at the event.

• 2022 – Lost in QF to Casper Ruud (1-6, 6-4, 6-7, 3-6)
• 2023 – Lost in QF to Casper Ruud (1-6, 2-6, 6-3, 3-6)
• 2024 – Lost in 4R to Alexander Zverev (6-4, 1-6, 7-5, 6-7, 2-6)

Rune has only ever lost to the eventual runner-up at Roland Garros, and has real pedigree on the clay courts.

In 2023, Rune reached two Masters 1000 finals on the surface, narrowly coming up short against the Russian duo of Andrey Rublev and Daniil Medvedev, in Monte-Carlo and Rome.

He’ll certainly be one to watch out for during this year’s clay court season, as he looks to bounce back from a tough year in 2024.

Casper Ruud

The man who beat Rune twice in two years, Casper Ruud is a perennial contender at the French Open and should not be counted out.

Ruud lost to Jakub Mensik in the second round of the Australian Open, but anyone familiar with the Norwegian will know that he is an entirely different beast on the clay.

It’s sometimes forgotten that the 26-year-old is now a three-time Grand Slam finalist, and it wouldn’t be at all surprising to see him reach another final in 2025.

• 2022 French Open F – Lost to Rafael Nadal in three sets
• 2022 US Open F – Lost to Carlos Alcaraz in four sets
• 2023 French Open F – Lost to Novak Djokovic in three sets

The world number five last played in the final two years ago, as he lost to Novak Djokovic in straight sets, one year after falling to the legendary Rafael Nadal.

Beating the very best players on tour has proved an issue at times for Ruud over recent years, but if the draw opens up in Paris, don’t be surprised to see the Norwegian make his way into a fourth Grand Slam final.

Iga Swiatek

The Pole came one point away from reaching her first Australian Open final earlier this month, but she’ll be confident of bouncing back when she heads to France in May.

Swiatek has established an aura of invincibility at the French Open over recent years, having not lost in 1,330 days at the event.

Her record at the tournament is remarkable, and holds up against some of the sport’s greatest-ever players, at their most prolific events.

The 23-year-old has lost just twice at the French Open, and having won her last 21 matches at the tournament, will be the heavy favorite come May.

Carlos Alcaraz

Another defending champion who came up short in Melbourne, Alcaraz will be looking to shake off his defeat to Djokovic when he heads to Paris in a few months time.

The Spaniard won for the first time at Roland Garros last year, as he took down Zverev in five-sets in the final.

At 21 years old Alcaraz has won two Masters 1000 titles and a Major on clay and will be tough to beat at Roland Garros later this year.

Having improved year on year at the event, he will hope to defend a Grand Slam title for the second time in his career, having done so at Wimbledon in 2024.

Mirra Andreeva

In her joint-best Australian Open performance to date, Mirra Andreeva lost to Sabalenka in the fourth round.

Andreeva had beaten Sabalenka at Roland Garros last year, as the Russian made history, becoming the youngest player to reach a Major semi-final since Martina Hingis in 1997.

Andreeva will have just turned 18 when she takes to the court in Paris later this year, and will no doubt look to last year’s performance for inspiration.

Currently 15th in the WTA rankings, Andreeva is the only teenager ranked inside the world’s top 100, playing with a maturity beyond her years.

Only time will tell if she can go one better than last year, and reach a first Major final in 2025, but she certainly has the talent to do so.

The 2025 French Open will begin on Sunday, May 25.