Roland Garros, Paris, France

TV: Tennis Channel, NBC

Women’s singles Final: NBC, Saturday, June 10th,  8 AM-11 AM CT/ 9AM-12 PM ET

Men’s Singles Final: NBC, Sunday, June 11th,  8 AM-1 PM CT/9 AM-12PM ET

The women’s side is very much wide open with Serena out due to pregnancy, and no particular player really surging ahead of the pack right now. Expect a really interesting women’s bracket.

On the Men’s, Rafa Nadal is playing exceedingly well right now, so he’s the favorite to capture his 10th French Open and 15th Slam. Rafa won at Madrid 3 weeks ago over Dominic Thiem of Austria, a young possible star in the making. Rafa won on clay, the French Open surface.

Predictions:

Women’s

Final

I’m going with the 22 year old from Ukraine, who has won 4 times already this year and twice on clay, with her last victory coming at Rome 2 weeks ago over Simona Halep. Like the way she is trending. She looks set up for her first Slam. I’ve got a darkhorse in the final though it’s hard to consider her a darkhorse since she’s won 7 Slams. But her best finish at the French is as a finalist in 2002. I do expect her to play very well, but to fall just short to the Ukrainian. 

Elina Svitolina over Venus, 6-4, 5-7, 6-4

Men’s

Everybody is picking Rafa, and with good reason after he won at the Madrid Open, and is playing like the Rafa of his 20”s at 30 years old, which to me is still very young though it’s considered older in tennis. But Roger Fed won the Australian in January, his 18th major, at age 35, and he’s still got a lot of victories ahead of him, possibly a major or two more.  I still think Rafa can win Slams, but I like the 32 year old from Saint Barthelemy, Switzerland to edge him out in the final. This fine veteran player still plays at a very high level. He just won the championship today on clay at Geneva over German Mischa Zverev,, 4-6, 6-3, 6-3. He’s a 3 time major winner, and won at Roland Garros in 2015. I really like his strokes, particularly his one- handed backhand, and his serve is electric. Going with the Swiss star to upset Rafa in the final and capture his fourth Slam. But I expect it to be an epic final at Roland Garros. 

Stan Wawrinka over Rafa 6-4, 3-6, 6-3, 5-7, 8-6  

Darkhorse

 I’ve always liked this player. He’s a passionate competitor and he gets a thrill out of playing in front of his home countrymen and women. I see him winning a major some time very soon. He needs to get going because he’s 32, but I expect he will, possibly this year. He just won at Lyon, France today on clay winning 7-6 (7-2), 7-5 over Thomas Berdych, and he’s so exciting to watch play. I pull for him personally, and I see him getting to the semis at Roland Garros and quite possibly winning it.

Jo-Wilfried Tsonga