Sania Mirza believes that the women's singles competition at the upcoming French Open, which begins on Sunday, is an open field, while Jannik Sinner stands out as the clear favourite in the men's draw. In an exclusive interaction, the Indian tennis star shared her insights on various aspects of the tournament.
Favourites for Singles Titles
When asked about her picks for the singles titles at Roland Garros this year, Mirza stated, "I think the men's is easy, right? Jannik Sinner has been in incredible form, and with Carlos Alcaraz not in the mix, Sinner does come in as a favourite."
Regarding the women's competition, she added, "In the women's, it's actually an interesting mix. Usually, you see Iga Swiatek dominating the clay court season. Coming into Roland Garros, she's had a quiet first few months. Sabalenka has not been in the best of form. It's honestly very open. My gut feeling is that we'll see a new clay-court champion, outside of Sabalenka or Rybakina. It could be somebody like Mirra Andreeva. She's been knocking on the door for a while."
Djokovic's Chances
Mirza also commented on Novak Djokovic's prospects in the absence of Alcaraz. "Definitely, it bumps up his chances. He doesn't really lose to other people so much, unless he's injured. Novak is still top-three, which is crazy, considering he's 38-39 years old. Novak is somebody that has always proven physiology wrong, he's proven nature wrong and people wrong. I don't say this in a disrespectful way, but he's a dark horse because he's not won a Grand Slam in the last couple of years. I do feel that he comes in with a chance."
Players' Demands for Prize Money
On the ongoing discussions about prize money, Mirza remarked, "This is a conversation that's come up for the second time. This had happened when Roger Federer was still playing. And that's why you see a hike in the prize money that has happened over the last few years. It's not surprising that it's come back up, because it wasn't fully resolved at that point. But this time it does seem like the players are a bit more adamant about it. And if your top player, who's won multiple Grand Slams in the last couple of years, is talking about it, it's a big deal. So it'll be interesting to see where it goes."
The French Open 2026 begins on May 24 and will be broadcast live on Sony Sports Network. Stay tuned for all the action from Roland Garros.
