A year on from one of the best contests of the modern era, there is a very different tone to this Roland Garros.
Last year's final between Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner was a match for the ages, with the Spaniard eventually victorious after five-and-a-half hours. It seems highly unlikely that we will witness anything like that epic at this year's edition.
With Alcaraz out of commission due to a troublesome wrist issue picked up in Barcelona, Sinner is now a solitary figure gazing down at the rest of the tour from a perch they can barely see, let alone cohabit.
Since his loss to Jakub Mensik in February, the Italian has won five consecutive Masters 1000 events (Indian Wells, Miami, Monte-Carlo, Madrid and Rome). That's 29 straight match wins with only three sets dropped over the entire period. Sinner now has almost three times the amount of ranking points as the world no.3 Alexander Zverev, and he's already bested the German four times this season.
The 24-year-old - who only needs Roland Garros to complete his own career grand slam - is such an obscene favourite here that a score handicap might be in order. Thankfully, that isn't the case in the women's draw.
While Aryna Sabalenka was unbeatable during the Sunshine Swing, an issue with her hip/lower back has curtailed her clay court preparation. However, the world no.1 has stated that she is 'ready to go' at the Bois de Boulogne.
Beneath her, Elena Rybakina opened the clay swing with a fine victory in Stuttgart before less spectacular outings in Madrid and Rome. Meanwhile, four-time winner Iga Swiatek and the defending champion, Coco Gauff, are working through their own issues.
It's actually been an inspirational pair of Ukrainians that have stolen the headlines in recent weeks.
The talented but streaky Marta Kostyuk followed up a title in Rouen with the biggest triumph of her career in the Spanish capital. Then, Elina Svitolina vanquished Rybakina, Swiatek and Gauff as she conquered Rome last week.
Another storyline that cannot be ignored is the ongoing threat of industrial action from the game's top players over their share of revenue from the grand slams. Messrs Sinner, Sabalenka et al conducted a media work-to-rule on Friday and this will be an issue to follow as we head to the grass.
Speaking of that share, the singles champions this year will each receive cheques worth €2.8 million.
Men's Draw
Before the draw, it looked like Jannik Sinner's title to lose. His chances have not remotely declined after Thursday's announcement.
The world no.1 starts against world no.165 wildcard Clement Tabur and will only be marginally concerned by the presence of Luciano Darderi in his section. The 14th seed had an impressive run to the last four in Rome but that won't be enough to dislodge Sinner.
It's an appetising quarter overall for last year's finalist with Ben Shelton (5) and Alexander Bublik (9) for company. With a 9-1 head-to-head against the American, and a 6-2 record over the Kazakh, there's a good chance Sinner won't drop a set before the semis.
The second quarter will be much harder to call with Felix Auger-Aliassime (4) and Daniil Medvedev (6) the unconvincing top seeds. Neither man is particularly at home on the red stuff and it's a real opportunity for someone like clay court specialist Sebastian Baez, Monte-Carlo semi-finalist Valentin Vacherot, Flavio Cobolli, Francisco Cerundolo or Learner Tien to break out.
Downstairs, three-time champion Novak Djokovic is the heavy hitter, but the now 39-year-old comes to Paris with little game time due to injury. He doesn't appear particularly confident about lasting in Paris with such little preparation and that could well be exposed.
Apart from a very enticing potential third round encounter with Joao Fonseca, at this stage Djokovic won't be able to bluff his way past Casper Ruud or Tommy Paul. This quarter also includes Andrey Rublev, Alex de Minaur and Jakub Mensik.
The final quarter features the (distant) second seed and 2024 finalist, Alexander Zverev. Sascha has more than enough pop to cruise through his early rounds but the possible presence of a revitalised Arthur Fils in round four will unnerve the German.
The flashy Frenchman has been superb since his Spring return from injury and the Barcelona champion will want to put on a show for his home faithful. To add another wrinkle for Zverev, the other rising star of the moment has rocked up beside him.
19-year-old Rafa Jodar, who won Marrakech and notched some more great wins in Madrid and Rome, looks destined for the top of the game. The Spaniard could make a big impact here if he's ready to move up another level.
Women's Draw
While the early part of the season looked like a duopoly between the Australian Open finalists Aryna Sabalenka and Elena Rybakina, the field is more competitive at this stage of the season.
After her unbeatable blitz of the Sunshine Swing, Sabalenka's clay court stretch has been hampered by an issue in her hip/lower back. The world no.1 has had very little match time coming into Paris.
Yet to be crowned queen of Roland Garros, Sabalenka has a good path here provided that her body cooperates. Naomi Osaka - who has never reached the fourth round in Paris - is the other high seed in this section and the Belarusian has already defeated her twice in 2026.
Looking at the quarter more broadly, Jessica Pegula and Victoria Mboko look like the most viable obstacles for the world no.1.
Pegula has been impressively consistent since the end of last season but this is not her natural hunting ground. A 9-3 head-to-head record in favour of the Belarusian hardly helps her chances. Sabalenka also has an advantage over Mboko (2-0) but the Canadian is just getting started on the big stage.
The 19-year-old lost a number of weeks recovering from wisdom tooth surgery, but she's secured a place in the Strasbourg final this weekend and is very much the real deal. A potential quarter-final bout with Sabalenka would be a tremendous spectacle.
The second quarter features the defending champion, Coco Gauff, and last year's two-time major finalist Amanda Anisimova.
Gauff's game seems to be in a constant state of flux but for the moment, she's doing pretty well. The American is utilising the services of biomechanics expert Gavin MacMillan to help strengthen her wayward forehand and serve. The 22-year-old enjoyed a confidence building run to the final in Rome and will always be formidable on clay with her outstanding athleticism, backhand and attitude.
The signs are less promising for Anisimova, who has missed the entire clay build up with a left wrist injury. The hard hitting Floridian could be vulnerable here early on and the likes of Qinwen Zheng, Linda Noskova and Elise Mertens have the nous to take advantage.
The third quarter looks set to be the best spectacle in the draw with the once dominant lady of clay matched up with two surging players.
After splitting with Wim Fissette in the Spring, Iga Swiatek has taken on one of Rafa Nadal's old coaches, Francisco Roig. It's still a work in progress but may turn out to be a more suitable partnership for the Pole.
Once the clear favourite for every clay match she entered, the four-time Roland Garros champion will need some of that magic to stave off Elina Svitolina and Marta Kostyuk here. After all her near misses during a long career, it would be great to see the newly aggressive Svitolina pull off her best major finish yet.
Finally, the fourth quarter looks to be a (relatively) straightforward duel between Elena Rybakina and Mirra Andreeva. Both ladies have already won on the clay this season and barring an insurgent push from the likes of Karolina Muchova, should set up a bruising quarter-final clash.
