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The European clay court events below the 1000 category were concluded on Saturday. Sunday (May 25) marks the start of the 124th edition of the French Open, the second Major of the season. The qualifying rounds started on May 19. The final will be held on June 8.
Carlos Alcaraz is considered the heavy favorite to win this year’s French Open, for he not only played two consecutive five-setters en route to his first title on the Parisian clay, but his clay-court titles tally is 10. Before the French Open, the young Spaniard reached the final of the three clay-court tournaments he played, winning two, the Masters 1000 in Monte Carlo and Rome, losing in Barcelona to Holger Rune.
World No.1 Jannik Sinner, for sure will not be less favorite. Even though his clay-court title tally is just one (he won the 2022 Umag Open by beating Alcaraz), it was him who Alcaraz defeated last year in the semifinals. It was he, who, despite not playing tennis for nearly four months, reached the Italian Open final last week.
And who can forget Novak Djokovic? Even though he won’t be entering the Roland Garros as the heavy favorite, it’s tough to judge the old fox, especially in Grand Slam events.
When the tennis world had perhaps given up the hope to see the Serb lift his 100th title, just before the French Open, he ended the clay-court ATP 250 Geneva Open held on Saturday (May 24), in his favor. Last year, an injury forced him to withdraw from the French Open quarterfinal match in the tournament.
Alexander Zverev too has a chance to grab his first Grand Slam. He came close to the title last year by reaching the final. Even though he was inconsistent this season, it is difficult to write him off in these big tournaments. Earlier this month, Casper Ruud became the Madrid Open champion (his 12th title on the red dirt) and he is also a two-time French Open finalist (losing in 2022 to Rafael Nadal and in 2023 to Djokovic).
Prize money for the 2025 French Open
The total prize pool for this year’s French Open is $64 million. From this, both the Men’s and Women’s winners will take $2.8 million approximately.
| First round | $88,686.75 |
| Second round | $133,023.15 |
| Third round | $191,007.60 |
| Round of 16 | $301,291.75 |
| Quarterfinals | $500,284.25 |
| Semifinals | $784,269.15 |
| Runner-up | $1,449,228.75 |
| Champion | $2,897,947.50 |
What about Iga Swiatek? She will be entering the tournament as a three-time defending champion and a four-time winner. No one in recent years has tasted more success at Roland Garros than her. But this season, she definitely is not the heavy favorite, given that she has not yet reached a final since last year’s Roland Garros.
Aryna Sabalenka and Coco Gauff have produced consistent performances on clay this year, both reaching two back-to-back finals. Sabalenka lost the Stuttgart Open final to Jelena Ostapenko and won the Madrid Open, while Gauff was defeated in the Madrid Open final by the Belarusian and by Jasmine Paolini (last year’s runner-up) in the Italian Open final.
Even though Rafael Nadal hung up his racket last year at the Davis Cup, he will be present on Court Philippe-Chatrier and the famous announcer Marc Maury will introduce the 14-time French Open champion for the last time. Nadal will be receiving a grand tribute which the French Open didn’t organize last year because of the Spaniard’s uncertainty about his retirement.
Because of Nadal’s retirement, has Roland Garros become more open? Does anyone have a chance to win the clay-court Major or will there be another undisputed champion like Nadal? Only time will tell.
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Stefanos Tsitsipas 'Donut' Comment Catches Attention After Unexpected Loss
Sometimes timing is everything, and Stefanos Tsitsipas just learned that the hard way. Fresh off a surprising loss, the Greek tennis star decided to lighten the mood with an X post about doughnuts — but instead of laughs, it sparked frustration. Fans weren’t too amused, firing back that he should be focusing less on sweet treats and more on sharpening his game. What started as a harmless joke quickly turned into a bigger talking point than Tsitsipas probably expected. Tsitsipas jumped on X to share a little confession about the things he can resist — and let’s just say, doughnuts definitely didn’t make the cut. He said, “I can resist everything… except donuts.” Frustrated fans flooded the comments section with their thoughts on his recent performance and his X post as well. One fan said, “Stef I love you bro but we can NOT be tweeting [expletive] like this after losing in straight to Yunchaokete Bu.” Another frustrated fan said, “How does it feel to be retired from Tennis? What is your job now? Are you a donut taster?” “What happened to you, man? Just two years ago you were playing in Grand Slam finals, and now it looks like your career might be over at just 27 years of age," commented a fan concerned about the Greek star. A fan with advice for Tsitsipas said, “BRO WHAT ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT LOCK IN.” A witty fan replied to the tweet saying, “and missing a backhand.” Cutting right to the chase a fan said, “focus on tennis bro.” An Error Filled Night for Stefano Tsitsipas China’s Yunchaokete Bu pulled off a huge upset at the Winston-Salem Open on Tuesday, taking down top seed Stefanos Tsitsipas 6-3, 6-2 for his biggest win of the season. Playing fearless tennis, the World No. 76 blasted past Tsitsipas, who looked completely out of rhythm and suffered his fifth defeat in his last six matches. Tsitsipas sprayed 33 unforced errors, while Bu kept it tight with just 11, dominating on return and breaking the Greek star five times in under an hour and a half. For the 24-year-old, it was not only his 10th tour-level win of the year but also the end of a long losing streak against Top 50 opponents. Next up, he’ll take on Mariano Navone, who cruised past Marcos Giron.
Chicago Bears looking at bringing back familiar face at running back
The Chicago Bears don’t appear satisfied with their running back room with one week left to decide the 53-man roster. The Bears have until Aug. 26 to make their final cuts before preparing for the Minnesota Vikings in Week 1. The Bears entered training camp with questions at running back. Veteran D’Andre Swift had a down year in 2024. Roschon Johnson isn’t a long-term solution, and seventh-round pick Kyle Monangai will have a steep learning curve when the regular season begins. The Chicago Bears worked out a former running back Per Aaron Wilson of KPRC, the Bears worked out running backs Royce Freeman, undrafted rookie Kylin James and former Carolina Panthers practice-squad player Dillon Johnson. Royce Freeman played with the Bears in 2024 Of the three, Freeman is the only running back with stats at the NFL level. Freeman, a third-round pick by the Denver Broncos in 2018, has appeared in 79 games and started nine games. He’s rushed 471 times for 1,472 yards and 10 touchdowns. The Bears signed Freeman to the practice squad in December. He was then signed to the Los Angeles Rams practice squad in January. He last played a regular-season game in 2023, when he added 319 yards and two touchdowns in 14 games for the Rams. The Bears are signaling their need for a running back this summer. There are other options available in the trade market, as the Washington Commanders are shopping Brian Robinson Jr. during the preseason. More running backs will be available after other teams trim their rosters to 53 players, but they might not be the type of athletes to make a significant boost for the offense early in the regular season.
Giants have firm stance on possible Jameis Winston trade
The New York Giants have one of the deepest quarterback rooms in the NFL, and there has been speculation that Jameis Winston could be the odd man out when the regular season begins. It does not sound like Winston is going anywhere, however. Russell Wilson is expected to be the Giants' starting quarterback in Week 1. The big question is whether Jaxson Dart or Winston will enter the year as Wilson's primary backup. Dart has played well through two preseason games, and Brian Daboll and his coaching staff have raved about the former Ole Miss star. Some have wondered if the Giants could entertain trade offers for Winston should they decide they view Dart as their No. 2 quarterback. Assistant general manager Brandon Brown was asked about that on Tuesday, and he all but ruled it out. "I appreciate people that are interested, but Jameis is a New York Giant. The way that he's gone about his business from day one, he's made it very intentional of the fact that he wants to be here and he wants to be here for the long haul," Brown said. "Teammates love him. His preparation process, whether it's the off-field things that he does in terms of community relations, Bible studies, things in the locker room, galvanizing the group together — not just the quarterback room, but the offense as a whole. "He's been comic relief, but he's also been a really good example of how to be a pro and handle your business in terms of prehab, rehab and postgame care. So, I'm happy he's here, and he's gonna continue to do those things. He hasn't wavered, and he hasn't been shaken by any distractions at all." Winston signed a two-year, $8M contract with the Giants in free agency this offseason. The deal could climb as high as $16M with incentives, but he would need to play quite a bit to hit those. The Giants value Winston's extensive experience, just as they value Dart's upside. There is a reason they signed both Wilson and Winston and traded up to draft Dart. They believe in all three players, and they likely will not be inclined to trade Winston unless they receive an excellent offer.
Packers may find themselves in position to repeat a quarterback move that once paid off after the latest NFL development
A year ago, the Green Bay Packers found themselves in a complicated situation at backup quarterback. Former fifth-round pick Sean Clifford and seventh-round rookie Michael Pratt had been struggling in training camp and preseason, and the team didn't have great options in the free agent market. So general manager Brian Gutekunst pulled off a trade, acquiring Malik Willis from the Tennessee Titans for a seventh-round pick. In hindsight, it was the perfect move. Willis had to start in Weeks 2 and 3, leading the Packers to wins over the Indianapolis Colts and, guess what, the Titans. But don't get it wrong, that move was a huge bet on what the coaching staff could do to develop Willis. A good athlete, the quarterback had massively struggled in Tennessee—that's why he lost the starting job to Will Levis and the backup job to Mason Rudolph, and ultimately why he was available for that type of trade. Now, or next offseason at the latest, the Packers have a shot at repeating the process to acquire a distressed asset to develop at quarterback. It's Anthony Richardson, who lost the QB battle on the Colts to Daniel Jones. Why a trade for Anthony Richardson makes sense for the Packers Philosophically, Gutekunst loves this type of quarterback—raw, athletic, strong-armed. The GM's first QB move on the Packers was trading for DeShone Kizer. He closely scouted Drew Lock in 2019 before taking Jordan Love in 2020. Richardson is obviously raw and needs development, but his arm strength and physical capabilities are undeniable. If the Packers can get him for a Day 3 pick, that should absolutely be on the table, especially because Malik Willis is entering the final year of his deal. Green Bay will need a long-term backup to Love, and Richardson is under contract through 2026 for a combined $9.225 million—plus a fifth-year option for 2027 that would likely not be exercised. According to the Relative Athletic Score in the pre-draft process, Richardson is the best athlete ever at the quarterback position coming out of college. Playing time is important, but Matt LaFleur showed with Jordan Love that it's possible to develop a backup quarterback to a certain degree with practice and preseason reps, if the situation is right. Would the Colts pull the trigger? A follow-up question is how much the Colts would be willing to actually trade Richardson. The Titans had just spent a second-round pick on Levis, which prompted them to move on from Willis. Even though the Colts gave Daniel Jones a $14 million deal, it's a one-year contract, and they haven't made big investments at the position after taking Richardson with the fourth overall pick. Publicly, the Colts keep saying that Richardson is part of the team's long-term plans. However, Richardson himself might want out. His agent, Deiric Jackson, didn't officially request a trade, but told ESPN that they will assess the situation. "We have a lot to discuss," Jackson said. "Trust is a big factor and that is, at best, questionable right now. Anthony came back and made the improvements in the areas he needed to improve. And by all accounts, he had a great camp." On the Packers, Anthony Richardson wouldn't have playing time right away—and ideally, never. But he would have a real chance to develop in a positive environment, become a useful backup and maybe situational quarterback, and elevate his value for a possible second contract with a shot at fighting for another starting job elsewhere.
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