After being postponed in May due to the spread of COVID-19, Roland Garros is set to commence on Monday. It should be a fascinating two weeks of tennis on the women’s side, as six of the top ten players are competing and some former Grand Slam champions are in outstanding form. In our tournament preview, we look at who is and isn’t playing, who the contenders are and some exciting Round 1 matchups to look forward to.

WHO IS NOT PLAYING?

Reigning Roland Garros champion and world number one Ash Barty headlines the outs for this Grand Slam. The Australian has cited health concerns and a lack of preparation as the reasons for her decision. US Open winner and world number three Naomi Osaka was forced to withdraw due to a hamstring injury, while world number 10 Belinda Bencic is out with an arm injury. The 2019 US Open champion Bianca Andreescu is skipping the tournament and the rest of 2020 to focus on her health and prepare for the 2021 season.

WHO IS PLAYING?

The tournament is headlined by 23-time champion and sixth seed Serena Williams, who will be aiming to equal Margaret Court’s record of 24 Grand Slam titles. World number two Simona Halep returns to the Grand Slam picture after missing the US Open due to health and travel concerns. Other members of the top 10 competing are the Czech Republic’s Karolina Pliskova (second seed), Ukraine’s Elina Svitolina (third), United States’ Sofia Kenin (fourth) and Netherlands’ Kiki Bertens (fifth). US Open runner-up Victoria Azarenka will also be playing, along with rising stars Anett Kontaveit and Marketa Vondrousova.

WHO ARE SOME OF THE CONTENDERS?

As the top seed and most recent Roland Garros champion involved, Halep is the favourite to take out the championship. She comes into the competition with significant momentum after consecutive title victories on clay in the Prague and Rome lead-up tournaments. Halep’s toughest potential opponent in the opening three rounds is American youngster Amanda Anisimova, who sensationally eliminated Halep in the quarter finals of last year’s Roland Garros. If this matchup comes to fruition in Round 3, it will definitely be one to watch.

Svitolina looms as Halep’s leading challenger for the championship. She won the Strasbourg International title on clay this week with back-to-back victories over quality players Aryna Sabalenka and Elena Rybakina. This provided her much-needed match practice and confidence going into the tournament, as she skipped the US Open earlier this month.

Williams is always a title contender, but clay is not her preferred surface. The same goes for Azarenka, who is in red-hot form after an incredible run at the US Open. Former Grand Slam champions Petra Kvitova, Jelena Ostapenko, Garbine Muguruza and Angelique Kerber can never be counted out, nor can 2019 Roland Garros semi-finalist Johanna Konta. Czech youngster Vondrousova made her first Grand Slam final in Paris last year, so it will be interesting to see whether she can replicate that performance over the next fortnight. Pliskova comes into the tournament under an injury cloud after retiring hurt in the Rome final earlier this week, so it is difficult to assess her title credentials at this stage.

Kenin will be the other contender to keep an eye on. The 21-year-old enjoyed a career-best run at last year’s tournament, which included a defeat of Williams in the round of 32. Although she was eliminated by eventual winner Barty in the next match, this result became a launching pad for Kenin. In 2020, she has achieved a career-high ranking of fourth in the world and won her first Grand Slam at the Australian Open. That championship experience should hold her in good stead here, but a terrible 6-0 6-0 defeat to Azarenka in Rome did raise some concerns about her current form.

FIVE ROUND 1 MATCHES TO WATCH:

(8) Aryna Sabalenka v Jessica Pegula
(9) Johanna Konta v Coco Gauff
(17) Annet Kontaveit v Caroline Garcia
(19) Alison Riske v Julia Goerges
(23) Yulia Putintseva v Kirsten Flipkens

SUMMARY:

Roland Garros will be very different this year. The conditions will be much colder than usual and rain is likely to cause multiple delays throughout the tournament. Different balls will be used due to a new five-year agreement signed by Roland Garros with Wilson, and some players have already expressed concerns about the ball’s suitability to the clay surface. There will also be 1000 fans in attendance each day, which some people are sceptical about given the strict accommodation rules that the competitors must abide by. These are interesting storylines to follow as the tournament progresses.

MY PICK TO WIN:

Victoria Azarenka

For more tennis news, follow Tom Cheesman on Twitter.

Picture: Getty Images