Paris At Last (!)

Love-Love Letter #11 | May 19-25

Your tennis cheat sheet — for fans who like the game, but don’t want to live on Tennis Twitter.

🌍 Where in the World Are We?

We’re finally at Roland Garros (aka the French Open) —the crown jewel of the clay-court swing and one of tennis’s four Grand Slams. Fun fact: it’s named after a French WWI aviator who was the first to mount a machine gun on an airplane (not entirely sure what that has to do with tennis but we’ll go with it.)

The first-round action kicked off yesterday and every heavy hitter (from Djokovic to Świątek) is in the draw, making for what’s already shaping up to be an epic clay-court carnival after a whirlwind first half of 2025 on both tours.

We also finished up the Hamburg Open (ATP 500) and the Geneva Open (ATP 250) this past week, two final mini-tune-ups before Paris.

✅ Results You Should Know

Flavio Cobolli def. Andrey Rublev 6–2, 6–4 (Hamburg Open ATP 500)
💡 Why it matters: The 22-year-old Italian captured his very first ATP 500 crown—toppling Rublev, a 17-time tour-level champion—and announced himself as a genuine clay-court contender. Could it ricochet into Paris hype?

Novak Djokovic def. Hubert Hurkacz 5–7, 7–6 (2), 7–6 (2) (Geneva Open ATP 250)
💡 Why it matters: Djokovic dug deep from a set down to claim his 100th tour-level title — the third male in history to do that (see: insane). While he is recapturing some solid form, he still may be a long cry away from his former unstoppable self after a rollercoaster season thus far.

🔥 Can’t-Miss Highlights

🎥 Cobolli 31-Shot Marathon
Cobolli flips defense into offense to ground out this point at a crucial deuce point down 2-3 in the second set against Rublev. This guy can play.
▶️ Watch here (start at 4:17)

🎥 Djokovic’s Break-Point Blitz
On break point while trailing 3-4 in the deciding set, Djokovic plays incredible defense in this clutch rally to get him back on serve (and ultimately give him the title).
▶️ Watch here (start at 6:33)

📆 What to Watch For

There are loads of great Roland Garros matches coming up and plenty of places to catch the coverage:

• TNT & truTV: Live coverage from 5 AM–3 PM ET (check listings for your court)

• Max: All courts streaming—no match missed.

• Tennis Channel App: Nightly highlight show at 11 PM ET.

🔍 What to Watch For (Tuesday, May 27)

• Novak Djokovic vs. Mackenzie McDonald
• When & where: After 11 AM ET on Court Philippe Chatrier
• Why tune in: The six-time Roland Garros champ makes his 2025 debut—watch to see if McDonald can test Djokovic.

• Coco Gauff vs. Olivia Gadecki
• When & where: Around 1 PM ET on Court Suzanne-Lenglen
• Why tune in: Gauff’s blistering 1st-serve precision meets Gadecki’s fearless all-court hustle in what promises to be the day’s first real speed-rally showdown.

📰 Off-Court Happenings

Legal Serve & Volley
On May 21, the ATP, WTA, ITF and ITIA jointly asked a New York court to toss out the PTPA’s antitrust lawsuit—claiming the players’ group isn’t a formal union and lacks legal standing. A win here could slam the door on player-led challenges to prize-money splits and tour governance.

👗 An Outfit Worth Seeing

Aryna Sabalenka’s Roland Garros Debut
The world No. 1 kicked off her French Open bid in Nike’s brand-new Paris Collection—sporting the NikeCourt Slam Dress in teal designed to pop against the clay.