Steve Johnson names Roland Garros favourite between Aryna Sabalenka and Elena Rybakina
Photo by Clive Brunskill/Getty Images With the clay-court season now in full swing, some of the top players on the WTA Tour are starting to focus on Roland Garros. Gauff is aiming to defend her title this year after beating Aryna Sabalenka in last year’s final. This time around, Sabalenka is looking to capture her fifth major title and her first at Roland Garros.
In addition to Gauff and Swiatek, Elena Rybakina has also emerged as a strong contender following her impressive run in Stuttgart, where she picked up another title. Sabalenka tipped as the Roland Garros favourite, says Steve Johnson Photo by Rich Storry/Getty Images John Isner, the former Miami Open winner, opened up the Nothing Major discussion by saying he doesn’t see Coco Gauff as the favourite. “I don’t think you can say Coco,” said Isner.
“I know she is the defending champion. ” Johnson agreed with Isner, putting forward Sabalenka as his choice over Rybakina. “Sabalenka is the favourite,” Johnson said.
“She has made the finals of every Slam. She is number one. ” “But [Rybakina] is great on any surface.
Her serve is phenomenal; she can hit through anyone. ” “If there is a slow day at the French, which can be really slow, that is not going to help her. But if it’s a hot day, it plays faster than some hard courts.