Roland Garros will pay tribute to its greatest champion with a ceremony for the retired Rafael Nadal on Sunday, while Aryna Sabalenka got her French Open campaign up and running with an emphatic victory.

The second of tennis' Grand Slam events gets underway on May 25 with the start of the French Open. The clay-court tournament is one where a slower surface speed puts an emphasis on the ability to win extended rallies and play off the baseline rather than relying on a dominant serve.

Rafael Nadal, who will turn 39 on June 3, holds a career record of 112-4 at Roland Garros. The run even includes a 14-0 record in finals.

Jannik Sinner is making final preparations for Roland Garros. World no. 1 lost in the semi-final to Carlos Alcaraz a year ago. He looks determined to fight for the trophy in two weeks and add another Major to his impressive tally.

An improbable 21 majors followed—a goofy 13 more of them at Roland Garros. This marks the first Roland Garros with Nadal in retirement—which, in theory, opens the field. Except that two players have won each of the last five majors.

For quite some time, there’s usually been a sense of certainty at the French Open. That was particularly so on the men’s side, with Rafael Nadal ruling over the red clay of Roland-Garros the way no one has dominated any tournament in tennis history.