Sania Mirza has described the women's singles field at the upcoming French Open as an 'open mix' and tipped the young Russian talent Mirra Andreeva to emerge as a new Grand Slam champion. The tournament is set to begin on Sunday at Roland Garros.
Women's Singles: A Wide-Open Contest
Speaking in an online interaction, the two-time Grand Slam doubles champion expressed her views on the women's draw. She noted that the recent clay-court season has been unpredictable, with Madrid won by Marta Kostyuk and Rome by Elina Svitolina. This contrasts with the usual dominance of Iga Swiatek on clay. Swiatek has had a relatively quiet start to the year, while Aryna Sabalenka has not been in top form. Sania believes this creates an opportunity for a new champion.
Her gut feeling points to Mirra Andreeva, who has been knocking on the door for a while. 'She's so young and seems to be coming into her own,' Sania added. She expects the winner to be someone outside the established names like Sabalenka or Elena Rybakina.
Men's Singles: Sinner the Favorite, Djokovic the Dark Horse
On the men's side, Sania was more straightforward. She considers Jannik Sinner the clear favorite given his incredible recent form, especially with Carlos Alcaraz absent from the tournament. Regarding Novak Djokovic, she called him a dark horse. 'He doesn't really lose to other people so much, unless he's injured. Novak is still top-three, which is crazy considering he's 38-39 years old,' she said. Sania emphasized that Djokovic has always proven physiology and nature wrong, and despite not winning a Grand Slam in the last couple of years, he comes in with a chance.
Prize Money Debate Resurfaces
Sania also addressed the ongoing demand from players for increased prize money. She noted that this conversation has come up before, during Roger Federer's era, and led to hikes in the past. However, the issue was not fully resolved. This time, players seem more adamant, and with top players who have won multiple Grand Slams recently speaking out, it becomes a significant matter. She concluded that it will be interesting to see where the discussions lead.
