The Body Serve

Back from our first trip to Roland-Garros, here is part 2 of our RG mid-tournament wrap, this one focusing on the tennis we saw, the happenings on-site, and how the chaotic first week played out more broadly. What’s it like to watch a tournament unfold in person while it’s already being branded online as chaotic and/or horrible? Well, sometimes your priority is just your next water refill. We’ll tell you about players we sought out (Swiatek, Rybakina, Medvedev, Vacherot, Jodar, Tiafoe, and more). We’ll take you through the experience of watching Naomi Osaka’s walkout and the surreal collapse of Jannik Sinner as it unfolded on Chatrier. As we always do, we’ll dip into the messier moments, like the Korpatsch-Wang dust-up, the monumental PR stumbles of Rafa Jodar, and Vallejo’s misogynistic bag-fumbling. What a week in Paris; it promises to get weirder before the fortnight is out.     

1:00 Nothing new under the sun: Wang pulls a Hingis ’99

7:10 She’s taking it! Oh – actually, no, sorry

15:25 Iga Swiatek out to Kostyuk

23:10 Telling stories about players and matches we saw: Vacherot, Rybakina, Keys, and more 

38:35 Rafa Jodar exonerated, sort of

46:50 Naomi’s debut on Lenglen

50:40 James, are you happy to be in Paris? 

62:35 Being in Chatrier for the Sinner upset 

73:10 Are we all amateur geneticists now? 

80:45 These f—ing tarpaulins and Lacoste bollards!

85:25 Wrapping up the draw as it stands

We’ve just returned home from our first trip to Roland-Garros! We’re bringing you two mid-tournament episodes, this one to cover our experience at the tournament and in Paris overall, while the next will focus on the tennis itself. Hear about the RG dining and beverage experience (hello, galette-sausicce and the falafel hummus flatbread), our pilgrimage to the Rafa statue, the idyllic setting of Court Simonne-Mathieu, how to get on the side courts, the unique personality of the Roland Garros grounds, and much more!

1:35 Setting the scene: getting to Paris

7:50 To be in Paris: cafes with tiny tables, boeuf bourguignon, rolling up on Jannik

15:50 Getting to the site

23:10 On the Roland Garros grounds: the stadiums, getting on the smaller courts, the availability of water (!)   

43:30 The food: impressive 

47:00 The low-key chill-out areas near Simonne-Mathieu

51:35 Overall impression of what it’s like to be a fan at Roland Garros

As The Body Serve heads to Paris for the first time, here’s our preview of the 2026 edition of Roland Garros, where Jannik Sinner seeks to make more history and a number of top women find themselves in position to snatch. As usual, we take you through both draws: a surprisingly balanced women’s draw (except for Iga -- sorry, girl) and a men’s draw with not much intrigue, at least on the surface. The players associated with Project Red Eye have staged a work-to-rule labour action, refusing rightsholder interviews and committing only 15 minutes to pre-tournament media activities. Also, the federal judge in the PTPA case couldn’t order Wimbledon and the French to give up those coveted press credentials. I guess they’re stuck buying tickets like everybody else!  

1:05 Qualifiers: Sloane through; Plishy & Greg are not :( 

4:45 This week: Casper, rest!

7:20 Women’s draw 

20:20 Men’s draw 

39:55 PTPA credentials drama: judge says it’s petty but what can I do, babes

42:50 Players stage a labour action!

49:05 Stevie Wonder, randomly

Elina Svitolina wins her third Rome title with her most impressive run yet, while Jannik Sinner completes his box set of Masters titles and sets all sorts of records at the tiny age of 24. Daniil Medvedev tried his best to derail Sinner, and Casper went with a similar playbook – we shall see if prevailing through that rough semifinal will fuel Jannik further or give the other guys some hope (or both!). Darderi made a huge breakthrough on home soil, while That Guy crashed out in Tennis Channel’s IG replies (sad). Meanwhile, Carlos is on injury break and they’re still slutting him out in Vanity Fair. See you in Paris!

1:55 Mommy. Mamacita?

13:00 Jannik wins the Career Masters thing 

19:25 Daniil, one of the few to shift a wig or two

28:05 Darderi breaks out, That Guy crashes out

34:50 Extras: Big Mama didn’t pay for Coco’s gelato; PTPA begs for a credential 

38:35 Clay baby 

42:50 We love delusion (respectful)

46:30 Random: trying Malta India from Puerto Rico (gracias, Francisco!)

Jannik Sinner extends his Masters series win streak and his utter dominance over That Guy, while Marta Kostyuk back handsprings through her unbeaten clay season, grabbing her biggest career title over a bereft Mirra Andreeva. Now in Rome, the top players are demanding a fairer prize money split and genuine player consultation with Slams; several top players even endorsed a boycott if they can’t make progress, an utterance that would have been unheard of even a few years ago. We take some forays outside of the week’s news, as usual, chatting about tennis history, Whitney Houston, and the provenance of one of our social media handles. 

1:50 Jannik wins 5 Masters in a row

5:10 The Gap™ 

13:20 Absolute cinema: the Madrid trophy presentation

26:05 Et ceteras: Prakash and Arthur, the Bezos Gala, Flavio says NO

31:05 Players take aim at RG: prize money/revenue split, player welfare, and consultation are the big issues

41:00 Italian Federation president said “Yes, and” 

49:50 Whitney Houston dedicates Arthur Ashe Stadium

57:25 10 years ago: one of tennis’ great unhinged moments