NPR’s Scott Detrow speaks with retired tennis star Lindsay Davenport ahead of the opening round of the French Open.
SCOTT DETROW, HOST:
Paris will host the opening round of the French Open this Sunday, but tennis’ second Grand Slam of the year has a missing main character. Back-to-back French Open winner Carlos Alcaraz announced he would not be competing due to an injury. The defending women’s champion, Coco Gauff, is in top form and on her surface of choice – clay – but she faces tough competition to reclaim the title. Lindsay Davenport knows a thing or two about Paris’ clay tennis courts. She won a doubles title at the French Open back in 1996 and joins us now. Welcome to ALL THINGS CONSIDERED.
LINDSAY DAVENPORT: Hi. Thanks for having me.
DETROW: What is the best way to describe what Paris is like when the French Open is getting started?
DAVENPORT: Oh, man. It’s always the Grand Slam that requires the most physicality from the players, the most creativity. The clay surface is unlike any other surface played on tennis. The points are longer. You have to construct more. It’s a little bit slower, so it gives players some time to be a little bit more artistic or creative with their shots. And all of that kind of comes together in a way that you – the type of tennis you don’t see in New York at the U.S. Open, you don’t see at Wimbledon. So it’s always a really interesting Grand Slam because a lot of players that maybe don’t do well on the faster surfaces, you see them really thrive in Paris. And the crowd is definitely more into it and stylistic than a lot of other crowds. So it really makes for just an awesome couple weeks to end the spring.
DETROW: What is the best way for, like, a weekend tennis player to fully understand and grasp how challenging it is for a world-class athlete to adjust their style of play to get ready for a clay courts Open like this?
DAVENPORT: It’s one thing that kind of gets lost a lot of times in TV, and one of the biggest challenges in tennis is kind of having to change your game from surface to surface. And the red clay courts at Roland-Garros in Paris, they’re very slow. You have the ability to slide in and out of corners. You’ll see players be able to hit with more topspin. When the ball lands on a clay court, it bounces higher. So a lot of times for the American fans, they’re really used to a lot of the American players, but a lot of Americans grow up on a hard court. Their balls travel a little bit more straight. They’re a little flatter. They’re a little harder. Clay really rewards more spin. It rewards more angle. A lot of times, that’s why you see the Europeans really thrive at Roland-Garros because they’ve grown up on the surface. So patience is No. 1 thing you’ve got to have, and you’ve got to have the movement.
DETROW: Yeah. Let’s look at the women’s side first. I, of course, mentioned Coco Gauff at the top of this. Who are the other players you’re keeping an eye on and curious to see how they do?
DAVENPORT: Yeah. For the women’s tennis, it seems to be about Coco a lot of the time, especially here in the United States. And watching her last year was one of my best memories of working Roland-Garros in the – gosh, how many years I’ve worked it – in 18 years, and her ability to fight her way through that tournament, win her seven matches and take out the world No. 1 at the end – Aryna Sabalenka – in a very dramatic final.
Coco hasn’t had the best year in 2026, but started to get some confidence back in the last few weeks playing over in Europe in some of the lead-in tournaments. She is the best mover out on clay. She has the most variety in her game compared to other players out there, and she fights the hardest. And those three attributes serve her so well in Paris.
DETROW: And on the men’s side, is it fair to say it’s wide open with Alcaraz not in the mix?
DAVENPORT: It’s funny. With Alcaraz not in the mix, a huge bummer. But I think it’s Jannik Sinner. I mean, the guy barely loses matches. He’s good on all surfaces. And right now, he doesn’t have Carlos to challenge him.
DETROW: What are you most looking forward to seeing?
DAVENPORT: You know, I always love to go to Paris. It’s going to be so interesting. The beginning of the tournament, they’re actually forecasted the hottest first week ever. There’s supposed to be at least five days of 90-degree weather. I’m curious to see what kind of physical challenges that presents for the players. You have to be good for 14 or 15 days, and it’s unlike any other sport. You’ve got to be able to stay healthy. You’ve got to be able to peak in the second week if you’re really looking to win.
I always look at the Americans and how they’re doing. We have so many great Americans right now in the top hundred in both the women’s and men’s sides. So I’m just a huge tennis fan when I get there, and even when I’m not working, I’m sneaking around to try and watch everybody else play.
DETROW: Longtime tennis star Lindsay Davenport. Thank you for talking to us about the French Open.
DAVENPORT: Thanks, guys.
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