French Open tests the popularity limits of men’s tennis

If you’re a casual men’s tennis fan, chances are you can’t name any of the players still in contention as the French Open enters its second week.

Some of the sport’s biggest stars, including Jannik Sinner, Novak Djokovic, Daniil Medvedev and Ben Shelton, wilted in the scorching heat during the first few rounds. Carlos Alcaraz missed the tournament completely. This is the first Grand Slam since 1959 (!) where no previous major winner played in the men’s fourth round.

What remains is a mix of young players who could soon become stars, and older players who have yet to win titles on the sport’s biggest stages. It has given Roland Garros and men’s tennis – plus the sport’s biggest broadcasters, sponsors and partners – an unprecedented opportunity to gauge the popularity and health of the sport at large, while it is not carried by its most enduring spokespersons.

To be clear, this is not an opportunity the French Open organizers want to have. All sports rely on their stars, but in individual sports, men’s tennis has always had the edge over its peers. While it’s not uncommon for golf majors to reach Sunday with a ranking devoid of top stars, that’s historically unheard of in modern men’s tennis. It’s been more than 20 years since fans experienced a fourth round at a men’s Grand Slam without Sinner, Alcaraz, Djokovic, Rafael Nadal or Roger Federer. In fact, in that 87 Slam period, there have only been two Slams that did not include one or more of them. semi-finals. The five players ultimately won 77 of those tournaments.

But if it’s not ideal, the business takeaways can be fascinating. There are no focus groups or polls that can replicate what Roland Garros is about to discover:What if we just held the event without stars?

There are already signs that organizers are worried. On Monday evening, the primetime match on the main court of the French Open will be a showdown between two multiple women’s Grand Slam champions, Naomi Osaka and Aryna Sabalenka. That is – shockingly – the first time in more than three years that Roland Garros has included a women’s match in the night session. Lingering in the background of the men’s draw is another potential turn-off for some: the current favorite, world number 3 Alexander Zverev, is disliked by many fans due to past allegations of domestic violence.

That said, for those who want to pay attention to lesser known players, this tournament has had some great storylines and some epic matches. American Francis Tiafoe, a fan favorite, has repeatedly overcome early deficits to reach the fourth round. Zachary Svajda, the only other American man left, is 11-26 in his career in ATP singles matches. Spanish teenager Rafael Jodar is considered by many to be a future megastar, and Jakub Menšík could soon receive similar hype. On Saturday, five different men’s matches saw the full five sets played, including three that ended in decisive tiebreaks.

Is that enough to keep the fans following? The early signs of the tournament were encouraging. In the US, TNT’s coverage of the first two days at Roland Garros saw a 36% increase in viewership from last year. (The most watched men’s matches, however, were early wins by Djokovic and Shelton.) A WBD executive said Sporty last week, advertising for the two-week event actually sold out.

This is accompanied by broader commercial growth in professional tennis at the highest level. This French Open attracted 138,000 fans for the opening week, the highest in the event’s history. The US Open has also turned its pre-event week into its own commercial juggernaut. Most Grand Slams experience a flood of fans and record revenues in general, much of which is helped by the emerging dominance of Sinner and Alcaraz, who could build their budding rivalry for another decade or more.

It’s unclear whether this starless Grand Slam is an aberration or a sign of a more egalitarian era emerging in men’s tennis. The companies paying hundreds of millions to broadcast the sport are certainly hoping for the former. While French Open finances are not readily available online, competitor figures are. Wimbledon earned around $270 million (about £200 million) from media rights in 2024; created the US Open $145 million.

On the Sportscast podcast we often discuss what makes college football and college basketball so popular, whether it’s the school brands or the players themselves. If Alabama’s squad could play Georgia’s squad in anonymous uniforms in a neutral stadium while anonymous players faced off in Crimson Tide and Bulldogs uniforms at Bryant-Denny Stadium, which one would fans turn on?

That experiment is of course impossible. The one currently underway at Roland Garros? Turns out that was just highly unlikely.