Paris, FRANCE— Casper Ruud (NOR), a men’s singles finalist at Roland-Garros for the last two seasons, will be among the Team Yonex stars in Paris for the second Grand Slam tournament of the year.
Dressed in Yonex’s elegant Paris 2024 collection and swinging his Yonex racquet, the head-to-toe Yonex ambassador will be attempting to make history on the Parisian clay courts by becoming the first Norwegian to win a Grand Slam singles title.
This season’s European clay-court season has seen Ruud land the biggest title of his career, with victory at the ATP 500 tournament in Barcelona, and he also reached the final of the ATP Masters 1000 event in Monte-Carlo. All but one of Ruud’s 11 career ATP singles titles have come on clay and he has the heavy forehand and the ambitious mindset to possibly go on to win a maiden Grand Slam at Roland-Garros, where the main draw will be played from May 26th to June 9th.
Rybakina takes centre stage in Paris
Best known for winning her first major on the Wimbledon grass in 2022, Elena Rybakina (KAZ) has the serve, the all-round game and the confidence to win on any surface.
Going into the women’s singles tournament at Roland-Garros, the head-to-toe Yonex ambassador will take confidence from winning a clay-court title in Stuttgart this season and from her previous run to the quarterfinals in Paris. One of the biggest titles of Rybakina’s career – at the WTA 1000 tournament in Rome in 2023 – was also on clay. Three of her eight career WTA singles titles have been on the slowest surface.
Hurkacz and Garcia looking to go deep
The head-to-toe Yonex ambassadors in Paris also include Hubert Hurkacz (POL), who took his first clay-court title in Estoril this season, and Caroline Garcia (FRA), a former Roland-Garros quarterfinalist who will have the vocal, passionate support of the home crowd.
American stars in Paris
Team Yonex features a trio of American stars. Jessica Pegula (USA) is a former quarterfinalist in the women’s singles at Roland-Garros while Ben Shelton (USA) will go into Roland-Garros having won a first ATP title on clay this season with his victory in Houston. Tommy Paul (USA) will also be bringing his clay-court game to the men’s singles.
Team Yonex’s exciting young talents
A new member of Team Yonex, Tomas Martin Etcheverry (ARG) reached the quarterfinals of the men’s singles in Paris last season and will be looking to go even deeper this year. The other young talents in Team Yonex include teenager Linda Noskova (CZE), a quarterfinalist in the women’s singles at this season’s Australian Open, and Luca Nardi (ITA), a 20-year-old and new member, who will be playing in the men’s singles.
Osaka returns to Paris
Naomi Osaka (JPN), who returned to tennis this season after becoming a mother, will be competing in the women’s singles at Roland-Garros for the first time since 2022. The Japanese, whose four Grand Slam titles came on hard courts at the US Open and the Australian Open, will be looking to go deep in Paris for the first time.
Veterans to watch in Team Yonex
The other veterans in Team Yonex include Stan Wawrinka (SUI), a former men’s singles champion at Roland-Garros, and Angelique Kerber (GER), a three-time Grand Slam women’s singles champion who has returned from maternity leave.
Wheelchair stars de Groot and Oda
Diede de Groot (NED) will be looking to win a record 22nd Grand Slam wheelchair women’s singles title. Victory in Paris would also give the Dutchwoman, the most dominant athlete in tennis, her 15th consecutive major singles title. Team Yonex also includes another wheelchair star in Tokito Oda (JPN), the defending champion in the men’s singles. Only 18 years old, the Japanese will be trying to win his fourth Grand Slam singles title.
