Novak Djokovic’s quest for a historic 25th Major title could come to fruition at the French Open 2025. The tour’s brightest young stars, including Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz, are in his way but he could potentially take them down for a memorable triumph.
As Venus Williams currently is inactive, retirement could be on the cards for her. With Wimbledon around the corner, the tournament could be the venue for the American’s probable farewell.
Lois Boisson’s incredible run at the French Open could possibly culminate with a title, that too with a prospective win over three-time defending champion Iga Swiatek. Naomi Osaka’s disheartening end to her clay season with an opening-round exit from the French Open could see her giving the grass swing a miss.
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Here are four bold predictions that could possibly come true in the month of June:
#1. Venus Williams to potentially say goodbye to tennis at Wimbledon
Venus Williams has accumulated numerous accolades throughout her legendary career. Since her debut in the late 1990s, she has captured 23 Major titles across singles and doubles, along with four Olympic gold medals, and ascended to the top of the rankings across both disciplines.
Williams has slowed down in recent years and her career has now come to a halt. She hasn't played a match since the Miami Open 2024. She has been deemed as an inactive player due to her prolonged absence. Many expected her to retire with her sister Serena Williams, who walked away from the sport following a farewell tour in 2022 that culminated at the US Open.
Given her absence from the tour, the retirement rumors surrounding Williams grow louder. Saying goodbye in front of her home crowd at the US Open makes more sense. However, Williams won five of her seven Major titles in singles at Wimbledon, along with an additional six in doubles.
A potential farewell at the All England Club given Williams' success there would be perfect. Rafael Nadal had a tribute ceremony on the first day of this year's French Open, which was considered to be an improvement over his actual retirement ceremony at last year's Davis Cup. Something similar could be in the works for the American, starting with a wildcard into the main draw for her final hurrah.
#2. Lois Boisson to potentially complete her fairy tale run at the French Open with a win over Iga Swiatek
Lois Boisson is living her Cinderella story at the ongoing French Open. Disheartened after missing out on making her Major debut in Paris a year ago due to an injury, she has now taken the world by storm with her performance this year. She received a wildcard to compete and advanced to the fourth round, justifying the organizer's faith in her.
Many expected that to be the end of the road for Boisson, considering she faced World No. 3 Jessica Pegula. However, she staged a comeback to beat her and book her spot in the quarterfinals. She then beat sixth seed Mirra Andreeva in straight sets to reach the semifinals.
Boisson will take on second seed Coco Gauff in the semifinals on Thursday, June 5. She will certainly fancy her odds of another upset considering her own form and the amount of errors made by the American in the previous round. The Frenchwoman could then face either World No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka or three-time defending champion Iga Swiatek in the final.
Swiatek's record at the venue makes her the likely candidate. Boisson could topple the queen of clay herself to complete her fairytale run at the French Open. Emma Raducanu's unlikely triumph at the US Open 2021 is still fresh in everyone's minds. If a qualifier can capture a Major title, then it is certainly within the grasp of a wildcard ranked No. 361.
Novak Djokovic to potentially overcome Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz to win the French Open
Novak Djokovic's through to the quarterfinals of the French Open, where he's up against Alexander Zverev on Wednesday, June 4. It doesn't get any easier for him if he beats the German. World No. 1 Jannik Sinner is likely to await him in the semifinals, followed by a showdown with defending champion Carlos Alcaraz in the final.
Going through such a tough gauntlet of opponents to win a Major, especially what would be his record 25th Major title, would be a tall order. However, Djokovic has defied the odds time and time again. The stars aligned for him to win the elusive gold medal at last year's Paris Olympics. He could certainly channel the same form and determination to break the all-time Major record with his victory at the clay court Major.
Naomi Osaka to probably skip the grass swing
Naomi Osaka's desire to improve her results on clay saw her dropping down to the Challenger circuit this year. It proved to be a smart move as she claimed her first title on clay at the Saint-Malo Challenger. However, her time on clay came to an unfortunate end with a first-round exit from the French Open.
Osaka was quite disappointed by the loss and was upset during her post-match conference. She previously skipped the entire grass swing in 2021 after a tough outing on clay, citing mental health issues.
Since her comeback she has been quite motivated to improve and her commitment to the tour has been quite strong as well. However, if the disappointment from the French Open loss lingers, then she could probably skip the entire grass swing once again, a surface she has also struggled on in the past.
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