With only Stan Wawrinka and Viktorija Golubic in contention, the Swiss delegation has never been thinner at Roland Garros this century. For the Vaudois, it could be a last Porte d’Auteuil, even if he certainly hopes to return there after celebrating his 40th birthday in 2025.
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There is little reason to have high hopes for Stan Wawrinka (ATP 97) and Viktorija Golubic (WTA 74) during this Parisian fortnight. Crowned at Roland-Garros in 2015, Wawrinka has only won three matches this year, including one against the Challengers.
A “vintage” first round
At 39, the former world No. 3 could well say goodbye to Roland-Garros. Any victory will be considered an achievement, and the draw is rather favorable to him: he will face in the first round another triple Grand Slam winner at the end of his career, Andy Murray (ATP 75).
The Scot, two years his junior, is also not overflowing with confidence after torn ankle ligaments contracted in April in Miami. He made his return in the Bordeaux Challenger last week, and remains with a defeat in the 1st round in Geneva.
Wawrinka and Murray have faced each other 22 times during their long careers (13-9 for Murray). They notably delivered an epic duel in 2017 in the semi-final at Roland-Garros, a duel won in five sets by the Vaudois who would lose in the final to Rafael Nadal. This part had left its mark on the two men, whose health problems had then started to make themselves felt.
Golubic’s meager Parisian record
Viktorija Golubic’s task seems much more difficult in the first round. The Zurich native will face the winner of the 2021 edition, Barbora Krejcikova (WTA 26). She won two of the five duels with the Czech, but clearly lost the last two played in 2020 in Dubai and in 2022 at Wimbledon.
Parisian clay is also a complicated playing field for Golubic. In six appearances, she has only won one match, during her first participation eight years ago. However, her record was even worse at the Australian Open, before the 30-year-old from Zurich reached the third round in January.
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