Everything you need to know about the French Open

The French Open, tennis' second Grand Slam of the year, began May 24 in Paris.

We analyze, recap, and break down the tournament below.

Features

The Big 1: Novak Djokovic looks to put a jewel in his crown at Roland Garros

Djokovic has long been the world’s second-best dirtballer, but he's arguably surpassed Nadal and claimed the unofficial crown. On top of the fact he’s won every match on the crushed red brick this season, the reality is that right now, nobody in the world can move on a tennis court - of any surface - the way Djokovic can.

His movement can look like a physical contradiction. With his preternaturally erect posture, his compact and linear strokes, the precision of his routes to the ball, at first glance he’s the most rigidly upright player on the planet. At second, he’s the most limber. His sneaky flexibility has a way of creeping up on you, settling on the brain, slowly making you forget what you’re watching is a human body at work.

Because seeing Djokovic's body move like that seems to undermine its very structural integrity. It reminds of the way tall buildings - even the sturdiest of them - are designed to sway back and forth, like palm trees, in the wind. The function is perfectly rational; the form boggles the mind. These are marvels of modern science. ... [Read more.]

The saga of the Big 4 nears its inevitable end

It'll go down in history. They'll talk about it for decades. They'll coin it: "The End of the Big Four." It'll be marketable. They'll sell magazines, books, movies. They'll cast A-list actors to rhapsodize the 2008 Wimbledon final. Tennis aficionados will greedily eat it up, but it'll pale in comparison to their memories. It'll fill the void temporarily. When the dust settles, they'll remember it actually ended, and that there will never be anything like it again.

The reign of Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic, and Andy Murray is spiraling to an end. It's inevitable. The Big Four has its days numbered, and fans have no choice but to sit back and make the most of it. ... [Read more.]

Slam as savior for Genie Bouchard

Editor's note: The Bouchard feature was written 24 hours before she crashed out of the French Open, upset in the first round by Kristina Mladenovic.

But Grand Slams are where Bouchard plays her best, most aggressive tennis, and the French Open is an opportunity for her to turn her season around - to put all the doubts to rest.

Bouchard was a semifinalist at the Australian and French Opens last year, made the Wimbledon final, and lost in the fourth round at the US Open. She's played the most exceptional tennis of her short career at majors, and made the Australian Open quarterfinals to open 2015. The bigger the stage, the better her game. ... [Read more.]

Round Recaps

Day 14

Picking up where they left off Friday, Novak Djokovic and Andy Murray completed their semifinal matchup with Djokovic claiming the victory in five sets. The win puts the No. 1 seed into the French Open final against Stan Wawrinka, giving Djokovic the chance to become the eighth man to ever complete the career Grand Slam.

Later in the day, Serena Williams captured her 20th career Grand Slam victory, defeating Lucie Safarova 6-3, 6-7, 6-2 to claim the French Open title. Williams seemed to be cruising to an easy victory up one set and leading 4-1 in the second, however, Safarova mounted a spirited comeback and looked to have Serena on the ropes after taking the second set and leading the third 2-0. It was not to be though, as Williams won six straight games to emerge victorious and earn her third French Open title.

Day 13

No. 8 Stan Wawrinka is set to make his first final appearance at the French Open after defeating No. 14 Jo-Wilfried Tsonga 6-3, 6-7, 7-6, 6-4. No. 1 Novak Djokovic leads No. 3 Andy Murray 6-3, 6-3, 5-7, 3-3. The match was called midway through the fourth set due to darkness. They will continue Saturday at 7 a.m. ET. A day after her semifinal, Serena Williams was still feeling ill on Friday, and said she'd 'collapsed' following her victory over No. 23 Timea Bacsinszky.

Day 12

Day 12 of the French Open decided who would appear in the women's singles finals at Roland Garros. No. 7 Ana Ivanovic was upset by No. 13 Lucie Safarova in straight sets 7-5, 7-5. Safarova will make her Grand Slam final debut Saturday. No. 1 Serena Williams was nearly upset by No. 23 Timea Bacsinszky. Williams felt under the weather all day, and it was noticeable. She opened the match sluggish, fatigued and emotionally distressed, and Bacsinszky took advantage. Bacsinszky took the first set 6-4, but failed to dismiss Williams in the final two, as Williams stormed back winning 10 straight games and the match 4-6, 6-3, 6-0.

Day 11

No. 1 Novak Djokovic is one step closer to his career Grand Slam after dethroning No. 6 Rafael Nadal, the nine-time French Open champion, in straight sets 7-5, 6-3, 6-1 to move on the semifinals. Instead of improving to double digits in French Open titles, Nadal will drop to No. 10 or No. 11 in the ATP rankings following the loss. Djokovic will face No. 3 Andy Murray, who beat No. 7 David Ferrer 7-6, 6-2, 5-7, 6-1. Both Djokovic and Murray are undefeated on clay so far in 2015. The women's side saw straight-sets victories for both favorites, as No. 1 Serena Williams topped No. 17 Sara Errani and No. 23 Timea Bacsinszky beat Alison Van Uytvanck to advance to her first Grand Slam semifinal.

Day 10

While the women's side had been full of upsets so far at Roland Garros, it was the men's side Tuesday that finally saw some top seeds fall. No. 8 Stan Wawrinka beat his fellow countryman and 2009 French Open champion No. 2 Roger Federer in straight sets 6-4, 6-3, 7-6. Meanwhile No. 14 Jo-Wilfried Tsonga continues to roll in front of his home crowd upsetting No. 5 Kei Nishikori in a five set marathon that saw a 40 minute delay due to a sheet of metal flying off a scoreboard and into the crowd at Court Chartier. On the women's side, No. 7 Ana Ivanovic advanced to her first Grand Slam semi since her 2008 title in Paris beating No. 19 Elina Svitolina in straight sets. Finally, Lucie Safarova also won in straight sets beating No. 21 Garbine Muguruza 7-6, 6-3.

Day 9

The ATP's "Big 4" lived up to the hype Monday with No. 1 Novak Djokovic, No. 2 Roger Federer, No. 3 Andy Murray and No. 6 Rafael Nadal all winning to advance to the quarterfinals. Clay court specialist No. 7 David Ferrer also won with ease beating No. 9 Marin Cilic in straight sets. The women's side was far less predictable, with two major upsets seeing No. 2 Maria Sharapova lose to No. 13 Lucie Safarova and No. 23 Timea Bacsinszky defeating No. 4 Petra Kvitova. No. 1 Serena Williams is now the only top-five seed remaining after defeating Sloane Stephens despite losing her first set for the third consecutive match.

Day 8

Day 8 at Roland Garros saw No. 4 Tomas Berdych get upset by No. 14 Jo-Wilfried Tsonga. Rain delays halted play on several occasions, forcing matches between No. 2 Maria Sharapova and No. 13 Lucie Safarova, as well as No. 21 Garbine Muguruza and No. 28 Flavia Pennetta to be played on Monday. Darkness forced the tied match between No. 2 Roger Federer and No. 13 Gael Monfils (6-3, 4-6) to continue Monday. No. 8 Stan Wawrinka will appear in his first quarterfinal at the French Open, while No. 7. Ana Ivanovic, No. 5 Kei Nishikori and No. 19 Elina Svitolina also advanced Sunday.

Day 7

Djokovic, Murray, Nadal, Ferrer and Cilic all advanced to Round 4 on Saturday at Roland Garros. Serena Williams and Victoria Azarenka finished the day in spectacular fashion. The two players exchanged verbal jabs at times between points, but Serena had the last laugh after taking six consecutive games in the third set to win. There were a few upsets on Day 7: No. 10 Andrea Petkovic was upset by No. 17 Sara Errani, while unranked Jeremy Chardy defeated No. 17 David Goffin in three sets. No. 15 Kevin Anderson was also sent packing by No. 20 Richard Gasquet.

Day 6

No upsets to report from the men's side on Day 6 from Roland Garros. Roger Federer, Tomas Berdych and Stan Wawrinka are among the top-10 ranked players to advance to Round 4 on the day. On the women's side, No. 8 Carla Suarez Navarro was the only notable upset, suffering a loss to No. 28 Flavia Pennetta. Pennetta's next opponent is No. 21 Garbine Muguruza, who upset No. 11 Angelique Kerber. Gael Monfils mounted a stellar comeback in the final singles match of the day, winning five consecutive games in the fourth round against Pablo Cuevas to force a fifth set. Maria Sharapova battled through a cold in her match with Samantha Stosur to propel herself into Round 4.

Day 5

Caroline Wozniacki does not seem to enjoy her trips to Roland Garros. Wozniacki was upset during the second round of the French Open by Julia Goerges, continuing a run of less than stellar performances. It's the third year in a row Wozniacki has failed to reach the third round and she's only made the quarterfinals once in nine trips to Roland Garros. Elsewhere it was mostly chalk, as the top seeds, Novak Djokovic and Serena Williams, advanced to the third round along with the likes of Rafael Nadal, Andy Murray and Petra Kvitova. Victoria Azarenka also advanced, setting up an intriguing third round match with Serena.

Day 4

The top seeds on the men's side kept rolling, as Roger Federer, Tomas Berdych, Kei Nishikori, and Stan Wawrinka all advanced to the third round with victories on Day 4. On the women's side, Maria Sharapova, Ana Ivanovic, Carla Suarez Navarro, and Ekaterina Makarova were all top-10 seeds to advance, but Simona Halep wasn't so lucky. The No. 3 seep fell in straight sets to Mirjana Lucic-Baroni.

Day 3

The tournament's No. 1 seeds - Novak Djokovic and Serena Williams - advanced in straight seeds, and so did Rafael Nadal, who improved to a ridiculous 67-1 in his career at Roland Garros. There were three upsets: No. 6 Eugenie Bouchard, No. 10 Grigor Dimitrov, and No. 25 Jelena Jankovic were knocked out in the first round.

Day 2

Andy Murray, Maria Sharapova, Tomas Berdych, and Navarro all made it out of Round 1 with ease. No. 11 Feliciano Lopez, No. 14 Agnieszka Radwanska, and No. 15 Venus Williams are all headed home, their stay in Paris a short one.

Day 1

The tournament's top seeds in action on Day 1 had no issues. No. 2 Federer, No. 3 Halep, No. 5 Nishikori, No. 7 Ivanovic, and No. 8 Wawrinka all advanced to the second round.

The biggest news on Day 1 came after Federer's match, when a young fan made his way onto the court and attempted to take a selfie with the Swiss star.

"I'm not happy about it," Federer said. "It wasn't a nice situation to be in."

Stop taking selfies, kids. It's over.

Tournament Previews

Women

Serena or Maria, the muddled middle, and Suarez Navarro: 3 things you need to know about the women's tournament.

Men

Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal, and the others: 3 things you need to know about the men's tournament.

Odds to Win

Djokovic and Serena are the favorites.

Players to Watch

Women

Carla Suarez Navarro headlines the list of women to watch, as she's won 31 matches in 2015.

Men

Djokovic, an ATP-best 35-2 heading into action at Roland Garros, headlines the men's field in Paris. The tournament is his to lose as he looks to complete his career slam.

Further Reading

• Brian Phillips on Nadal at Roland Garros is essential reading:
  
  "The idea that you could win here seems impossible. The idea that you could lose here seems impossible. Can you believe in either outcome yourself? You are a 28-year-old with a destroyed left knee and a battered back, and Novak, who wants this title more than anything, is playing unassailable tennis. Your confidence is staggered. But you are here, where you have always been invincible. And you are always at your strongest when you believe you are about to lose." [Grantland]

• Christopher Clarey writes about Amelie Mauresmo, who is looking to help Andy Murray do what she couldn't: win the French Open.
  
  "... Mauresmo, now 35, no longer has to hit the right shots at Roland Garros. She only has to help her pupil, Andy Murray, understand how and when to hit them. A year ago, at the end of the French Open, Murray chose Mauresmo to be his coach. This week, Coach Mauresmo has been back on the center court that caused her so much angst, but now in a much more peaceful state of mind as she has overseen Murray’s practice sessions." [The New York Times]

• Kamakshi Tandon shines a focus on Suarez Navarro's throwback, one-handed backhand:
  
  "There was a time when there was a different way to play on clay. Back before Maria Sharapova learned how to slide and extend points, before Serena Williams could dominate opponents on it the way she does on other surfaces. It was about spins and artistry and long swings, as Justine Henin reigned supreme and ball musclers like Svetlana Kuznetsova, Francesca Schiavone and Sara Errani contended for the title. The surface is still the same, but the game that now succeeds on it has changed. Hard hitters have become prevalent, reflecting a top 10 that consists of power baseliners interspersed with stealthy counterpunchers. Except for one. Carla Suarez Navarro, whose one-handed backhand and topspin strokes are now carrying on the classic clay-court tradition." [ESPNW]