What Do We Say to the Gods of Clay? Roland Garros Preview 2019

Roland Garros starts with a cracking schedule on Sunday ... settle in for our draw analysis and wide-ranging conversation about the clay season, the democratization of the men's clay events, and some odds and ends. How will Naomi fare as a first-time no. 1 seed? Will Novak complete Novak Slam 2.0? Will we get another first-time women's Slam winner?  

 

3:00 A Redistribution of wealth in the clay season

6:15 Men's draw: Djokovic gets Thiem, Rafa gets Fed/Tsitsipas

12:00 The unpredictable men's 3rd quarter and Rafa's soft draw

20:30 What it means that Roger is back; and resisting "grace"

24:50 Women's draw: first time no. 1 Osaka gets a wild draw

30:20 What to make of Serena, troll extraordinaire

36:30 3rd quarter: Sloane the star, Venus/Elina, Muguruza, Bertens, Bencic

49:40 4th quarter: will dark horses Vondrousova or Mladenovic take out the consistent Pliskova?

53:35 Nick Kyrgios spends a week "managing expectations," then withdraws

55:30 Sir Andrew Murray expects to play doubles at Wimbledon

58:00 We asked y'all what you were looking forward to

1:05:50 Katie Boulter didn't do anything wrong, for the record ...

1:09:00 Bigging up #KinderGirlWorld Day, props to Madison Keys