Roland-Garros 2026: Aryna Sabalenka 'has got to feel pressure' to deliver first title after 'big lesson' in 2025 final against Coco Gauff
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By Ben Grounds
Updated 24/05/2026 at 09:47 GMT+1
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Aryna Sabalenka has earned the right to be installed as favourite at the 2026 French Open over the next fortnight, but must show she is capable of handling the pressure, according to Chris Evert.
Highlights: Sabalenka cruises past Rakhimova in opener at Roland-Garros
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Sabalenka is the top seed for the second consecutive year and will face world No. 51 Jessica Bouzas Maneiro in her opener at Roland-Garros - live on TNT Sports and HBO Max.
Earlier this month, Sabalenka suffered her quickest defeat of the season when she was beaten by Sorana Cirstea in the third round in Rome.
The world No. 1, who required a medical timeout during the match, later admitted she had been "limited" physically throughout the contest.
The 28-year-old has since eased fears over her fitness - but the more pertinent question may be whether Sabalenka's greatest opponent in Paris is not Iga Swiatek or Coco Gauff, but the emotional and tactical demands of clay itself.
"She’s the favourite on paper," former 18-time major champion Evert told TNT Sports. "She’s No. 1 for a reason."
Sabalenka enters Roland-Garros as arguably the most dominant player in the sport over the past three seasons, but she also arrives carrying the unresolved pressure of never having won the tournament.
Last year's collapse still lingers. Sabalenka was in control of the final against Gauff before momentum slipped away and emotion overtook execution, as the American prevailed 6-7 6-2 6-4.
Evert believes that defeat became a turning point, coming before a second straight US Open title was sealed last September.
"She lost her cool and she got emotional, and she lost the match, and she was crushed," Evert continued, as she reflected on the Gauff defeat.
"After that, she spoke about it and said, 'I will never let that happen again. I have learned some big lessons.'"
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Highlights: Gauff wins first French Open title in classic final against Sabalenka
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The Belarusian remains the most explosive shot-maker in the women's field, but there is now a calmer edge beneath the violence of her tennis.
Evert points to the way Sabalenka now handles momentum swings differently - less reactive, more trusting of her own status and experience.
”When players are hot, and they’re streaky, and they’re winning against her, I see her being very contained and still confident," Evert said.
"She knows the player’s going to get nervous in that position. And she knows, ‘I’m No. 1 for a reason.'"
That confidence under pressure is precisely why Sabalenka is still viewed as the favourite. The biggest points no longer seem to overwhelm her the way they once did.
She serves better under stress, competes more patiently and has become more willing to absorb difficult stretches in matches without imploding emotionally.
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Sabalenka is the top seed for the second consecutive year
Image credit: Getty Images
But Roland-Garros presents a unique challenge because clay resists the instincts that made Sabalenka great in the first place.
"The problem with clay for her is that she can't end a rally short," countered Evert. "She's got to hit more balls. There’s got to be more ball tolerance."
That observation cuts to the tactical heart of Sabalenka's Paris problem.
On hard courts, her pace can rush opponents into panic. On clay, they have an extra second to recover, reset and redirect.
Players such as Gauff, Elina Svitolina and especially Swiatek can neutralise her first strike often enough to drag her into longer exchanges.
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"Sometimes it takes 10, 12 balls to win a point," Evert added. "And because the surface is a little bit slower, the players like Coco, like Svitolina, even Iga - you have another second or two to set up for her shots."
That is why emotion and tactics are so closely connected in Sabalenka's Paris story. The longer rallies become, the more patience is required. The more patience is required, the greater the emotional strain.
As a multiple major champion who now understands the emotional discipline needed to survive difficult moments, Sabalenka is deserving of her favourite status, but the pressure remains unavoidable.
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Chris Evert presents Sabalenka with the 2025 US Open trophy
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"The fact that she hasn’t won the French, and she’s No. 1 in the world, she has got to feel pressure," said Evert. "If she’s a human being, she’s got to feel a little nervous."
"She's had an incredible year. You could probably say she’s dominant so far this year, but at the same time, on clay it’s the one Slam that she hasn’t won.
"She hasn't won Wimbledon either, but she hasn’t won this. She had kind of bad memories of last year.
"Because she hits the ball so hard, she has to hit more balls. You know what I’m saying? She just can’t put the ball away on the third or fourth shot.
"Players like Coco and Elina Svitolina and more of these ladies are going to be able to return a lot of her shots. So Sabalenka has got to be very patient as well.
"It's going to call upon all of her - the mental, the emotional and the physical parts - it's going to fall upon all those elements for her to win the tournament."
For years, Roland-Garros exposed Sabalenka's vulnerabilities. This time, the world No. 1 arrives believing she has finally learned how to live with them.
'Up to eight players could win French Open'
Cirstea's resurgence at 36, having vanquished Sabalenka in Rome, is another tale of the unexpected - and one that has charmed Evert.
The Romanian has been handed a first-round tie against the 17-year-old Ksenia Efremova, who will have the home crowd on her side.
"It’s been really delightful to watch [Cirstea] this year and to see her playing so well," added Evert.
"I remember talking to Darren Cahill years ago - I think he was coaching her - and I watched her play a match, and she was so natural: fluid, natural power, easy power.
"I said to Darren, 'God, she’s really good.' And he goes, ”She’s really good, but she’s got to believe it.' I think now she’s matured, and I think that’s helped her. She has no pressure on herself because she’s going to retire.
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Sorana Cirstea has defied her age to be in contention at the French Open
Image credit: Getty Images
"Do I think she could win it? She could be one of the eight that could win, sure. But it’s been nice.
"She’s a really nice young lady and I know she’s had a frustrating career at times because of her confidence. So it’s really nice to see her doing well.
"The depth [in the women's draw] is very impressive. I look at it like it’s intriguing because there are eight players that potentially could win the French Open, whereas I don’t think on the men’s side you can say that.
"The men and the women are in a different position right now, but it would be great in the future to have a rivalry, for sure.
"It's hard because you're looking at Sabalenka, you look at Swiątek, you look at Gauff, you look at Elena Rybakina.
"A lot of players could form it. Sabalenka would have to be one, obviously. It could be Sabalenka and Coco. It could be Sabalenka and Iga.
"There’s potentially room for a big rivalry, but I think they need to play each other maybe a little bit more.
"Nothing stands out because the top four I just named - there are a lot of players that are so good that could, in one or two years, be right up there with those players as well."
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