The 2023 French Open will perhaps be in focus more for the stars who will be absent rather than those who will actually bring the red clay at Roland Garros alive. The biggest name to miss the show is, undoubtedly, the 14-time champion Rafael Nadal.

Keeping the Spanish flag flying, however, will be Carlos Alcaraz, who will come in as the top seed for the first time at a grand slam. The Telegraph takes a look at what the second grand slam of the season has to offer.

OUT OF ACTION

The 2023 French Open will be the first year since 2005 which will not feature Nadal, the king of clay. The 2022 winner will drop below the top 100 of the ATP rankings for the first time in his career since April 2003.

Nadal, who won the first of his 22 majors in Paris in 2005, will miss the French Open after failing to regain full fitness from a hip injury suffered at the Australian Open in January.

Also missing in action will be Andy Murray. The 36-year-old Scot has made just one appearance at Roland Garros since reaching the semi-finals in 2017. Flamboyant Australian Nick Kyrgios will not be able to compete due to a left foot injury.

On the women’s side, Emma Raducanu will not be present in Paris as she is recovering from multiple surgeries on her hands and ankle. The British teen sensation has also fallen out of the top 100 bracket in rankings.

Naomi Osaka, expecting her first child, is also giving Roland Garros a miss. The Japanese has taken a long break from tennis, announcing her pregnancy in January after withdrawing from the Australian Open.

Simona Halep, suspended after testing positive for the prohibited substance Roxadustat, will not be able to play at Roland Garros.

STAR CAST

While the French Open seems almost incomplete without Nadal, it will be up to the likes of Alcaraz, Novak Djokovic and Daniil Medvedev to keep the spectators on their toes.

Alcaraz was at the top of the rankings during the Australian Open, but was forced to pull out of the tournament after suffering an injury during training. The 20-year-old is the favourite to win the claycourt major, given his current form.

Medvedev’s triumph in Rome saw him climb to No. 2 in the ATP rankings. The Russian, with a 10-2 record on clay so far this season, is expected to give Alcaraz a run for his money.

The top two seeds, however, have a lot of catching up to do with third seed Djokovic. Alcaraz and Medvedev have one grand slam title each (both have won the US Open) compared to the 22 owned by the Serb. With Nadal missing his “home” slam, Djokovic will surely fancy his chances of adding to his tally here and go past the Spaniard.

On the women’s side, it is difficult to look beyond defending champion and world No. 1 Iga Swiatek. However, No. 2 Aryna Sabalenka has beaten her at the Australian Open and also in the Madrid Open final this year.

Defending Wimbledon champion Elena Rybakina won Indian Wells, beating Swiatek and Sabalenka along the way, and then went on to win the Italian Open. She, too, will be no pushover.

Iga Swiatek. File photo

MONEY MATTERS

The prize money for this year’s claycourt major will total €49.6 million, an increase of 12.3 per cent from 2022. The men’s and women’s singles champions in Paris will each receive €2.3 million and the finalists will earn €1,150,000. The men’s doubles and women’s doubles champions will claim €590,000 per pair.

ENTER, ‘BODYGUARD’

The French tennis federation (FFT) is making an anti-online harassment and hate speech tool available to all the players at this year’s Roland Garros to protect players from online abuse, threats and insults. The FFT has decided to step up its fight against online harassment using “Bodyguard”, an artificial intelligence technology, to protect the players’ social media content.

LOVE ALL

With the aim of making the tournament more inclusive and accessible, the FFT is offering tickets priced at just €10 for spectators under 25. On the first Sunday (28 May) a charity match will be organised by BNP Paribas and seats will be reserved for charity organisations.

The tournament has also taken into account the needs of specially-abled spectators. Various facilities have been incorporated so that people with reduced mobility can enjoy the French Open just like any other spectator.

REAL FEEL

This year, the FFT and its telecommunications corporation partner Orange have implemented a new system for following the matches. “Sound for All” is an audio immersion tool that will help the user experience the on-court atmosphere. It was originally designed for sight-impaired tennis fans, but is now available for everyone.