Paris in late spring means mild, flower-scented air, chestnut trees bursting into bloom along the grand boulevards, outdoor café terraces coming back to life, and the city's rooftops and parks bathed in soft, golden light.

But for tennis fans, it means one thing above all else: Roland Garros.

The clay-court Grand Slam is underway and the normal seasonal climate has given way to a heatwave, in which players are expected to battle 90-degree temperatures throughout the first week.

Scorching conditions will lead to a different type of clay-court tennis in the early rounds, with big servers and players who can penetrate from the baseline benefitting at the expense of players who rely more on athleticism and creativity.

There is also plenty of heat in an intriguing women’s field. World No. 1 and Tennis Paradise champion Aryna Sabalenka may start favourite on paper, but her lead-in form has been a little spotty and she faces multi-pronged threats from a deep field of contenders.

In contrast, Jannik Sinner will start one of the strongest favourites to win the men’s title since Rafael Nadal’s heyday, particularly with rival Carlos Alcaraz sidelined with a wrist injury.

There have already been emotional farewells, with 39-year-old French showman Gael Monfils and 41-year-old Stan Wawrinka, the 2015 champion, receiving heart-felt goodbyes from French fans after dropping their first-round matches Monday in their final appearances in Paris.

But fans will be hard-pressed to top the moving tribute paid by Monfils' wife, Elina Svitolina, who penned an essay to her daughter in Players’ Tribune just days after she won the Rome title.

"Your dad was the best magician. With Gaël, you are feeling like he’s putting on a magic show, just for you,” Svitolina wrote.

"In just one shot, one moment, like at a concert and there’s a perfect song, or at the movies and there’s a perfect line... you have this feeling like, Oh my god. WOW. It takes your breath away."

This year’s tournament promises to be one of the most competitive on the women’s side in recent memory.

World No. 1 Sabalenka, who lost a third-set heartbreaker to Coco Gauff in last year’s final, will start favourite despite a modest 4-2 record during her limited clay-court campaign leading into Roland Garros. She is seeded to meet American Jessica Pegula in the quarter-finals.

Elena Rybakina, who defeated Sabalenka in this year’s Australian Open final but squandered match point against her rival in the Indian Wells title match and lost to her in Miami, won the Stuttgart title at the start of the clay swing. Rybakina is seeded to meet 2025 Tennis Paradise champion Mirra Andreeva in the quarter-finals and could meet Sabalenka in what would be a blockbuster Paris final.

Iga Swiatek is yet to reach a final this season, but as a four-time Roland Garros champion she cannot be discounted. The Polish former World No. 1 has new coach Francisco Roig in her corner and trained at the Rafa Nadal Academy ahead of the clay season. If she reaches the quarter-finals she may have a chance to avenge her Rome semi-final defeat to Svitolina.

Coco Gauff is the defending champion and carries momentum from her recent run to the Rome final. She is seeded to meet fellow American Amanda Anisimova in the quarter-finals.

Throw in Madrid champion Marta Kostyuk, Rome winner Svitolina, former finalist Jasmine Paolini, No. 6 Anisimova, No. 8 Andreeva and No. 9 Victoria Mboko and you've got a star-studded field.

Just as it’s difficult to make a bullet-proof argument as to which woman will hold aloft the Coupe Suzanne Lenglen on June 6, it’s equally challenging to build a case for why anyone other than Sinner will win the men’s title.

Enjoying a dominant season, Sinner is an overwhelming favourite to win his first Roland Garros title and complete the Career Grand Slam. The Italian comes into the tournament on a 29-match winning streak, having claiming all five ATP Masters 1000 titles this year, beginning with his first Indian Wells crown. The sweep has seen him reclaim World No. 1 from Alcaraz in a winner-takes-all Monte-Carlo final and, with first-time titles in Madrid and Rome, become just the second player alongside Djokovic to win the nine different Masters 1000s.

On paper, Sinner seems unlikely to face a real threat until a potential quarter-final with Ben Shelton. A possible semi-final with Daniil Medvedev, who took a set from Sinner in the Rome semi-finals, won't happen after the 2021 US Open champion lost in the first round to Australian wild card Adam Walton..

The 30-year-old World No. 8 has also beaten Sinner seven times in 17 meetings.

With Alcaraz sidelined through at least Wimbledon with a right wrist injury, second seed Alexander Zverev is eyeing his first Grand Slam title. But if he reaches the title match he’ll likely have to break a nine-match losing streak to Sinner, who conceded just eight games across two recent victories over the German in Monte-Carlo and Madrid.

Under normal circumstances, Novak Djokovic might be considered to have the best chance of stopping Sinner if both advance to the final. The Serbian, who is making his 25th appearance in Paris, upset Sinner in the Australian Open semi-finals this year. But does the 39-year-old have enough in his legs to go the distance? He’s played just 10 matches this season and lost to Dino Prizmic in Rome in his only appearance of the clay season.

Casper Ruud has shown glimpses of his best clay form in recent weeks, but should he advance to the final to face Sinner, he would need to overturn an 0-5 record against the Italian, who has not dropped a set to the former World No. 2.

Much interest on the men’s side will also focus on 19-year-old rising stars Joao Fonseca and Rafael Jodar. Spain’s Jodar flew under the radar in Tennis Paradise this year when, as World No. 103, he won just three games in his main-draw debut against Alejandro Tabilo.

But he has been a revelation during the clay swing, claiming 15 wins from 18 outings after his debut title in Marrakech, a semi-final in Barcelona and back-to-back quarter-finals in Madrid and Rome.

Beyond the tennis itself, Roland Garros remains one of the sport’s great sensory experiences. The burnt-orange clay, the long Paris evenings, the hum of conversation drifting from packed café terraces outside the grounds and the roar that echoes through Court Philippe-Chatrier all combine to create an atmosphere unlike any other major. Even for players accustomed to the biggest stages, Paris carries a certain gravity — and a certain romance.

Over the next two weeks, new stars will try to announce themselves, veterans will attempt to summon one more memorable run and champions will battle for their place in history. And somewhere between the red clay, the spring sunshine and the tension of five-set drama, Roland Garros will once again remind the tennis world why this tournament occupies such a unique place in the sport.

If you can't catch the action in Paris this year, take the chance now to reserve your chosen seat in Tennis Paradise next March.