PARIS — Madison Keys confirmed what most here know: the talk of the French Open has been the men’s draw. Not who can win, but simply who can play.
“We were all freaking out,” Keys said. “We were thinking, ‘When was the last time this happened? And when do you start running out of people who can go in the draw?’”
Eight men have withdrawn from the main draw of the French Open since the qualifying rounds began, more than twice the number at any of the previous 30 Grand Slam events. That left eight spots in the draw to be filled by players who had lost in the qualifying rounds but stuck around the site.