As I took my spot and watched fans gawk at the draw on Sunday morning I had only one question in mind. 

Who is going to win the men’s singles title this year, and why?

One question, c’est tout. The fans of Roland-Garros had many answers. 

“Who do I want to win or who do I think will win?” asks Alex, who was contemplating the scope of the draw with companion Estelle on a slightly cloudy Parisian afternoon. The heatwave had broken – finally – but the draw was only getting hotter. 

“I think it will be Sascha, I think it’s his year, because you don’t have Sinner, you don’t have Djokovic, you don’t have Alcaraz. The draw is open!” Alex adds. 

“For me it’s Ruud,” Estelle says. “He plays well on the surface.” 

"The semifinal, Ruud vs Zverev, will be a critical point,” says Alex, adding, “On the other hand, Fonseca could take it far as well – it’s a wide-open tournament.” 

Indeed it is. But there can only be one favourite, right? According to many fans who wandered by on Sunday morning, Alexander Zverev was that man. 

“I think that Zverev has a big chance now, but I hope that Jesper de Jong, the lucky loser, will beat him,” says Alecks from the Netherlands, who is pulling for De Jong like a true patriot. “He has no pressure, it’s a miracle, and it’s even his birthday today.” 

His friend has other ideas.  

“Maybe Fonseca, he is the dark horse. I think – I hope – Fonseca, he’s playing very nice,” says Simon from Amsterdam.  

Nineteen-year-old Fonseca shook the grounds with his thunderous play against Novak Djokovic in the third round, and that explains why there were plenty of green-and-gold clad supporters looking for Fonseca’s name on the draw. 

I found a cute couple with a toddler in their arms, and asked them for their pick.

“Joao Fonseca, because he’s Brazilian and we’re Brazilian, too,” says Julio with a smile. 

“We have to bet on him,” says his wife Fernando Muricy, still raving about Fonseca’s comeback from two sets down against Djokovic on Friday. 

“It was really insane, I honestly didn’t believe he would win, then he started coming back and he was so focused and it was mature. He’s not really used to playing best-of-five, and that’s a lot. He did so well. Beating his own hero, wow!"

The couple show me a picture of their baby with a tennis racquet in his hands. 

“He’s almost about to play – getting closer, one and a half.” 

The next Joao Fonseca? We can hope. 

More people picked Zverev to win than any other player. No pressure though, Sascha. 

“I think Zverev,” Eric says in his native French. “He’s the highest seed remaining in a draw without the big names, but I also have an outsider pick – Rublev.” 

But Fonseca has clearly won over many fans. If he can defeat Casper Ruud on Sunday, he may have even more people picking him to win. 

“I’m not an expert by any means,” says Lena, from Paris. “But I adore watching the tennis. I don’t know the level of each player, et cetera… but I’m going to dream that it will be Fonseca.”

In a wide-open draw there are many players who believe they can win, and many fans who believe, as well. 

“I would really like for it to be Felix,” says Clarice, referring to fourth-seeded Auger-Aliassime in elegant French. “I saw him play and it was really a nice style of game – we will see next Sunday anyway.” 

After a few hours I have a pretty good read on how the fans are feeling about this wild, wide-open and wonderful draw, but I still need one more take. 

I see an older gentleman with several family members focusing intently on the lower half of the draw. I start with my usual line. 

“We have 16 players remaining in this crazy, wide-open draw.”

“That’s right, and one of them is my son,” the man replies. 

You never know who you're going to meet at Roland-Garros. It is Jesper de Jong’s father. 

“I want him to win of course, but to be realistic I think it will be tough,” says Paul of his son. “I think Zverev or Fonseca have a good chance to win this tournament. Of course, I want Jesper, but it will be tough today against Zverev. Reaching the fourth round is already magical.”

The run of a lifetime for Jesper de Jong, no doubt. He’s ranked No. 111. 

“Are you a coach?” I ask Paul. 

“No, no, just a father,” he says. “We were a sporting family. He started at the age of five and he just enjoyed it, and he continues to enjoy it, and here he is. What a night it’s going to be. It’s his birthday today. A nice birthday.”

Happy birthday Jesper, and good luck to all!