Workday Canberra International stars set for French Open spotlight

With the main draw of the French Open kicking off, it is a great time reflect on former Workday Canberra International stars who have gone on to become the next generation of superstars  on tour.

2026 WCI mens finalist Rafael Jodar has had a breakout few months on the ATP scene. After winning the ATP Marrakech title, Jodar enjoyed deep runs on clay courts in Barcelona, Madrid and Rome. This included notable wins over the likes of Cameron Norrie, Alex De Minaur and 2025 WCI Champion Joao Fonseca. Prior to his 2026 WCI run, Jodar sat at world No 168 in the ATP rankings but has since climbed to world No 34. With Carlos Alcaraz out of the French Open due to injury, Jodar will take his place as the biggest Spanish hopeful in the tournament.

While Jodar had a great run at the 2026 WCI, he wouldn’t lift the title after failing to overcome Alexander Blockx. The Belgian knocked off Jodar 6-4, 6-4 in Canberra, but is still looking for his first career ATP Tour trophy. Despite this, Blockx has been in outstanding form across various tournaments throughout this year, including a run in Madrid that saw him reach the semi-finals before going down to world No 3 Alexander Zverev.

In the women’s singles there will be several former next generation champions from WCI Canberra who will be looking to dominate the clay. The highest profile of which is the United Kingdom’s Katie Boulter, who claimed the WCI singles title in 2023. Since then, Boulter climbed the WTA rankings to as high as world No 23 in 2024 and is currently placed at world No 69. Boulter has won four career titles, including one last February in the Czech Republic.

Magdalena Fręch won the Canberra International back in 2020 and is now sitting at world No 59. The Polish star has performed well on clay in the past, making the 2024 Prague Open final. Fręch also had a fantastic run at the Australian Open in 2024 and has avoided qualifying for the French Open, instead heading straight into main draw.

Joao Fonseca will be looking to take a big leap at the French Open. The young Brazilian took the tennis world by storm after claiming the Canberra International in 2025, before backing it up a few weeks later by upsetting world No 9 Andrei Rublev in the first round of the Australian Open. Since then, Joao has continued his rapid rise, taking home the men’s singles titles at the Argentina Open and Swiss Indoors. The main concern for Joao heading into Paris will be his fitness, after he suffered a wrist injury that forced him to pull out of the Hamburg Open earlier in May.