To many, the sport of tennis can be characterized by one image only: the bright green lawns of Wimbledon and the crisp white attire of all athletes. However, the truth of the sport is much less glorious and much dirtier—literally.

This May and June, the tennis world will descend upon the clay-filled stadiums of the French Open at Roland Garros. The red dirt of Roland Garros is one of the most iconic tennis venues in the world, having hosted tournaments since 1891. Currently, Roland Garros is one of the four Grand Slam tournaments each year, along with the Australian Open, Wimbledon, and the US Open. A Grand Slam tournament is the highest-level event the sport has to offer and is the most prestigious to win for the players. Not only do winners get to join an extremely small and elite group of past Grand Slam champions, but these tournaments also provide the most substantial monetary rewards for winners, as well as the largest potential boost to their world rankings. This means that all eligible players will show up to try their hand at the title, even if the odds for some are much lower than others. And there is no better instance of lopsided odds than this year’s men’s draw.

31-year-old Spaniard Rafael Nadal, aptly nicknamed the King of Clay, has won Roland Garros a record 10 times, and has only lost twice in the 13 years he has played in Paris. This makes him by far the favorite to win on Roland Garros’s red dirt once more. To make his potential title even more straightforward, his main rival, Roger Federer, pulled out of the tournament due to health issues. In addition to Federer’s withdrawal, previous Grand Slam champions Andy Murray, Stan Wawrinka, and Novak Djokovic may also pull out of the tournament due to various health reasons. All of this makes for a thin draw in terms of competition, further cementing Rafa’s place as the favorite. For the men, at least, it seems to be Rafa versus the rest of the draw.

However, the same cannot be said of the women’s draw. The 2017 champion, 19-year-old Jelena Ostapenko, won the tournament despite being ranked 47th in the world, capping her win with a victory over Simona Halep, then ranked third in the world. Based on results thus far, it would appear that this year is not likely to be any more straightforward. With the continued lack of consistency at the top of the women’s game, it would surprise no one to see another first-time champion crowned at the end of the two-week tournament. Add to the equation the potential return of new mother and 23-time Grand Slam champion Serena Williams, and it is anyone’s guess as to who will be holding the trophy on June 9. Based on  rankings and past results at the French Open, possible favorites include Halep, currently ranked number one in the world, as well as the 2016 champion Garbine Muguruza of Spain.

As seen in the past, however, numbers do not matter in the slightest when it comes to who ends up unbeaten at the end of the second week. One thing we know for sure is that throughout the tournament, there will be upsets and triumphs that will forever change the world of tennis, whether it be a record eleventh title for Rafa Nadal, or another first time champion. There is only one thing that can be said for sure about the 2018 installation of Roland Garros: at the end of the tournament, the landscape of tennis will be completely rewritten, and the victories and losses that are witnessed over the two weeks in Paris will make for some of the most exciting tennis all year.