Roland Garros 2026: Karman Kaur Thandi aims to end India's singles Grand Slam absence

Karman Kaur Thandi could take part at Roland Garros 2026. Using a protected ranking after severe injuries dropped her to world No. 1,467, she aims to end India's Grand Slam absence by getting through the qualifying rounds.

In Short

• Thandi targets Roland Garros 2026 to end India's Grand Slam singles drought
• The 27-year-old enters Paris using a protected WTA ranking of world No. 238
• Overcoming severe injuries, Thandi climbed back from a low ranking of 1,467

A spectacular comeback story on the red clay of Paris is about to give Indian sports fans a major reason to watch the upcoming French Open. After a gruelling battle with injuries, Delhi-born Karman Kaur Thandi is officially headed to Roland Garros, bringing an end to a quiet patch for the nation on the sport's biggest single stages.

For the 27-year-old, entering the Parisian qualifiers is a profound milestone. It marks the first time since Wimbledon 2025 that any tennis player representing India will feature in a Grand Slam singles event.

While Thandi has fought through major qualifying fields three times before—specifically at the Australian Open in 2019 and 2021, and the US Open in 2023—this trip to France stands out as her most resilient effort yet.

The Long Road Back

Standing 1.83 meters tall, Thandi possesses a rare physical blueprint for an Indian singles player, leveraging her height to anchor an aggressive baseline game and a high-velocity serve. As a teenager, she looked destined for long-term main-tour success, cracking the top 200 and reaching a career-high ranking of world No. 196 in August 2018.

However, her upward trajectory was consistently derailed by severe physical relapses, particularly a late-2023 injury that forced her into a lengthy rehabilitation phase and sidelined her for over a year. The forced inactivity took a massive toll on her status, causing her active WTA ranking to plummet all the way down to world No. 1,467.

Thandi's ticket to Paris became possible through the WTA’s Protected Ranking (PR) system, an injury-safeguard rule allowing long-term sidelined athletes to register for events based on their historical rank average.

Entering with a protected ranking of 238, Thandi initially sat outside the automatic entry line as the 16th alternate. Her place in the draw was eventually secured following a wave of high-profile tournament withdrawals, including notable names like Marketa Vondrousova, Paula Badosa, and Veronika Kudermetova.

Though her recent warm-up appearances on the lower-tier circuits reflect expected competitive rust, her presence on the Parisian clay represents a major triumph over adversity. Beyond the scorelines, Thandi’s journey from the depths of the world rankings back to a Grand Slam environment is a stellar victory for Indian tennis.

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