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CNN Live Event/Special

All Access at Roland-Garros. Aired 3:30-4p ET

Aired June 06, 2026 - 15:30   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

[15:30:35]

COY WIRE, CNN SPORTS ANCHOR: Hello, and welcome to a CNN Sports special.

The red clay of Roland-Garros has delivered more twists than a five- set thriller. Giants have fallen, new stars have risen. And for the first time in a decade, both the men's and women's champs are leaving Paris with their very first Grand Slam title.

Welcome to ALL ACCESS AT ROLAND-GARROS. I'm Coy Wire.

Let's start with the newly crowned queen of clay, Mirra Andreeva. The superstars out in full force for the women's singles final. Front row seat for Mr. Brad Pitt to see the 19-year-old sensation Mirra Andreeva, facing 24-year-old qualifier Maja Chwalinska, seeking to become just the second qualifier in the Open era to win a Grand Slam singles title. Both players breaking serve early on the fore.

Andreeva finally takes control, taking the opener six games to three. That seemingly gave Mirra all the momentum she would need. She won her first WTA match at 15 years old. She reached the semis here two years ago. By this point, there was no stopping the Russian as she powered her way to the title by winning the second set 6 to 2, and it hit her.

She arrived in Paris carrying the expectations that come with being one of the brightest young stars in the game. Now she leaves with the sport's biggest prize, a first Grand Slam title. She earned it through pressure, expectation and the weight that comes with being hailed as the next big thing. Hugs from those who mean the most to her, including this little cuddle here with the fur baby.

Mirra Andreeva, her rise has felt less like a breakthrough and more like a launch. For the very first time, she hoisted that trophy as a Grand Slam champ.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MIRRA ANDREEVA, 2026 FRENCH OPEN CHAMPION: I want to thank myself for believing in myself, always giving my 100 percent, even when it's tough. Trying every day to be better as a person and as a player. Believing that I can do this. Fighting so many demons inside of me. Only I know how tough it was for me and how nervous I was throughout these two weeks. So also thanks to myself for working so hard and giving my best.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WIRE: All right. Joining us now from Paris is the legendary coach, Tennis Channel contributor and host of the "Big T" podcast, Brad Gilbert.

Brad, so great to see you. Mirra Andreeva. What impressed you most about her on-court skills or maybe even her mindset that let you know she was ready for this big moment?

BRAD GILBERT, TENNIS CHANNEL CONTRIBUTOR: She thanked herself twice. That's kind of interesting. You know, I thought it was all about her composure in the last couple of years. You know, it feels like she's been around forever. She's only 19, but it's been her composure that's gotten the better of her. Remember last year here in the quarters lost to the French player Bozon, ranked like 300.

But I felt like early in this match that, you know, she wasn't playing at her best level. But you know, she maintained scoreboard pressure. And in the middle of the first set, I felt like she opened up a little bit, started to play a little more aggressively.

And what a story this Maja Chwalinska has been over the last 21 days. She's been the incredible Cinderella story. You know, she's been wearing that glass slipper, but it finally hit midnight. And some of the things that she had been doing all tournament long, the drop shots, the slicing and dicing, didn't work against Andreeva. And I really thought in the second set she relaxed, played aggressive, and saw the finish line in sight.

WIRE: Yes, it's incredible. We will talk more about Maja Chwalinska later in the show because what an incredible, as you said, Cinderella run she has had. But Andreeva, how big of a moment is this for her now, this first Grand Slam title? Is this the kind of launch pad that she needed to take it to the next level?

GILBERT: You know what, three weeks ago, when she was playing in Madrid, she yelled at her coach, I'm not a Grand Slam champion caliber player. And after the third round of this tournament, when she was really whinging and had a little bit of a meltdown on the court, apparently their whole team had a big think tank with her and told her it was time to get it together. And the last, you know, four matches in the tournament, that's exactly what she did.

I think the first one is the hardest to get. I think her game is starting to mature a lot. She's improved the serve.

[15:35:03]

I feel like the last year when I've done a lot of her matches, I say, so goes Mirra's forehand, so goes her game. That shot is improving and I would not be surprised if she won one of the next two slams, either at Wimbledon or the U.S. Open. I think she's a good all-around player, moves well, and I think this is like one of those, you know, finally I got it. So I think maybe this will relax her and maybe her game is about to go to another level. WIRE: All right. Listen, incredible tournament we've seen perhaps one

of the greatest competitors, so to speak, out there has been the heat. These people not battling just their opponents, they're battling the temperatures that have pushed well into uncomfortable territory at times. Let's listen quickly to some of what the players have had to say about the heat.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

COCO GAUFF, 2025 FRENCH OPEN CHAMPION: So I don't know, Europe, you all don't like AC, so I feel like I'm constantly trying to like, even at restaurants everywhere, I'm like sweating. I'm taking like four showers a day. Like I took a shower for this. I'm going to have to take another one after. So I feel like the problem is we can't escape the heat here.

CASPER RUUD, TWO-TIME FRENCH OPEN FINALIST: Bit of a kind of heat stroke feeling. I felt, you know, at times really dizzy and just really tired and walking around like a zombie almost.

JANNIK SINNER, WORLD NUMBER ONE: Struggled to starting to feel very dizzy. Very low of energy and try to serve it out. But -- and then I just kind of hit the wall and that's it.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WIRE: All right, Brad, take us inside the minds of these players. How much does heat affect the tactics, affect the endurance, and quite frankly, perhaps the outcomes that we've seen in Paris?

GILBERT: Well, the first eight days of the tournament, you know, he was an equalizer. Upsets were contagious. I've never -- I've been here for 45 years. I've never seen a temperature at this tournament above 85. And we had eight days in a row in the 90s and as high as 95 degrees. And it wasn't hot during the clay court season. So it's one of those things where you saw players all of a sudden, Ruud, Sinner, one game from the finish line, where the heat just hit him and basically got the better of him.

And then after all the heat that we dealt with, the second week, we've dealt with cold weather, rain, wind, and it's usually the reverse where we get that weather the first week, we get some warmer weather in the second week, and guys and girls are like, wow, what happened here? So I'm -- and not to mention on Saturday night of the tournament, go figure, PSG wins the champions league and Paris is falling in front of my hotel. There was riots, cars burning. So -- and even on Tuesday I've never seen a hail storm here. So we had it all here this year.

WIRE: Brad, while we have you, I have to ask you about one of the biggest stories in sports this week, perhaps the year so far. Serena Williams announcing her return to pro tennis. Her sister Venus clearly think that Serena still has it. Listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) VENUS WILLIAMS, SEVEN-TIME MAJOR WINNER: I never see her on the court that often. So we have -- so I don't know when she's been practicing honestly. I'm honest, I don't know like how her form is. But what I will tell you is that like, she could hit for -- not for four months and I'll be hitting and she'll come out and grab a racket and running shoes and just hits a ton out of the ball without ever hitting. And it's incredible.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WIRE: All right, Brad, what was your first reaction when you heard the news? And what do you think is possible for one of the greatest athletes we've ever seen?

GILBERT: Well, one thing for sure is I know never underestimate Serena Williams. And at 44 years young, you know, once we heard about this about five months ago that she went back in the doping protocol, like normally you don't do something like that unless you're planning on coming back. I initially thought maybe she would just come back and play doubles, maybe play doubles with her sister at the U.S. Open.

But I think she's kind of gauging, you know, she's going to play doubles here with Mboko at Queens. She's going to play doubles again next week in Berlin. Maybe she's going to gauge that to see, you know, when she's ready for singles. I think that, you know, when if she feels good, I think she's probably going to play singles this summer. And you know, it was kind of interesting, four years ago when we thought she was retiring, she actually never said she was retiring.

She used the word I'm evolving. So it'll be interesting. You know, and I think more than anything for a great champion, if you had any regrets, you know, it's like, you don't want to think about, you know, before it's too late, she's like, OK, I'm fit. I want to go out there. I want to show maybe my daughters that I can still do it.

[15:40:00]

So I think the next couple of weeks, I think she's totally going to gauge where she's at. And this will get a closer look, you know, being at the tournament, seeing what the competition is like. That will probably help her gauge, you know, what she's planning on doing this summer.

WIRE: Brad, thank you for helping us evolve as fans of the game. Thanks for all of your expert insight.

Folks, be sure to check out his "Big T" podcast for more. Enjoy the final weekend in Paris, Brad.

GILBERT: Thanks, buddy. Have a wonderful Saturday.

WIRE: You too.

Still to come, one trophy, two dreamers. The men's final featuring players chasing their first major title. One riding one of the most unexpected roads to a Grand Slam final we've seen right here on CNN. (COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[15:45:22]

WIRE: Every Grand Slam final is big. Some feel bigger. On Sunday, two men will walk onto the red clay knowing their lives may change forever. World number three Alex Zverev punched his ticket to another Grand Slam final with a four set win over Jakub Mensik. It's the fourth major final of his career, but perhaps the most important because after years near the summit of the sport, he's still chasing that elusive first slam trophy.

Standing across the net, Flavio Cobelli of Italy, and his route to get here took an extraordinary turn when Matteo Arnaldi withdrew due to illness before their all-Italian semifinal. Will the extra rest benefit him? We shall see. So how do these two match up and what might decide who lifts the trophy on Sunday? For that, let's head over to our friends at Eurosport in Paris.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ALEX CORRETJA, TWO-TIME FRENCH OPEN FINALIST: So after two very intense weeks here at Roland Garros, we have Flavio Cobolli and Sascha Zverev, which they're going to play the finals match. Very unpredictable at the beginning of the tournament, but they truly deserve to be there.

MATS WILANDER, SEVEN-TIME MAJOR CHAMPION: They do. Sascha Zverev has played with the pressure of being the next champion since Djokovic and Jannik Sinner lost their match. Flavio Cobolli obviously got a little bit lucky in the semifinals because Matteo Arnaldi, his fellow Italian, couldn't play. He was sick all night, and I am looking forward to the match. I think Sascha Zverev goes in as the big favorite if he plays as well as he did against Jakub Mensik in the semifinals, then he most probably is looking to become the next French Open champion.

CORRETJA: As you said, I think for Sascha, it was very important as soon as Sinner lost just to believe that it was his chance because in my eyes, before maybe he had some doubts about maybe going into the finals against players that maybe it depends more on the others. But nowadays I can see he's more aggressive. His forehand is working very well. His serve has been always there.

But what about the variation? I mean, he's coming to the net. He's doing more drop shots. He's backing is always working very well. That's what he needs to do I think to beat Cobolli.

WILANDER: That's what he needs to do to beat Cobolli. And he's doing it because he thinks he has a chance like that against Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz and Novak Djokovic when they -- when he plays them the next time. But against Flavio Cobolli, he still has to be aggressive. He cannot go backwards and play like he used to be. Flavio Cobolli is too good a clay court player. His forehand is too good and he moves unbelievably well with a great Italian attitude as well. CORRETJA: Yes, and of course, Flavio, I mean, someone that, as you

said, he knows the clay, he knows the grinding, he knows the sliding, huge forehand. Nice serve, kick out wide, especially at the odd side. Also his backhand. I think he's been improving a lot and also his mentality. It used to be maybe some ups and downs but I think, you know, he's more mature. He's more convinced about himself. I think he needs that.

And also I think he needs to use a little bit the drop shots also because otherwise Sascha, he stands like so far behind the baseline many times. But I'm not so sure, you know, overwhelmed by the situation. First final slam here at Roland Garros. Not going to be any easier to deal with that.

WILANDER: No. No, it's not going to be easy. But he's having not to play in the semifinals, which is going to make a big difference when it comes to the energy. They have both played a lot of tennis. When you come to the finals of the French Open, you're usually pretty tired, but you are full of confidence and both players are full of confidence, so it should be a great match.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WIRE: All right. Up next, a conversation with the man whose footprints will forever be all over the red clay. Rafael Nadal, 14-time French Open title winner. And nobody understands the magic of Roland Garros quite like Rafa. Our Christiane Amanpour sits down with the king of clay.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[15:53:39]

WIRE: Welcome back. One big name missing at the French Open this year, the two-time defending champ Carlos Alcaraz. Missing due to injury, he's drawn comparisons to his compatriot and idol Rafael Nadal.

Our Christiane Amanpour sat down with Rafa and asked his thoughts on the young star Carlito.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

CHRISTIANE AMANPOUR, CNN CHIEF INTERNATIONAL ANCHOR: This is not a great year for him health wise. He's injured. What advice -- I know you're doing well. You tell me.

RAFAEL NADAL, TWO-TIME FRENCH OPEN DEFENDING CHAMPION: No, I think you will have injuries. The professional athletes always will have issues. You know? some players have more like me. Some players have less like Novak, for example.

AMANPOUR: He had caused some controversy or debate in the tennis world when he gave an interview that said, yes, I actually like to go to Ibiza. I want to go dance. I want to take time off, you know, from the grueling schedule of the off, you know, off season. Do you think that's good? NADAL: Everyone has a different personality. You know, I did, too, you

know. I was not a guy that was -- my life was not only tennis, tennis and tennis.

AMANPOUR: Did you dance?

NADAL: I did. I went to Ibiza every single year with my friends.

AMANPOUR: Did you?

NADAL: Yes. That's true. But, I mean, everyone needs to find their own space. You know, I think it's some people need more. Some people need less. But my life was much more than tennis. But I didn't want to project that to the world because I didn't found interesting for the world that I was going to Ibiza.

[15:55:09]

I was going to this or the other thing. No? I mean, he decided to make that public. I respect that. It seems like it's working very well for him.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WIRE: All right. When we return, more on a new champion and a place secured in tennis history for Mirra Andreeva right here on CNN.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)