French Open Tennis 2018
French Open – May 27th to June 10th 2018
So… the last five Grand Slam wins go like this: Federer – Nadal – Federer – Nadal – Federer. Follow the sequence and Nadal wins the French Open and Federer wins Wimbledon 2018. It’s certainly possible.
Let’s have a closer look at what the astrology tells us about the second Grand Slam of 2018, the French Open.
Tournament Chart (see left):
The planet of surprises, Uranus, dominates the tournament chart, as it often does during the French Open. The tournament chart is a map of the heavens taken at the exact moment the tournament begins. It’s a snapshot in time that symbolises what is to unfold during the subsequent two weeks.
What’s different this year, however, is the fact that on May 15, 2018, Uranus moved into earth sign, Taurus, and as Uranus only changes star sign once every seven years, this is a big deal. Uranus has been in fire sign, Aries, since 2011.
Plus, at the same time, the planet of athleticism, Mars, entered Aquarius, which is Uranus’ star sign. The two are intricately linked together and they are currently in square aspect as the tournament begins. Neither planet is exactly conjunct an angle but notice the rulership of the Descendant – Aquarius – and the Midheaven – Aries.
Mars rules Aries; Uranus rules Aquarius and this brings together the non-favourite (Descendant) and the winner (Midheaven). This planetary symbol on its own indicates upsets and some uber-competitive tennis.
There are other factors to consider, namely the north node conjunct the Ascendant, the point in the tournament chart which represents the favourite. The north node is often a nod to destiny and a positive astrological symbol. Leo on the Ascendant means that the Sun in Gemini is the chart ruler and it’s heading towards a Full Moon cutting across the Gemini/Sagittarius axis of the zodiac on May 29th.
Also, note the Moon/Jupiter conjunction in Scorpio, also relevant. This too would give a nod to the favourite as it is the Moon’s next exact planetary aspect. However, Jupiter is retrograde, i.e. in retreat and, as we’ve seen before in the tennis tournaments, this means that Jupiter isn’t as favourable as usual.
Note: Uranus seems to be the planet to note because it’s coming up time and again in players’ charts (see below) and there are a lot of Sun Taurus players moving up the rankings. This isn’t a surprise with Uranus, the planet that’s all about highs or lows and nothing in between, moving into Taurus.
Stan Wawrinka won two of his Grand Slam victories over the last seven years during Uranus transits to his Sun Aries and Mercury Aries respectively.
The Players:
First, it’s important to note that the UK’s favourite Andy Murray is out injured and Roger Federer, at the grand old age of 36, is avoiding the clay season and sensibly waiting to compete at his favourite tennis ground, Wimbledon. He’ll be back.
Here’s the best of the rest. Please note, I’ve looked at all the top seeds and only write about the ones where the astrology is relevant.
Rafael Nadal, b. June 3, 1986, 7:10pm, Manacor, Spain, no. 1 seed
Rafael Nadal is the hot favourite to take the title at his favourite tennis venue. He’s already achieved ‘La Decima’, 10 Grand Slam wins at the French Open and he’s bidding for his 11th. 2018 was a tricky start for him as he had to withdraw from the Australian Open with an injury but recently he’s been in winning form at Monte Carlo, Barcelona and the Italian Open. (This coincided with his progressed Moon at 26 Gemini conjunct his natal Mercury, career planet. That progression is beginning to separate).
As is often the case, Nadal’s birthday falls during the French Open and, as this is Gemini season, this Sun Gemini is always in the swing of things. Plus, on the day of the final (see chart below), it’s Nadal’s Mercury Return. Mercury is Nadal’s career planet, strong in Gemini, and although the Mercury Return happens once a year, it’s a lovely nod to victory. The Sun/Mercury conjunction in Gemini sits atop a Gemini Midheaven, compellingly simple astrology to predict a Nadal win.
However, before racing ahead, Nadal has a major transit taking place which may not be comfortable. His Moon is 00 Taurus 42 so he will have an exact Uranus conjunction on May 29th, the day of the Full Moon. The Moon rules your emotions and this can be an unsettling transit. It’s not directly linked to his career and yet, it feels volatile.
He does have a key Jupiter transit trine his Venus at 15 Cancer, exact the following day, May 30th, but this seems more about relationships and an outpouring of love, again Jupiter is retrograde. The first week, therefore, will be crucial for him.
Alexander Zverev, b. April 20, 1997, (11:00pm or 3am), Hamburg, Germany, no. 2 seed
Young Alexander Zverev is a brilliant tennis player but the best he’s achieved at a Grand Slam is the fourth round. He is on something of a roll, however, and recently reached the final of the Italian Open against Nadal. He’s also the no. 2 seed going into the competition.
His astrology is amazing at the moment because he has a significant Uranus transit conjunct his Sun. Uranus conjunct the Sun is very different to Uranus conjunct the Moon (see Nadal) because the Sun is your essence and who you are becoming in your lifetime. It brings out your potential. Either that or you have a mid-life crisis and he’s rather young to be having one!
What’s frustrating about Zverev’s astrology is that he has two potential birth-times. If he’s born at 3am, he has the Sun at 29 Aries. If he’s born at 11pm, he has the Sun at 0 Taurus – it changes Sun signs depending on his time of birth. What it doesn’t change though is the fact that Uranus is going back and forth over his Sun this year and next as Uranus goes back and forth between Aries and Taurus (key months – May & November 2018, March 2019). Exciting times.
Uranus transits are often date-specific and personally I prefer the 11pm time. If this is correct, the date to note will be May 31st which is when Uranus will be conjunct his Sun Taurus. If he reaches the final, Mars at 7 Aquarius will be conjunct his natal Uranus at 8 Aquarius. He’s in the vibe of the current planetary set-up that’s causing a storm.
Grigor Dimitrov, b. May 16 1991, 5:30 am unconfirmed, Haskovo, Bulgaria, no. 4 seed
Another Sun Taurus, but Dimitrov’s Sun is at 24 Taurus, so he will get the Uranus transit in a few year’s time. What Dimitrov does have, however, is Mercury, often a key planet in tennis, at 29 Aries, so Uranus will be going back and forth over his natal Mercury this year and next.
If his time of birth is correct, Saturn is his career planet, and he has the Mars transit conjunct Saturn on the day of the final: Mars at 7 Aquarius, his natal Saturn in the 10th house of career at 6 Aquarius. It’s a competitive and fighting combination.
Kevin Anderson, b. May 18, 1986, no time, Johannesburg, South Africa, no. 6 seed
I’m liking these Sun Taurus players. Again, Anderson’s Sun is at 27 Taurus conjunct Mercury at 21 Taurus, so not electrifying for a few years yet. He does, however, have Venus at 26 Gemini so close to the Mercury/Midheaven combination on the day of the final. As an aside, Pluto is almost exactly conjunct his natal Mars at 20 Capricorn, which can indicate injury.
David Goffin, b. December 7 1990, 2:35pm, Liege, Belgium, no. 8 seed
A Sun Sagittarius, Goffin will have key Jupiter transits next year, 2019, when Jupiter moves into his star sign, Sagittarius. He has some big transits coming up as his Ascendant is 3 Taurus 34 so Uranus is honing in on his Ascendant. Plus, his Midheaven is 14 Capricorn and his career planet Saturn is at 22 Capricorn. That could prove interesting when Saturn is at those degrees next year.
Lucas Pouille, b. February 23 1994, 4:00 pm, Grand, Lorraine, France, no. 15 seed
Another confirmed birthtime – hoorah! Pouille is a Sun Pisces but what I like about his chart is the fact that his Jupiter is at 14 Scorpio 37 so he’s having his Jupiter Return during the tournament. Admittedly, it’s the retrograde phase, exact on June 10th, but nonetheless only one of a few players where Jupiter is strong.
Kyle Edmund, b. January 8 1995, time unknown, Beverley, UK, no. 16 seed
I really wanted Kyle Edmund’s astrology to be amazing. He’s a Brit; he made the semi-finals at the Australian Open earlier this year, he defeated Djokovic at the Madrid Open and he’s made the top 16. Without a time of birth, it’s hard to see what ‘s propelled him forwards.
He’s a Sun Capricorn and Pluto was conjunct his natal Sun last year. Sometimes, Pluto acts as turbo-fuel rather than wipes you out. I look forward to seeing how he progresses and with two lovely planets, Venus and Jupiter, in early degrees Sagittarius, it looks as if his winning streak will continue into 2019.
Hyeon Chung, b.May 19 1996, time unknown, Suwon, South Korea, no. 19 seed
This is where it gets really interesting, so I hope you’re still reading. Chung is yet another Sun Taurus, albeit at later degrees, 28 Taurus. He also has Mars at 12 Taurus and Mercury 22 Taurus so he’s entering an interesting phase in his life, thanks to Uranus, although nothing exact at this tournament, without a time of birth.
I was surfing the net earlier and came across the name, Sean Calvert. Some of you may have heard of him. He’s a red-hot punter who’s had many amazing tennis predictions over the last few years. One of the most recent was predicting John Isner to win the Miami Open at 100-1.
If you want to find out the top 5 he’s predicting for the French Open 2018, I believe you’re going to have to subscribe to Sportsline, a paid subscription. I know that he’s not predicting Nadal to win and one of his punts in the top 5 is Hyeon Chung. I wonder if he knows Chung is a Sun Taurus? Doubt it.
Kei Nishikori, b. December 29 1989, 5:30am unconfirmed, Matsue, Japan, no. 20 seed
Nishikori is back from injury. He’s a Sun Capricorn with a stellium of planets (in his case, 6) in this hard-working earth sign. What I like about his astrology chart is that he was born on a Sun/Uranus conjunction, so he’s not your normal Capricorn.
Plus, he has Saturn, Capricorn’s planet, going back and forth over his natal Sun at 7 Capricorn. This means he’ll be working harder than ever to achieve. Let’s hope Saturn’s kind to him and not injurious.
Novak Djokovic, b. May 22 1987, 11:25 pm, Belgrade, Yugoslavia, no. 21 seed
Blimey, can you believe it? Djokovic the no. 21 seed. Anyway, after a difficult year, he seems to be returning to form and this year is when his progressed Sun will be conjunct his natal Mars, his career planet (exact August 16th). So this should be firing him up.
Also, his Midheaven, the success point in his chart is 14 Scorpio so he has lucky Jupiter wafting success his way. Let’s not forget Jupiter is currently retrograde and he might have to wait for the direct conjunction, exact August 3rd, to be back to top potential.
Nick Kyrgios, b. April 27 1995, time unknown, Canberra, Australia, no. 22 seed
Kyrgios is yet another Sun Taurus. His Sun is at 6 Taurus so Uranus will be there in a year or so’s time. What intrigued me about his astrology is the fact that he was born on a Sun-Uranus square: Sun 6 Taurus square Uranus at 0 Aquarius.
Therefore, he’s having a Uranus transit square his natal Uranus. He already has something of a reputation as the bad boy of tennis, but I wonder whether this volatile configuration will kick in during the tournament. Next year is his Jupiter Return, when success beckons.
Serena Williams, b. September 26 1991, 8:28 pm, Saginaw, Michigan, USA
I thought I’d take a quick look at Serena William’s astrology as she’s coming back to Grand Slam tennis after giving birth last year. She won the Australian Open at 8 weeks pregnant and took a break from April 2017.
I was reading an article recently where the journalist told Roger Federer that he was the GOAT of tennis, i.e. greatest of all time. Federer immediately picked up on Serena Williams as the tennis player he admired and felt was deserving of the accolade. The two of them were born the same year, 1981, and basically they are both awesome.
Interesting astrology for last year, Serena had a Pluto transit conjunct her Midheaven at 17 Capricorn. So pregnancy/birth, the transformation of life, took her out of the game. Right now, she has a stunning Jupiter transit as her Venus is at 16 degrees Scorpio and all eyes are on her once again. The planet Venus isn’t linked to her career, but it does rule her Libra stellium (5 planets in Libra).
Her Ascendant is 3 degrees Taurus so Uranus is honing in and my suspicion is that this could bring her career to a halt. The Ascendant rules the physical body and Uranus conjunct the Ascendant is often a time when you reassess what’s important to you. I might be wrong and she could continue while Saturn moves over her Capricorn Midheaven. That’s potentially successful if she continues playing top-level tennis into 2019.
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Enjoy the tournament – my labour of love writing these tennis predictions will hopefully give you tennis/astrology fans food for thought and I look forward to reading your comments about the astrology and your tennis predictions. Remember to play nicely, otherwise referee Sally will have to step in.
French Open Prediction
My gut instinct is that even though Nadal is the hot favourite on paper, there’s going to be an upset this year. I’m rooting for the no. 2 seed, Alexander Zverev.
The astrological chart for the final:
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