Sinner emerges as French Open favorite after Alcaraz injury absence
Carlos Alcaraz’s wrist injury removed the one man who had just beaten Jannik Sinner in Paris, leaving the world No. 1 alone atop a reshaped Roland-Garros field.
Jannik Sinner entered Roland-Garros as the kind of overwhelming favorite men’s tennis rarely gives one player in the post-Nadal era. With Carlos Alcaraz sidelined by a lingering right wrist injury, the French Open’s men’s draw opened around Sinner’s path, and the top seed arrived in Paris chasing both his first title at Roland-Garros and a career Grand Slam.
Alcaraz’s withdrawal changed the feel of the tournament immediately. He had beaten Sinner in a five-set final in 2025 to win the title, but he will not defend that crown after tests showed he would not recover in time. Without the reigning champion, the field lost its clearest counterweight to Sinner’s form and status as world No. 1, leaving a brief sense that men’s tennis may be tilting toward a single dominant favorite, even if the road in Paris still contains danger.
The draw did not leave Sinner without threats. Novak Djokovic, a three-time French Open champion, remained the most accomplished challenger and is chasing a record 25th major title. Alexander Zverev, the 2024 finalist, also sat among the leading names capable of exploiting any lapse. But Sinner and Djokovic landed in opposite halves, preserving the possibility of a final between the two if both navigate the week-to-week grind of clay-court tennis in Paris.
Sinner’s opening assignment was French wildcard Clément Tabur, a first-round matchup that underscored how the top half now belongs to the Italian until someone proves otherwise. The deeper challenge for the rest of the draw is tactical as much as psychological: Sinner’s consistency, return pressure and physical calm force opponents to take risks they may not want to take over the best-of-five format. Djokovic has the temperament and shot tolerance to stretch him, while Zverev has the serve and baseline power to make the match uncomfortable. Beyond that pair, the tournament felt wide open.
The 2026 Roland-Garros schedule ran from May 18 to June 7, with the main draw set for May 24 to June 7 at Stade Roland Garros in Paris. Tournament director Amélie Mauresmo also presided over an edition shaped by emotion as much as competition, with Stan Wawrinka and Gaël Monfils expected to bid farewell to Paris. Their exits would add a final layer of sentiment to a men’s draw defined by one towering question: can anyone stop Sinner before the title becomes his?
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