Sinner Tennis Player Starts French Open as 29-Match Favourite
Jannik Sinner begins the French Open as the sinner tennis player with the strongest case for the Coupe des Mousquetaires since Rafael Nadal. He arrives in Paris on a 29-match winning streak and with only two losses in 38 matches this season. Carlos Alcaraz’s wrist injury has stripped the draw of one of its two recent centerpieces.
Sinner and Alcaraz
The 24-year-old Italian world number one has turned the men’s draw into a chase rather than a debate. He and Alcaraz had split the spotlight across the past nine majors, but Alcaraz is ruled out of the French Open and Wimbledon, leaving Sinner alone at the top of the conversation.
Sinner’s path into Roland Garros is built on more than the record alone. He has won his past six Masters tournaments and collected clay-court titles in Monte Carlo, Madrid and Rome, then beat Casper Ruud 6-4 6-4 in last week’s Rome final. That is the kind of run that changes how the field has to play him from the first ball.
Djokovic on Sinner
Novak Djokovic, the third seed, put the situation plainly before the tournament opened. “He's maybe in the form of his life, and without Carlos being here increases his chances of claiming more Grand Slam titles,” he said about Sinner. He added: “But we are all here to try to win against him and prevent him from taking more titles.”
Ruud’s reaction after Rome showed how little margin Sinner is giving opponents. “The thing that makes him so good is you get no breathing room from any corner,” Ruud said. “Whether you're playing a forehand cross-court rally, or a backhand cross-court rally, you know the ball will come at a high pace and typically good placement as well.”
Rome Final Pressure
Ruud also spelled out the cost of missing even a few shots. “You know if you're not very precise with your own shots then he will get on top of you and punish you,” he said. “You know every shot needs to be close to perfect.”
That is the standard Sinner is carrying into Paris, and the field knows it. He lost to Novak Djokovic at the Australian Open and to Jakub Mensik in Doha, but those are the only blemishes on a season that has otherwise run through the biggest stages. The French Open starts on Sunday, and Sinner enters it as the clear leader of the men’s race.
