The men’s French Open is already underway, and the question on everyone’s mind is whether anyone can prevent Janik Sinner from winning yet another Grand Slam title, especially with Carlos Alcaraz out of the tournament with an injury.
Roland Garros Schedule and Overview
This year, the main French Open tournament runs from 24 May to 7 June. As always, the court is the legendary Stade Roland Garros with its iconic red clay surface.
It's the 125th edition of the tournament, with a €61 million prize fund, and with several events happening to immortalise legends of tennis.
The schedule for Roland Garros 2026 is packed, too. Quarterfinals start on 2 June and last throughout 3 June into the night. Ladies' Semifinals are on 4 June, while men's Semifinals are a day after.
Key dates are the big three final matches:
- Men’s Singles Final: Sunday, 7 June
- Women’s Singles Final: Saturday, 6 June
- Mixed Doubles Final: Thursday, 4 June
An Alcaraz-Shaped Hole
There’s only one place to start when it comes to the men’s draw, and that’s with the absence of two-time and defending champion Carlos Alcaraz.
He pulled out of the tournament with a wrist injury and is also likely to miss Wimbledon. Not only is it a blow to the tournament that he won’t be around to renew his rivalry with Jannik Sinner, but it’s a huge worry to the game in general, as wrist injuries are notoriously difficult to overcome and have ruined the careers of great players like Juan Martín del Potro.
He’s played some wonderful finals against Sinner over the past few years. Not only will we not get one this year in Paris, but it's uncertain when we'll see him at another Grand Slam.
Sinner Red-Hot Favourite
Sinner would surely have preferred his big rival to have been in the draw as the great champions are likely to beat the very best en route to winning the biggest prizes in the sport. But Alcaraz’s absence means many think Sinner just needs to show up to pick up yet another Grand Slam title.
And as if it wasn’t enough that there’s no Alcaraz and that the Italian is in outstanding form in winning Monte Carlo, Madrid, Rome and extending a huge winning streak heading into the tournament, he’s also been handed a favourable draw, avoiding most of the big-name clay-court specialists until the semi-finals.
As a result of all that, he’s just 1.3 to add another French Open title to his remarkable CV. We’d have to go back to the days of Rafeal Nadal in Paris for the last time a male player was such a short price to win a Grand Slam but you can certainly see why he’s at the odds that he is.
If Not Sinner, Then Who?
The second favourite is Alex Zverev at odds of 9.0. We all know the giant German is extremely capable, but he’s also had plenty of chances to win a Grand Slam and never quite pulled it off, so some may question his mindset and temperament in the biggest moments.
That’s not something you can say about Novak Djokovic (12.0), of course, who has won every major title in the game. But at 39, he’s not getting any younger, and the draw has certainly not been kind to the Serb. He could face the likes of Joao Fonesca, Casper Ruud and Zverev before even making the final, so he really will need to be at his absolute best.
As for Ruud (25.0), he’s made two finals here of his own and put in a good performance in defeat to Sinner in the Rome Open final recently, but like with Zverev, many wonder whether he can get over the final hurdle.
Then there’s Daniil Medvedev (40.0), who is a big-game player with excellent temperament, but he’s an inconsistent sort who can be just as prone to poor performances against much lower-ranked players as he is to playing brilliantly.
Best French Open Bet: Back Novak Djokovic to Make the Final
As per above, time is not on Djokovic’s side, and it’s quite remarkable that he’s still playing, let alone being extremely competitive.
But a man like him wouldn’t still be playing if he didn’t think he could win the biggest tournaments in the game. It’s been a while since his last Grand Slam title, but he’s never really looked like he’s in decline, either.
Yes, he doesn’t have a particularly easy draw. What he does have is all the experience and knowledge of being there and doing it, and few in the game have played the big points better than him. Make no mistake, he’ll have to be at his very best both physically and technically to make the final, but he’s certainly capable and at least avoids meeting Sinner until the final, so there’s that.
And he looked in good shape on Sunday, beating the dangerous Frenchman G. Mpetshi Pericard in the first round in four sets.
