A year on from one of the most mesmerising and unpredictable Grand Slam tournaments in recent memory at the 2025 French Open, the men’s tournament at this year’s edition seemed a foregone conclusion.
With Carlos Alcaraz’s withdrawal, world number one Jannik Sinner entered Roland Garros as arguably as big a favourite as Rafael Nadal used to be on the clay courts of Paris.
Is men’s tennis boring without Carlos Alcaraz?
Sinner had not lost a match since February and had clinched five consecutive ATP Masters 1000 titles, three of which came on the clay surface.
The Italian recorded a convincing start to his campaign in the French capital, making quick work of home hope Clement Tabur in his opening match.
And he appeared to be cruising into round three just as comfortably when two sets and 5-1 up against Juan Manuel Cerundolo in the second round.
But as we have seen before with Sinner, physical issues saw his pursuit of the Career Grand Slam derailed, with the Argentine taking advantage of the hampered 24-year-old and winning in five sets, delivering a monumental upset, and blowing the draw wide open
The problem Roland Garros now faces without Jannik Sinner
For the first time since the 2023 US Open, there will be a Grand Slam champion not named Sinner or Alcaraz.
The dominance of the so-called ‘new two’ at majors over the last two years has excited some, and bored others, but neither star now being in contention for the Roland Garros crown has meant we’re in for the most compelling Grand Slam in years.
Well, compelling for the fans watching on TV, at least.
Because the higher-ups at Roland Garros, as well as any fan who’d purchased or was thinking of purchasing a Court Philippe Chatrier ticket, must have felt their hearts sink when Sinner bowed out of the competition during the day session on Thursday, knowing what the rest of the draw’s top half looks like.
One of these men will play in a Grand Slam final on the seventh of June:
- Juan Manuel Cerundolo
- Martin Landaluce
- Matteo Berrettini
- Francisco Comesana
- Jaime Faria
- Frances Tiafoe
- Matteo Arnaldi
- Raphael Collignon
- Felix Auger-Aliassime
- Brandon Nakashima
- Moise Kouame
- Alejandro Tabilo
- Flavio Cobolli
- Learner Tien
- Francisco Cerundolo
- Zachary Svajda
Of that list, there is only one former Grand Slam finalist (Berrettini) and just two former Grand Slam semifinalists (Auger-Aliassime and Tiafoe)
Every other day, from now until the latter stages of the tournament, that group of players will be combining to make up the order of play on the famous Court Philippe Chatrier, starting with Saturday, which will be headlined by the night session of Auger-Aliassime versus Brandon Nakashima.
| Order | Match |
| 1 (Day session) | Flavio Cobolli vs Learner Tien |
| 2 (Day session) | Amanda Anisimova vs Diane Parry |
| 3 (Day session) | Coco Gauff vs Anastasia Potapova |
| 4 (Night session) | Felix Auger-Aliassime vs Learner Tien |
While American women’s number one Coco Gauff will feature on Chatrier in the middle of the day, that lineup does not look great for filling the stands, which have seen a lot of empty seats at the best of times so far throughout the tournament.
There is, of course, a Frenchman in the top half of the bracket, which will always be a big draw for Roland Garros, as Brits are for Wimbledon, Americans are for the US Open, and Aussies are for the Australian Open.
But that Frenchman is a 17-year-old, Moise Kouame, and it would be piling a lot of pressure onto the promising young teenager to put him on Chatrier before at least the semifinals in his first Grand Slam campaign.
It means Roland Garros tournament organisers have been put in a very awkward position, in which, on the men’s side, their grandest stage will be showcasing a lineup you’d find at most ATP 250 events.
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