Jannik Sinner arrives at the French Open on Sunday as the man the men’s draw now has to beat. The Italian world number one has lost only two of his 38 matches this season, and both came against opponents who found a rare way through his wall: Novak Djokovic at the Australian Open and Jakub Mensik in Doha.
Since then, Sinner has won 29 straight matches and has taken the last six Masters tournaments he entered, including clay-court titles in Monte Carlo, Madrid and Rome. Last week in Rome, he beat Casper Ruud 6-4 6-4 in the final, a result that underlined how little room he gives even top-level opponents. Ruud said there is no breathing room from any corner when the 24-year-old is striking the ball cleanly, adding that every shot has to be close to perfect or Sinner will get on top of you and punish you.
The weight of that form is sharper now because Carlos Alcaraz has been ruled out of the French Open with a wrist injury, just as he was forced out of Wimbledon with the same problem. For the past two seasons, the men’s game has been shaped by the battle between Sinner and Alcaraz, and the pair have shared the past nine majors between them. With Alcaraz absent, Sinner is the clear leader in a draw that had looked like a two-horse race.
Djokovic, who beat Sinner in Melbourne and knows the level required to stop him, said the Italian is maybe in the form of his life. He also said Sinner’s chances of claiming more Grand Slam titles rise without Alcaraz in the field, though he added that the rest of the pack are still there to try to beat him and prevent more titles from slipping away.
That is the tension hanging over Paris. Sinner has been the third seed, but the seeding offers little comfort against a player who has looked almost untouchable on clay and inside the biggest events of the season. The French Open begins with Sinner not just as a contender, but as the most complete answer to the question of who can stop the sport’s fastest-rising force.
