A group of players the 32 men's seeds will want to avoid in Thursday's draw
Farewells, form and the fearlessness of youth pit a slew of hungry unseeded challengers in the Roland-Garros main draw.
Some have the runs on the board as former top-10 players – one even a Grand Slam champion – while others are champing at the bit, unbridled by expectations.
These 10 unseeded men’s hopes are among the names any opponent will be wary of when the draws are made at 2pm in Paris on Thursday.
The close-up image Monfils posted of his tennis shoes caked in terre battue served as a timely reminder his days as a player at his home Slam were almost up.
Now in the “last week of training on clay courts” ahead of his 18th Roland-Garros appearance, the former world No.6 and 2008 semifinalist was nothing if not inspired to put on a show for the French faithful.
While playing a limited schedule in 2026 – he has a 1-2 record on clay for the season – the mission remains clear: prolong the farewell at home as long as possible.
Arguably the most in-form unseeded 'floater', former junior Australian Open champion Blockx has shown he now has what it takes to mix it with the heavyweights on tour following a breakout claycourt swing.
A first top-20 win over Flavio Cobolli to reach the third round in Monte Carlo set the tone for bigger and better in Madrid, where the 21-year-old Belgian denied Felix Auger-Aliassime for his first top-10 victory, 16th seed Francisco Cerundolo and defending champion Casper Ruud for his first ATP Masters 1000 semifinal.
Since a third-round showing in Paris last year, 22-year-old Medjedovic has flourished on his return to clay in 2026.
The Serbian with the savagely whipping forehand has gone from strength to strength, having started his claycourt season with a sixth ATP Challenger title in Napoli before he had third seed Alex de Minaur’s measure en route to the semifinals in Barcelona.
It laid the foundations for a dash to a maiden fourth round at an ATP Masters 1000 event in Rome, where he outmuscled 27th seed Joao Fonseca.
Eleven years since his iconic checked shorts were draped in triumph over the media interview desk next to the Coupe des Mousquetaires, Wawrinka’s farewell tour has arrived in Paris.
The site of the second of his three majors in 2015, when he stunned world No.1 Novak Djokovic in the final, the Swiss sentimental favourite would love nothing more than to extend his stay beyond the opening round, as he did to the last 32 at Melbourne Park in January before famously downing a farewell beer on court following defeat to Taylor Fritz.
Having grown up grinding it out on the clay courts of La Plata, Argentina, it stood to reason Roland-Garros was where Tirante won his first Grand Slam match in 2023.
The now 25-year-old has raised it a notch in 2026 thanks to some of the biggest serving on tour, with victories over top-20 opponents Cameron Norrie and Cobolli to reach the fourth round at the Rome Masters.
It followed wins over the experienced Roberto Bautista Agut and 15th seed Tommy Paul to reach third round in Madrid and a second ATP semifinal in Houston on clay, where he foiled top seed Ben Shelton.
Form has eluded former world No.3 Tsitsipas in recent months, however the Greek knows what it takes as a three-time Monte-Carlo Masters champion and 2021 Roland-Garros finalist.
In his first of two major finals, Tsitsipas was two sets to the good against then No.1 Djokovic before the Serbian great reeled him in.
It came amid a stretch of six second-week appearances in the French capital.
Former world No.6 Hurkacz hasn’t had the easiest of times on court since a knee injury sidelined him for the second half of last season.
The big-serving Pole, however, has shown glimpses to suggest he is clawing his way back following a win over 15th seed Luciano Darderi in Monte-Carlo and an ATP Challenger final in Cagliari, Italy where he beat the likes of Matteo Berrettini with new trial coach Gilles Cervara on hand.
The 20-year-old Landaluce wants in on the new wave of Spanish success.
If his nation didn’t already have enough to be excited about with seven-time major winner Carlos Alcaraz and 19-year-old world No.29 Rafael Jodar, Landaluce is delivering on his own hype.
A maiden ATP Masters 1000 quarterfinal in Miami set the 20-year-old on his way before a first tour-level claycourt quarterfinal at the Rome Masters underpinned his standing as a multi-surface talent.
As a lucky loser, he saw off the likes of Marin Cilic and Medjedovic to depart the Italian capital as world No.67.
Staring down a Brazilian crowd to deny Fonseca in a battle of South America’s brightest prospects, 22-year-old Buse backed it up with victory over Berrettini for a maiden ATP semifinal in Rio de Janeiro in February.
The Peruvian, already inside the top 60, secured his second top-20 win over defending champion Cobolli in Hamburg on Tuesday, which lifted his ATP record on clay to an imposing 15-1.
An explosive ball-striker, former junior champion Prizmic first captured attention when he seriously tested world No.1 Novak Djokovic over four hours in the opening round of the 2024 Australian Open.
The 20-year-old Croatian snapped up his first top-10 win over Shelton last month in Madrid and qualified for his second straight claycourt ATP Masters 1000 event in Rome, where he stunned Djokovic en route to the fourth round.
ROLAND-GARROS
18 May - 7 June 2026
