Draw Preview: Sinner’s Path To Paris Glory

The world No. 1 enters the tournament riding the fifth-longest ATP winning streak in Open era history (29 matches on the trot), having left a trail of opponents in his wake since his career-best winning streak commenced at Indian Wells in March.   

On Thursday in Paris, the official draw revealed Sinner’s potential opponents for the fortnight. Will anything come between the Italian sensation and the Career Grand Slam? 

With defending champion Carlos Alcaraz on the sidelines due to a wrist injury, most pundits tab this year’s men’s draw as a classic case of the best versus the rest, the rest being the heavy underdog. 

➡️ Roland-Garros 2026 men's singles draw

“To me, ultimately, it’s Sinner against the field, and I’d take Sinner right now,” said seven-time major champion John McEnroe in a conference call to promote TNT’s coverage of Roland-Garros on Wednesday. 

Will the 24-year-old world beater, who held three championship points in last year’s final against Alcaraz, raise the Coupe des Mousquetaires for the first time at the end of the fortnight, or will he buckle under the immense pressure that comes with being the overwhelming favourite this year? 

“It’s going to be more pressure, but it seems like he’s handling it extremely well,” adds McEnroe. 

If he’s successful, Sinner would become the seventh man to complete the coveted Career Grand Slam – winning at least one of each of the four major titles – in Open era history. 

Here’s how his route to the promised land shapes up.

Round 1: Tabur 

Sinner, 22-6 lifetime on the Parisian clay and 6-0 in first-round matches, will get his feet wet against French wild card Clement Tabur. Ranked No.165 and aged 26, Tabur made his first appearance in the Roland-Garros main draw last year, losing to compatriot Corentin Moutet in straight sets. 

Round 2: Fearnley or Juan Manuel Cerundolo 

Argentinian southpaw Juan Manuel Cerundolo carries form, having just won the Bordeaux challenger. He lost his only previous meeting to Sinner, 6-2, 6-2, 6-2 at Wimbledon in 2023. Ranked 122, Jacob Fearnley, who reached round three last year in Paris on his main draw debut, has never faced the Italian. 

Round 3: [30] Moutet or Landaluce 

Wily Corentin Moutet took a set from Sinner in the round of 16 in 2024; 20-year-old Martin Landaluce, an explosive Spaniard who has reached quarterfinals in Miami and Madrid this year, is playing at a career-high ranking of No. 67. 

Round of 16 (if the seeds hold): [14] Darderi 

On paper, Luciano Darderi shapes up as a likely round of 16 opponent for Sinner. The Italian just reached the semifinal in Rome and is a contender on the clay. His five clay-court titles speak to his prowess. Darderi lost his only meeting with Sinner in Australia this year in straight sets. 

Quarterfinal (if the seeds hold): [5] Shelton 

The draw gods clearly have a thing for pitting Ben Shelton against Sinner at the Slams. The Italian has knocked the American out in four of his last seven Grand Slam appearances, and he has won all nine of their previous meetings. No.9-seeded Alexander Bublik, defeated by Sinner in last year’s quarterfinals, also lurks as a potential last-eight clash.

Former finalist Stefanos Tsitsipas, unseeded and searching for form, is there as well. 

Semifinal (if the seeds hold): [4] Auger-Aliassime 

Felix Auger-Aliassime anchors the most wide open section in the men’s draw. There are players – Gael Monfils, Marin Cilic – that have played the semifinals in Paris before. There are others who possess clay-court savoir faire – Flavio Cobolli, Francisco Cerundolo – and there’s also former world No.1 Daniil Medvedev. It should be wild. 

Final: [2] Zverev or [3] Djokovic 

All eyes will be on 24-time major champion Novak Djokovic to see if he’s showing his best form in week one. If so, the three-time Roland-Garros champion will be the consensus pick to make his way to the final. Alexander Zverev, meanwhile, has done this drill before – he has lost nine in a row to Sinner, but the 2024 Roland-Garros runner-up always puts his best foot forward on the Parisian clay.