From the California desert to Miami; Monte Carlo to Madrid; and the red clay of Rome, too, nobody has been able to beat Jannik Sinner for three full months.
By sweeping the first five Masters 1000 tournaments of the year, the top-ranked Sinner has dominated tennis like few other players have in the sport’s recent history while amassing a 29-match winning streak.
And yet now the stakes are rising for Sinner as he attempts to complete a career Grand Slam by winning the French Open.
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Jannik Sinner of Italy in action against Carlos Alcaraz of Spain. Getty
The clay-court Grand Slam, which starts on Sunday in Paris, is the only major that Sinner hasn’t won.
A couple of hours after becoming the first Italian man to win the Italian Open in 50 years last weekend, Sinner’s focus was already pivoting toward Roland Garros.
“We don’t have much time to realise what we’re accomplishing,” Sinner said.
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“I said it before the start of the year: My main goal is and remains Paris. What we’ve done here and the rest of the year is incredible. I realise that. But mentally I know that now I’ve got to do all the right things. It’s necessary to rest, but I also need to stay in form because soon my most important tournament of the year is approaching.
“I don’t want to put too much pressure on myself, because that comes by itself.”
The pressure on Sinner has heightened with his only real rival, Carlos Alcaraz, currently sidelined due to a right wrist injury that will keep the Spaniard out of the French Open.
Carlos Alcaraz of Spain tries to stay cool with a wet towel alongside his team. Getty
Alcaraz became the youngest man to complete a career Grand Slam when he won the Australian Open in February at 22.
The 24-year-old Sinner has matched Pete Sampras’ 29-match winning streak from 1994 for the fifth longest run in the ATP Tour era (since 1990).
Novak Djokovic holds the record with 43 straight match wins in 2010-11.
All nine Masters events in a year?
With his Rome title, Sinner has already become the second man after Djokovic to win all nine Masters 1000 events – the biggest tournaments outside the Grand Slams – over his career.
Djokovic won each event at least twice.
Might Sinner want to consider attempting to win all nine Masters events this year, now that there’s only Canada, Cincinnati, Shanghai and Paris remaining?
That’s something that not even Djokovic accomplished.
“We need to go tournament by tournament. The most important thing is to feel good physically on the court. If you’re not feeling well physically, you’ll go nowhere,” said Sinner, who had to overcome exhaustion and fatigue during a semi-final victory over Daniil Medvedev in Rome.
“The most important thing for me is my body. Everyone plays tennis well,” Sinner said of his fellow pros.
Jannik Sinner of Italy celebrates against Carlos Alcaraz of Spain. Getty
Still, Sinner suggested that because he won’t be playing any grass-court warmups before defending his Wimbledon title this year, “there’s a chance we play in Canada” in August.
“I don’t think it’s realistic,” Sinner added of winning all nine Masters in the same year.
“It’s not possible to continue playing like I am now for the entire season.”
When does it start?
Play begins at Roland Garros on Sunday, May 24 at 7pm AEST.
Where can I watch it on TV?
With every match streaming live and on demand on Stan Sport, and centre court in 4K, tennis has never looked better.
Coverage will also be available on 9Gem and streaming on 9Now.
For all the Roland-Garros headlines, talking points and highlights, Grand Slam Daily will be streaming every day on Stan Sport from 11am AEST.
The show will be hosted by Chris Stubbs, who will be joined in Paris by Daniela Hantuchova, Barbara Schett, Mark Woodforde and Mark Petchey, as they talk to some of the biggest names in world tennis.
Chris Stubbs and Mark Petchey on Grand Slam Daily. Stan
Who are the reigning champions?
Coco Gauff of the United States and Carlos Alcaraz of Spain.
Gauff won the trophy for the first time by defeating top-ranked Aryna Sabalenka 6-7 (5), 6-2, 6-4.
Alcaraz rallied from two sets down and saved three match points to beat top-ranked Jannik Sinner 4-6, 6-7 (4), 6-4, 7-6 (3), 7-6 (10-2) for his fifth major title in as many finals.
It was Alcaraz’s second straight French Open title. Alcaraz injured his right wrist this season and has withdrawn from the French Open and Wimbledon.
Who are the top seeds?
Sabalenka is the women’s, and Sinner is the men’s.
They are ranked No.1 and the tournament seedings follow the WTA and ATP rankings.
Who are the betting favourites?
Four-time Roland Garros champion Iga Swiatek is listed by bookmakers as the joint-favourite in the women’s singles.
As of Friday night AEST she is paying $3.75 – the same price as Aryna Sabalenka. Coco Gauff is third favourite at $7.
In the men’s draw, in the absence of the injured Alcaraz, Sinner is the overwhelming favorite at $1.36, ahead of Alexander Zverev at $11 and Novak Djokovic at $12. Australia’s Alex de Minaur is paying $81 to win his first major.
What is the singles schedule?
— Sunday through Tuesday: First Round (Women and Men)
— Wednesday-Thursday: Second Round (Women and Men)
— May 29-30: Third Round (Women and Men)
— May 31-June 1: Fourth Round (Women and Men)
— June 2-3: Quarter-finals (Women and Men)
— June 4: Women’s Semi-finals
— June 5: Men’s Semi-finals
— June 6: Women’s Final
— June 7: Men’s Final
What’s new this year?
Electronic devices that record players’ biometric data have been authorised on a trial basis for the first time.
The initiative is designed to help players gain insights into their physical performance and recovery throughout the tournament.
Athletes will be allowed to use any device included on the “player analysis technology” list approved by the International Tennis Federation. The trial will begin at Roland Garros and continue at the other Grand Slam tournaments this year.
What is the prize money?
Top players have expressed “their deep disappointment” at the French Open prize money.
Open organisers announced an overall prize money increase by about 10 per cent for an overall pot of $100 million. The total amount is up $8.62 million from last year.
But the players said their share of Roland Garros revenue has declined from 15.5 per cent in 2024 to 14.9 per cent projected in 2026. The Australian Open this year increased the players’ pay by 16 per cent, and the US Open last year went up by 20 per cent.
Is it the French Open or Roland-Garros?
Both. English speakers tend to use “French Open,” although the French Tennis Federation doesn’t call it that.
The French – and much of the rest of the world – go with “Roland Garros,” which is the facility that hosts the tournament and is named after a World War I fighter pilot.
The French Open is played outdoors on red clay courts at Roland-Garros on the southwest outskirts of Paris.
Rafael Nadal at Roland Garros during day one of the French Open. WireImage
Women play best-of-three-set matches with a first-to-10 tiebreaker at 6-all in the third; men play best of five with a tiebreaker at 6-all in the fifth.
There are separate day and night sessions most days. The event lasts 15 days.
There is a retractable roof on the main stadium, Court Philippe-Chatrier.
Alex de Minaur of Australia celebrates winning against Frances Tiafoe of the United States. Getty
Who are the Aussie hopes?
If Alex De Minaur is to go deep at Roland-Garros, he’s going to have to overcome several tricky opponents before a potential quarter-final meeting with Novak Djokovic.
And he’s not the only Aussie facing an uphill task after the draw for the clay-court slam was released on Friday morning.
De Minaur, the No.8 seed, will begin his campaign against a qualifier or a lucky loser, but assuming he progresses, is then likely to face unseeded world No.36 Alexander Blockx.
Andrey Rublev. Stan
From there, he could face nothing but seeded players – Czech Jakub Mensik in the third round, and Andrey Rublev in the fourth.
He’s on a path to potentially meet Novak Djokovic in the quarter finals. But after the withdrawal of Carlos Alcaraz – who knocked de Minaur out of the Australian Open – hopes will be high the Aussie can have his best run in Paris.
He won’t have to face the world’s best player Jannik Sinner until the final if both men make it that far, although de Minaur’s best surface has never been clay.
Of the 13 Aussies in the two main draws, five have drawn seeds in the first round.
On the men’s side, Adam Walton has No.6 seed Daniil Medvedev first up, while Rinky Hijikata takes on American No.24 seed Tommy Paul.
On the women’s side, Kim Birrell will face No.5 seed Jessica Pegula, Maya Joint against No.28 seed Anastasia Potapova, while teen Emerson Jones has the toughest challenge of all the Aussies in No.3 seed and four-time French Open champion Iga Swiatek.
Ajla Tomljanovic at the French Open at Roland Garros. Getty
Roland Garros first round Australian matches
(Australians listed first)
MEN
Aleksandar Vukic v Raphael Collignon
Alexei Popyrin v Zachary Svajda
Adam Walton v Daniil Medvedev [6]
Alex de Minaur [8] v LL/Q
Rinky Hijikata v Tommy Paul [24]
James Duckworth v Gabriel Diallo
Thanasi Kokkinakis v Terence Atmane
WOMEN
Daria Kasatkina v Zeynep Sonmez
Kimberly Birrell v Jessica Pegula [5]
Maya Joint v Anastasia Potapova [28]
Talia Gibson v Yulia Putintseva
Ajla Tomljanovic v Caty McNally
Emerson Jones v Iga Swiatek [3]