Alex de Minaur is back to winning ways at Roland Garros, where he could face a reunion with Jannik Sinner.
Sinner and De Minaur could meet in the final of the clay-court Grand Slam, where the Italian is aiming to complete the career Grand Slam.
He’s also seeking his sixth title of the season, having already won five ATP Masters 1000 tournaments in 2026.
Such dominance from Sinner has now been discussed by De Minaur, who beat qualifier Toby Samuel in straight sets in his opening match at Roland Garros.
Jannik Sinner is now a bigger favorite to win Roland Garros than Rafael Nadal ever was
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Alex de Minaur praises Jannik Sinner but remains focused on himself
When asked on Tennis Channel what the mentality is when Sinner is constantly the favorite to win tournaments, De Minaur said: “My sole goal is worrying about myself, there is no point worrying about what he is doing.
“The way I am looking at it is that I have had a little bit of an up and down year. I have just come out of a slump where I did not feel I was playing some of my best tennis.
“Hamburg was really important for me where I felt like I found my mojo again and got my confidence back.
“That was exactly the type of week I needed going into here at Roland Garros and now I am playing with a lot of confidence.
“The way I see it is that Jannik is on a tear, the more matches that he wins, the more likely he probably is to lose one, because he is human after all!
“But the level that he is playing is obviously above everyone else at the moment.
“For me it’s about keeping my head down and focusing on what’s in front of me, that is Alexander Blockx in the second round, and that should be a really nice battle.”
Can any of these four players stop Jannik Sinner winning the French Open this year?
Is there anyone else you think could be a threat to Sinner?
Alex de Minaur’s nightmare record vs Jannik Sinner
De Minaur entered Roland Garros with an 18-10 record, having just reached the semifinals in Hamburg, where he lost to Tommy Paul.
He has continued that form into Paris with a 6-4, 6-4, 6-2 opening win over Samuel, but now faces a tricky test against rising star Blockx.
Meanwhile, world number one Sinner opens his Roland Garros account against Clement Tabur, looking to improve upon his runner-up finish from 2025.
Another record that he could improve upon this year is his extremely one-sided head-to-head with De Minaur.
| Year | Winner | Tournament | Round | Surface | Score |
| 2025 | Jannik Sinner | Nitto ATP Finals | Semifinal | Indoor Hard | 75 62 |
| 2025 | Jannik Sinner | Vienna | Semifinal | Indoor Hard | 63 64 |
| 2025 | Jannik Sinner | Beijing | Semifinal | Outdoor Hard | 63 46 62 |
| 2025 | Jannik Sinner | Australian Open | Quarterfinal | Outdoor Hard | 63 62 61 |
| 2024 | Jannik Sinner | Davis Cup Finals | Semifinal | Indoor Hard | 63 64 |
| 2024 | Jannik Sinner | Nitto ATP Finals | Round Robin | Indoor Hard | 63 64 |
| 2024 | Jannik Sinner | Rotterdam | Final | Indoor Hard | 75 64 |
| 2023 | Jannik Sinner | Davis Cup Finals | Final | Indoor Hard | 63 60 |
| 2023 | Alex de Minaur | ATP Masters 1000 Paris | Round of 16 | Indoor Hard | W/O |
| 2023 | Jannik Sinner | ATP Masters 1000 Canada | Final | Outdoor Hard | 64 61 |
| 2022 | Jannik Sinner | ATP Masters 1000 Madrid | Round of 32 | Outdoor Clay | 64 61 |
| 2022 | Jannik Sinner | Australian Open | Round of 16 | Outdoor Hard | 76(3) 63 64 |
| 2020 | Jannik Sinner | Sofia | Quarterfinal | Indoor Hard | 67(3) 64 61 |
| 2019 | Jannik Sinner | Next Gen ATP Finals | Final | Indoor Hard | 42 41 42 |
The Italian and the Australian have met 13 times on the ATP Tour throughout their careers, and Sinner has won all 13 matches.
De Minaur clearly struggles massively against him, with their history strongly suggesting only one winner should they both reach the final in Paris.
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