Jannik Sinner is due to go in pursuit of his first French Open title but it will not be easy.
The clay-court Grand Slam will be just the second tournament that the Italian will play since he returned from a three-month suspension.
The 23-year-old returned to tennis on home soil at the Italian Open, and reached the final without dropping a set before losing to Carlos Alcaraz.
Sinner withdrew from the Hamburg Open due to his solid performance in Rome, and he appears ready to compete for Grand Slam glory in Paris, but Andy Roddick has a warning for him.
Andy Roddick has a warning for Jannik Sinner at the French Open
In 2024 Jannik Sinner achieved his best result at the French Open by reaching the semi-finals.
He will aim to improve that statistic this season, and he will enter the tournament as the top seed for the first time.
He was given a standing ovation upon his return in Rome in front of his home fans, but Roddick has warned Sinner to not expect as much of a warm welcome from the French fans, especially if he faces a Frenchman.
“I’m just telling you as nice as the reception was for Sinner when he had kind of that soft landing in Rome, where he was getting standing ovations by the press when he speaks to the media,” Roddick said.
“It’s like two Frenchmen straight out of the gate, that’s a guarantee and then Arthur Fils, he is going to hear it from the French crowd in Paris for the first week of his this year’s French Open.
“He is going to deal with some things coming off of this suspension. It doesn’t seem to bother him. He seems like he’s able to compartmentalize, but you hear it, you just do. He deals with it better than most, but it doesn’t mean it doesn’t exist.”
Who will Jannik Sinner play at the French Open?
Sinner will commence his French Open campaign against French player Arthur Rinderknech.
Should the World number one advance he will face either Terence Atmane or Richard Gasquet, both of whom are French.
Furthermore, Gasquet is set to compete in his 22nd and final French Open, and will receive a rapturous ovation from the crowd.
Alejandro Davidovich Fokina or Jiri Lehecka can face one another in the third round, while another favourite in Arthur Fils could be waiting in round four.
Should Sinner advance to the quarter-final, he could face Jack Draper or Alex de Minaur, and his semi-final opponent could be Alexander Zverev or Novak Djokovic.
If Sinner were to reach the final, his likely opponent could be his rival Alcaraz, who defeated him in the French Open a year ago.
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