Jannik Sinner will enter this year’s edition of Roland Garros as the overwhelming favourite.
With last season’s champion Carlos Alcaraz sidelined due to a wrist injury, the world number one’s path to the title has been much easier.
Jannik Sinner is now a bigger favorite to win Roland Garros than Rafael Nadal ever was
Agree or disagree? Let us know in the comments!
Sinner is undefeated since February, having won five consecutive tournaments, all of which have been ATP Masters 1000 events.
There are, of course, several stars capable of giving the Italian a run for his money at Roland Garros, including Novak Djokovic and Alexander Zverev.
But Serena Williams’ former coach, Patrick Mouratoglou, suggested home hope Arthur Fils will have the best chance of doing so.
Patrick Mouratoglou discusses Arthur Fils’ ability
In a post on Instagram, Mouratoglou said: “Arthur Fils is going to play Alcaraz, he’s going to play Sinner. What does he have to do to reach that level?
“The way to do this is to continue to develop as an aggressive player. He will have to find a way to impose his game, his aggressive game, against also aggressive players.
“And those guys are going to try to be leading the rallies. They’re going to try to dictate. And he will try to dictate as well. In today’s game, it’s extremely important, and I think Alcaraz and Sinner show it.
“There is nothing to exploit when you play them. You have to outplay them. That’s the only way to beat them. I’m going to say the same about Arthur.
Is Arthur Fils a genuine threat to Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner?
“Maybe he makes more damage with the forehand than with the backhand, but he can do damage with the backhand as well. He’s serving well. He’s an incredible mover.
“So if you look at the overall player, there’s nothing to exploit against him. It makes a lot of sense to put him in that group.
“Of course, he’s far from having even the start of the achievements of Alcaraz and Sinner, but he’s progressing, and he’s progressing very fast.”
Arthur Fils’ results on clay so far during the 2026 swing
Fils kicked off his clay swing in remarkable fashion, overcoming the likes of Lorenzo Musetti, Rafael Jodar and Andrey Rublev en route to hoisting the Barcelona Open title.
The Frenchman then put together another lengthy run at the Madrid Open, advancing to the semifinals before falling to eventual champion Sinner.
Fils managed to take just six games off Sinner, who won in straight sets to clinch another ATP Masters 1000 crown.
His last appearance was at the Italian Open, where Fils withdrew from his opening match against Andrea Pellegrino due to injury.
Throughout his career, Fils has appeared at Roland Garros three times, with his best result being a third-round finish, which he achieved last year.
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