Daniil Medvedev may have exited the French Open, but the Russian will no doubt continue following the tournament.
The fifth seed lost at the fourth round stage to Australian Alex de Minaur, who clinched a 4-6, 6-2, 6-1, 6-3 win.
The hard-fought victory has earned him a quarter-final meeting with Alexander Zverev, who John McEnroe has backed to go all the way this year.
But that belief is not shared by Medvedev, who has made a different prediction as to who will lift the famous trophy in Paris.
The stage is now set for the men’s final eight, with world number one Novak Djokovic still in the mix and looking hard to beat.
Daniil Medvedev makes French Open champion prediction
The Serbian will take on Casper Ruud, while Jannik Sinner meets Grigor Dimitrov and Stefanos Tsitsipas faces off against Carlos Alcaraz.
But for Medvedev, there are two players who have a very good chance of tasting success at this year’s French Open ahead of the world number one.
“Oh, very, very tough to say,” Medvedev said in his post-match press conference.
“Well, you know, I always think predictions are a little bit disrespectful, because when you say someone, it’s like you’re a bit underestimating the other guys.
“But I would say that statistically – well, I saw Novak struggling with his leg or something, so this, I don’t know.
“At the moment seeing Novak struggling with his leg, I would say Carlos or Jannik because they are both playing good. Jannik had a tough one yesterday, managed to come back.
“So it’s just, you know, statistically, they both have a slam, they have experience. They are top 2, 3 in the world, so my opinion, Carlos or Jannik. But let’s see.”
Do either Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner have what it takes to win the French Open?
Philippe-Chatrier plays host to all the clashes, with the French Open crowd set to be in high spirits for the exciting encounters.
Despite a lack of success so far in 2024, top seed Djokovic may just fancy his chances of yet another Grand Slam title in Paris.
He has been involved in a few lengthy matches on the clay court so far, with his latest comeback win against Francisco Cerundolo leaving both McEnroe and Tim Henman speechless.
But the likes of young guns Alcaraz and Sinner will have ambitions of their own as they look to add to their honours list.
The former is a two-time major winner, emerging victorious at the 2022 US Open and Wimbledon 2023, while the latter clinched his first major title at the 2024 Australian Open.
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