Jannik Sinner will have a great chance to capture his first Roland Garros title and complete the Career Grand Slam following the withdrawal of his rival, Carlos Alcaraz.
Alcaraz pulled out of the French Open as well as the Italian Open due to a wrist injury he sustained during the clay season.
The Spaniard was set to attempt a three-peat in Paris, a year after he went back-to-back by triumphing in one of the greatest Grand Slam finals of all time against Sinner.
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His omission from this year’s edition means the Italian will now be the overwhelming favourite to go all the way and secure major number five.
Sinner’s first Grand Slam campaign of the season ended with a semifinal loss to Novak Djokovic at the Australian Open.
The five-set thriller with the Serb lasted just over four hours, and Serena Williams’ former coach, Patrick Mouratoglou, suggested the world number one has a mentality problem in such matches.
Patrick Mouratoglou highlights ‘crazy statistic’ about Jannik Sinner
In a post on Instagram, Mouratoglou said: “I’m sure you’ve seen that crazy statistic about Alcaraz and Sinner, about the matches that last 3 hours and 50 or more.
“Sinner has lost 9 out of 9, while Alcaraz has won 15 out of 16. I don’t think it’s a physical problem. The only other explanation possible is that it’s mental.
“Sinner, with his type of game, with his focus, finds a way to win the matches quite easily all year long. Jannik Sinner has won 88% of his matches in 2025 and 2026 so far without dropping a single set.
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“While Alcaraz, in the same period of time, has won only 70% of the matches without dropping a set. Alcaraz has to fight and find solutions to win. Sinner doesn’t have to do it.
“He’s winning in straight sets in the immense majority of his matches. When it comes to very long matches, he has to find solutions to win, which is something that he doesn’t have to deal with most of the season, compared to Alcaraz, who has to deal with it.
“Some doubts can come in. Then it can affect your belief in your ability to find a solution.”
Jannik Sinner’s results at the French Open over the years
The French Open title is the only crown separating Sinner and the Career Grand Slam, and he came agonisingly close to winning the competition last year.
Sinner squandered three match points in the final against Alcaraz, who fought back from two sets to one down.
The previous year, Sinner had gone as far as the semifinals in Paris, where he also found himself 2-1 up in a match against Alcaraz, who ultimately won the last two sets before beating Alexander Zverev in the final.
Prior to 2024, Sinner’s best attempt at Roland Garros was his very first in 2020, when he advanced to the quarterfinals.
After beating Zverev in the fourth round, Sinner was defeated by then-three-time defending champion Rafael Nadal, who went on to win his fourth straight that year, and 13th overall.
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