Carlos Alcaraz’s withdrawal from Roland Garros has presented a huge opportunity for several players on the ATP Tour.
The Spaniard, who was bidding to three-peat in Paris this year, has been forced to withdraw from both the Italian Open and the French Open due to a wrist injury.
Alcaraz was the favourite to go all the way again this year, after he went back-to-back in 2025 with a sensational comeback victory over Jannik Sinner in the final.
A reminder of what happens when Jannik Sinner plays Carlos Alcaraz…
But now it’s Sinner who is in pole position for the crown, with the Italian in superb form recently, having gone undefeated since the beginning of March.
Novak Djokovic will, of course, be in the running, and so too will three other stars who have never won a Grand Slam before.
1. Alexander Zverev
Alexander Zverev may never get a better chance at finally capturing an elusive Grand Slam title than he will at Roland Garros in May.
The German, now 29 years of age, has made three major finals throughout his career, and failed to get over the line on each occasion.
Zverev is considered by many to be the greatest player never to win a Grand Slam, but now he has a golden opportunity to get rid of that title on his preferred surface of clay.
Who is the best ATP player never to win a Grand Slam title?
Is it Alexander Zverev, Marcelo Rios, Tomas Berdych, David Ferrer or maybe even someone else?
A finalist in 2024, Zverev has enjoyed several deep runs at Roland Garros over the years, and it’s the major he has had the most success at.
With his 2024 conqueror, Alcaraz, now out, Zverev may only have to battle past Sinner en route to a maiden title.
2. Ben Shelton
Despite the early exit in Madrid, it’s fair to say Ben Shelton’s clay-court game is looking much better heading into Roland Garros.
Shelton clinched his first ATP 500 clay title at the Munich Open earlier this month, beating Flavio Cobolli in the final to hoist the trophy.
The American does his best work at Grand Slams and has already reached two semifinals by the age of 23.
At last year’s French Open, Shelton was knocked out in the fourth round by Alcaraz, but he gave the eventual champion a run for his money.
Shelton took Alcaraz to four sets, and displayed a clear improvement in baseline exchanges on the surface.
He has made it clear he wants to rubbish the narrative that US men’s players simply can’t get over the line at Roland Garros, and with the defending champion out, Shelton will fancy his chances to do just that.
3. Joao Fonseca
While he hasn’t managed to win a title yet in 2026, Joao Fonseca has certainly proved that the hype surrounding him is warranted this year.
Following an impressive debut trip around the ATP Tour in 2025, the Brazilian teenager got off to a slow start in his second campaign, but quickly found form during the Sunshine Double.
Fonseca met both Sinner and Alcaraz for the first time at Indian Wells and Miami, respectively, and was very competitive with the world’s two best players.
- Against Sinner in Indian Wells: 7-6, 7-6 (L)
- Against Alcaraz in Miami: 6-4, 6-4 (L)
He then recorded his best finish at an ATP Masters 1000 tournament by reaching the quarterfinals in Monte-Carlo.
The 19-year-old is making progress with every passing tournament, and with a favourable draw at Roland Garros, Fonseca may finally deliver the Grand Slam breakthrough fans have been waiting for.
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