A new grand slam champion will be crowned at this year’s French Open after Novak Djokovic and Jannik Sinner were knocked out on consecutive days to blow the tournament apart.
A day after overwhelming pre-tournament favourite Sinner collapsed from two sets up, Djokovic suffered the same fate as the 39-year-old was stunned by the brilliance of Joao Fonseca.
Between them, Sinner, Djokovic, Carlos Alcaraz and Daniil Medvedev have combined to win every men’s grand slam title since the start of 2021. But all four are now out of contention in Paris.
Alcaraz was unable to defend his title due to a wrist injury, with the Spaniard also set to miss Wimbledon, and an unexpected name is now confirmed to follow him.
Additionally, for the first time in the Open era, the last-16 will start without a former grand slam champion in the draw. Here, we look at the contenders in the men’s French Open.
Alexander Zverev (2nd seed)
Unequivocally, this is the moment Zverev has been waiting for. A mainstay at the top of the sport for nearly a decade, the 29-year-old German has lost all three of his grand slam finals. Now, six years on from serving for the match in the US Open final against Dominic Thiem, surely this is his time to break the duck? With Djokovic, a possible semi-final opponent, now out, Zverev is the most experienced player left in the draw, and will be the favourite in every match he plays. That brings pressure, too.
Rafael Jodar (27)
A teenage winner at the French Open? What a story that would be, the first champion of such an age since Nadal in 2005. And some believe that Jodar, like his compatriot before him, is capable. The 19-year-old made his grand-slam debut at this year’s Australian Open, reaching the second round, and he has already bettered that effort by reaching round three in Paris. More pertinently, however, Jodar entered the French Open on the back of his first pro title, on the same surface on which Roland Garros is played: just last month, he won an ATP 250 trophy on Moroccan clay. He has the form, he has the youthful confidence, and he has zero pressure on his shoulders.
Joao Fonseca (28)
He’s beaten Djokovic, now can Fonseca follow in the footsteps of three-time French Open champion Gustavo Kuerten and bring a grand slam title back to Brazil? The 19-year-old has the firepower to go all the way, as he proved in the closes stages of his unbelievable comeback against Djokovic from two sets down. He has the guts, too, having fought from two sets down in consecutive rounds. “There’s a lot of excitement around him and rightfully so,” Djokovic said. “Hopefully he can be the the next great thing and win slams.”
Casper Ruud (15)
Suddenly, the Norwegian might be dreaming of banishing his repeated Roland Garros heartbreak. He’s going to do it the hard way, though. After feeling “like a zombie” due to the heat in his first-round win, Ruud had to save match point as he fought from two sets down to beat Tommy Paul in the third round. He has the game, though, and the skill on this surface. In 2022 and 2023, Ruud made stellar runs to the final of the French Open, only to encounter Rafael Nadal then Novak Djokovic at the end. He will play Fonseca in the fourth-round.
Felix Auger-Aliassime (4)
On the right side of the draw and positioned perfectly to attack a breakthrough in the grand slams. The Canadian could be on a collision course with French teenage sensation Moise Kouame should both advance to the fourth round. First up, American Brandon Nakashima, but the 25-year-old must surely be eyeing up a career-best performance at Roland Garros after two fourth rounds in 2022 and 2024, while his career-best performance in the grand slams is the semi-final in the US Open in 2021 and 2025.
Jakub Mensik (26)
After collapsing on court with heat exhaustion at the end of his second-round win, the 20-year-old Czech produced a stunning recovery to defeat eighth Alex de Minaur 0-6 6-2 6-2 6-3. Now resurrected, Mensik could be a threat to any player in the draw, having won a breakthrough title by beating Novak Djokovic in the final of the Miami Open last year.
Matteo Berrettini (unseeded)
What a romantic story this would be. The Italian reached a Wimbledon final in 2021 before injury nightmare struck. He missed Roland Garros in four consecutive years but is now back in Paris for the first time since his top-10 peak. With one of the biggest serves in the game, Berrettini, now 30, can be a threat to any player and is the only player in the top half of the draw to have previously reached a grand slam final.
Frances Tiafoe (19)
The popular American, who has retrieved his racket from a fan after victory over Hubert Hurkacz following a social media plea, is the highest seed remaining in the ‘Sinner-quarter’ of the draw, but the worry is whether he will have enough left in the tank. He came through a five-set battle in nearly five hours against Hurkacz in round two but, while his grit and athleticism can take him far, he’ll need to be more clinical in his matches if he wants to go deep into the second week. For the 28-year-old, a first Grand Slam final is now a very realistic possibility.
Moise Kouame (unseeded)
Why not? The 17-year-old wildcard is making a name for himself in Paris after becoming the youngest player to reach the third round of a grand slam since Rafael Nadal in 2003. He will have the backing of the French crowd, who were electric in his brilliant five-set win over Adolfo Daniel Vallejo in the second round. Sure, he’s completely inexperienced, having won just one professional match before this week, but Kouame is a showman, capable of hitting winners from all angles.
Men’s French Open Winner 2026 odds
- Alexander Zverev 11/8
- Casper Ruud 11/2
- Rafael Jodar 13/2
- Joao Fonseca 10/1
- Francisco Cerundolo 12/1
- Felix Auger-Aliassime 18/1
- Flavio Cobolli 18/1
- Andrey Rublev 22/1
- Matteo Berrettini 33/1
- Frances Tiafoe 33/1
