PARIS – The men’s draw at Roland Garros looks very different from what you did earlier in the week.
When Carlos Alcaraz withdrew before the tournament due to injury, Jannik Sinner became the clear favorite to lift the Coupe des Mousquetaires. World No. 1 he has been a consistent player on the tour all season and has appeared to have a good chance of passing through the rest of the team.
Few would have thought he would go out before the third round.
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Sinner’s stunning loss to Argentina’s Juan Manuel Cerundolo sent shockwaves through Roland Garros and quickly changed the perception of the tournament. Less than two days later, Novak Djokovic joined him on the sidelines after falling in five sets to young Brazilian Joao Fonseca.
With the tournament not yet halfway through, two of the sport’s biggest stars are gone, and suddenly, a lot of players have reason to believe that this could be their chance.
Alexander Zverev is among the top earners.
The German has established himself as one of the best clay court players of his generation, making several deep runs in Paris, including last year’s final. Despite his success, Grand Slam titles are still elusive, mostly because he has met the likes of Djokovic, Alcaraz, or Sinner in the final stages of major tournaments.
This year, the approach is more manageable.
Casper Ruud finds himself in a similar situation. A two-time Roland Garros finalist, the Norwegian has been producing his best tennis on clay and enters the second week with a realistic chance of making another run.
The possibilities don’t end there.
Fonseca’s victory over Djokovic was the kind of result that can change a player’s trajectory. This Brazilian player, who has long been considered one of the most outstanding young players in the game, now finds himself in a suddenly open recruitment process.
Elsewhere, Felix Auger-Aliassime and several other contenders are still alive in a race that no longer has a heavy favorite.
That is probably the biggest trip taken in the first week in Paris.
At the beginning of the tournament, most of the attention was focused on Sinner’s chances of taking another major title. Now, with Sinner out and Djokovic out of the way, the conversation has completely changed.
For the remaining players, Roland Garros has become a tournament of opportunity.
Week two will still feature tough matches and dangerous opponents, but for the first time in years, the men’s draw feels truly unpredictable. With the tournament heading into the quarterfinals, several players who may have entered Paris hoping for a deep run now have a legitimate chance to walk away with the biggest title of their careers.
