2026 French Open: No Alcaraz, Gauff’s Struggles, and Sinner’s Grand Slam Quest

The French Open begins on Sunday as the 125th edition of Roland Garros takes place in Paris.

Italy's Jannik Sinner hits a return to Norway's Casper Ruud during the men's final of the ATP Rome Open tennis tournament at Foro Italico in Rome on May 17, 2026. Filippo Monteforte/AFP via Getty Images

Roland Garros is upon us, as the second major in tennis will start on Sunday with the 2026 French Open. This will be the 125th edition of the tournament, but it will be absent, perhaps, the biggest star in the sport.

Carlos Alcaraz won’t have the opportunity for a three-peat as he withdrew from the tournament due to a wrist injury. However, the reigning women’s champion, Coco Gauff, is part of the 2026 French Open field, with the women’s and men’s champions being crowned on June 6 and June 7, respectively.

Alcaraz’s void and Gauff’s repeat quest are some of the biggest talking points leading up to Roland Garros. Here are the top storylines to follow for the French Open 2026.

Jannik Sinner’s to Lose?

The top-ranked player in the world, and the No. 1 seed, Jannik Sinner is heavily favored to add to his Grand Slam count with no Alcaraz in his way. He lost to the Spaniard in last year’s final, and Roland Garros is the only missing piece from Sinner completing the career Grand Slam. If he does just that, he would become just the 10th man, and the fifth youngest, to win all four majors over a career.

The Italian is on a historic win, as he’s won five straight tournaments and is riding a 29-match win streak, dropping just two sets in the process. If the winning ways continue, then by the end of the French Open, not only would Sinner complete the career Grand Slam, but just two players in the ATP Tour Era (since 1990) will have longer win streaks: Novak Djokovic (43) and Roger Federer (41).

Coco Gauff Still Searching

After nine singles titles from 2023–25, including two majors, Gauff enters the 2026 French Open with no victories on the season. While she has lost in a pair of finals, she’s also been bounced before the quarterfinals three times. And now, she’s hoping everything comes together in Paris as that’s exactly what happened last year.

In 2025, Gauff had a stretch early in the year where she had three straight defeats only to rediscover her form and prevail on clay in France. If Gauff, who is the No. 4 seed, can triumph again, then she would join Chris Evert as the only American women to win back-to-back French Opens. In her favor is that the French Open has been Gauff’s most successful Grand Slam with an 84 percent win rate in her matches, while her next-highest is 77 percent at the U.S. Open.

If Not Sinner, Then Who?

There are a couple of sentimental favorites that fans hope to challenge if not defeat Sinner in France. Two-seed Alexander Zverev is still searching for his first major 14 years into his pro career. The German has 24 singles titles and three Grand Slam final appearances but has yet to win a big one. His 118 match victories at Grand Slams without a title are the second-most among active players, trailing only Frenchman Gael Monfils.

Speaking of Monfils, both he and Stan Wawrinka are making their final appearances at Roland Garros, with both retiring at the end of this season. The two were granted wildcards, as neither is expected to contend for the title, but one shouldn’t underestimate the overwhelming crowd support they’ll receive.

Finally, there’s the next tennis prodigy who will make his Roland Garros debut: 19-year-old Rafael Jodar, who is from Madrid. Spaniards named Rafael have done quite well in France—see Rafa Nadal’s record 14 French Open titles—as Jodar is the No. 3 ranked Spanish player in the world and the No. 27 seed for this event. Jodar earned his first pro victory in April at a lower-tier tournament, and if he’s able to win his first two matches, then that could set up a meeting with American Taylor Fritz in the third round. Those two matched up earlier this year in the Delray Beach Open in which Fritz won in straight sets.

10th Time’s the Charm?

This is No. 1 seed Aryna Sabalenka’s 10th French Open as she hopes to improve one step from her finals appearance last year. She sports a 27–3 record this season, and while she made the final in each of her first four tournaments, she’s been bounced early in both of her last two events. That’s noteworthy as those last two events were both held on clay, as the Belarusian has traditionally struggled outside of hard courts.

Of Sabalenka’s 24 singles titles, 21 have come on hard courts and just three on clay courts. If Gauff doesn’t stand as her biggest challenger, then it is undoubtedly the current Queen of Clay in Iga Swiatek. The No. 3 seed already has four French Open titles to her name, and she could join Evert (seven) and Steffi Graf (six) as the only women’s players with at least five wins at Roland Garros.

Joker’s Wild

You can’t talk about a major tennis event without bringing up the name of Novak Djokovic. It’s been 10 Grand Slam events since Joker won his last major, as he’s been stuck on a record-tying 24 Grand Slams since 2023. That record is shared with former women’s player Margaret Court, and Djokovic can own the outright lead in all of tennis with another win in Paris.

Not having Alcaraz in his way certainly helps, and Joker did defeat Sinner at the Australian Open. If Djokovic defies the odds and wins his 25th Grand Slam, that wouldn’t be the only record he breaks. Having turned 39 on May 22, he would also surpass Ken Rosewall (37) as the oldest player in the Open Era to win a major.