Roland Garros bombshell: Carlos Alcaraz’s absence turns Daniil Medvedev into the dark horse

Carlos Alcaraz won’t be part of the men’s singles draw at the 2026 French Open, which begins on 18 May, as he continues to recover from a wrist injury.

The injury first became an issue during the Barcelona Open, where he was forced to withdraw after his opening match. Since then, he hasn’t made a full return to competitive play.

Alcaraz was aiming for a third straight title in Paris this year after his back-to-back wins. His most recent victory came against Jannik Sinner in what many called one of the greatest finals in tournament history.

Sinner is now widely expected to take advantage of Alcaraz’s absence. The world number one has been in outstanding form and looks well-positioned for another deep run.

With Alcaraz not taking part, there’s now an opportunity for several other ATP players to step up and make their mark on the tournament.

Roland Garros 2026: The fight for the fourth seed

If the defending champion had been available this year, the top four seeds would have been pretty much set in stone: Sinner, Alcaraz, Alexander Zverev and Novak Djokovic.

Now with that spot wide open, Ben Shelton currently holds it in the live rankings. But he has already bowed out of the Italian Open, as have Felix Auger-Aliassime and Alex de Minaur, who are sixth and eighth in the live standings.

Taylor Fritz didn’t feature due to injury, leaving an opportunity for Daniil Medvedev to make up ground. With none of those players adding more points in Rome, Medvedev now has a path towards that fourth seed.

If he goes on to win in Rome, he’ll leap ahead of Shelton – though that path might run through Jannik Sinner in the semi-finals.

Medvedev’s track record at Roland Garros

Clay has never really suited Medvedev’s game, and his numbers at Roland Garros compared to the other Grand Slams reflect that.

He’s been to three finals at the Australian Open, reached two semifinals at Wimbledon, and even won the US Open. But his best showing in Paris is a single quarterfinal appearance back in 2021.

Across nine trips to the French Open, Medvedev has crashed out in the first round six times. The most recent of those came just last year.

Medvedev lost to Cameron Norrie in his opener last year, capping off what was already shaping up to be a rough season for him.

Read more: