Jannik Sinner heads into Roland Garros as the top seed, aiming to extend his remarkable run at the top of men’s tennis.
He opens his tournament against French wildcard Clement Tabur in what should be a straightforward start for the world number one.
Sinner comes into Paris with five titles already this season and an outstanding 36-2 record.
His play hasn’t gone unnoticed, either. Tennis great John McEnroe has shared how he’d approach taking on Sinner if he were playing today.
Sinner’s likely path includes a semi-final clash with defending champion Carlos Alcaraz or Casper Ruud before a potential showdown with Novak Djokovic in the final.
John McEnroe weighs in on how he would approach Jannik Sinner
McEnroe told TNT Sports: “You’d have to find ways to get into his head. Which is extremely difficult. He’s a great kid, and he knows opponents will try that.
“His wingspan is huge, so you’d need to use short angles, drop shots and bring him forward, especially on clay, where the first step can slip.
“You don’t want to fall behind in rallies. You might need to take bigger risks on the return. His serve has improved a lot, so you have to decide whether to stand back or step in and attack the first ball.”
Sinner has only suffered two losses this year. Those came against Novak Djokovic at the Australian Open and Jakub Mensik in Doha – two outstanding performances.
This season, only Novak Djokovic and Jakub Mensik have managed to beat Sinner, with standout wins at the Australian Open and in Doha, respectively.
A look back at Jannik Sinner’s record at Roland Garros
A match-up between prime McEnroe and prime Sinner would be fascinating for fans – one from an era known for its serve-and-volley style against another built around baseline power.
The playing surface could make all the difference. The American picked up four Grand Slam titles at the US Open and three more at Wimbledon during his career. On the other hand, Sinner just needs a win at Roland Garros to complete his Career Grand Slam.
Sinner has yet to win in Paris but has still had a strong track record there since making his debut in 2020. He’s posted a 22-6 record at Roland Garros over that period.
Sinner’s best showing came just last year when he went down in a marathon final against Carlos Alcaraz that lasted five hours and 29 minutes – one of the most memorable matches of recent times. Across his entire career on clay courts, Sinner holds an 82-24 record. His winning percentage of 77.4% places him third among active players on this surface.
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