Three dark horses circle Roland-Garros crown following Carlos Alcaraz’s stunning withdrawal

Carlos Alcaraz’s absence from this year’s French Open has created an opening at the top of the men’s draw.

Having already been ruled out of the Italian Open, the 22-year-old has now pulled out of Roland Garros with a wrist issue, dashing his hopes of chasing a third straight title in Paris.

Alcaraz was tipped to complete a hat-trick after overcoming Sinner in five sets in last year’s final. Now, with Sinner unbeaten since March and his health holding up, there’s little debate over who takes over as favourite.

Djokovic will still have plenty of say in how things unfold at Roland Garros, while Casper Ruud, Stefanos Tsitsipas and Alexander Zverev are all looking for their first Grand Slam titles.

Novak Djokovic, chasing what would be his fourth French Open title and record-extending 25th major overall, started slow but has gradually found his form.

1. Alexander Zverev

This year’s Roland Garros might be the best chance Alexander Zverev has had in a while to finally get his hands on a Grand Slam title.

The German, now 29, has made it to three major finals but hasn’t been able to finish the job yet.

Many still see him as the best player never to have won a Slam, but this tournament gives him another shot to shed that label – and on clay, where he’s always looked most comfortable.

Zverev was runner-up here last year and has had plenty of strong runs at Roland Garros over the years. It’s easily been his most consistent Slam.

With Alcaraz, who beat him last year, now out of the mix, the path might just come down to getting past Sinner for a first major title.

2. Ben Shelton

Even with an early exit in Madrid, Ben Shelton’s clay game is starting to come together just in time for Roland Garros.

The 23-year-old picked up his first ATP 500 title on clay earlier this month at the Munich Open, where he got the better of Flavio Cobolli in the final.

Shelton has already reached a couple of Grand Slam semi-finals by this stage of his career and tends to save his best tennis for the bigger events.

He was knocked out by Alcaraz in last year’s fourth round at Roland Garros, but pushed him hard, taking a set off him and showing real progress from the baseline.

Shelton has been vocal about wanting to change that narrative. And with Alcaraz out of the way this year, he’ll back himself to make a deep run.

3. Joao Fonseca

Although he’s yet to claim a title in 2026, Joao Fonseca is showing early signs that the hype around him is justified.

The Brazilian made a slow start to his second season after an impressive rookie year in 2025 but found his rhythm during the Sunshine Double.

Fonseca faced Sinner and Alcaraz for the first time at Indian Wells and Miami, holding his own against two of the top players in the world.

He then recorded his best finish at an ATP Masters 1000 event by reaching the quarterfinals in Monte-Carlo.

The 19-year-old seems to be getting better with each tournament, and with a favourable draw at Roland Garros, this could be the moment fans have been waiting for.

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