A rivalry that began in 2022, on the ATP tour, saw a maiden Grand Slam meeting a year later on the lush green Centre Court of Wimbledon in the round of 16. Two months later, the two put on an epic showdown with the New York crowd on its feet until 2:50 am. From the quarterfinal in the US Open, Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner took it one step further when they clashed in the Roland Garros semifinal last year, delivering another five-set thriller. Can the same Court Philippe Chatrier witness the grand promotion to their rivalry and stage the first-ever Slam final featuring Alcaraz and Sinner, after both landed in opposite half of the draw?
FIRST QUARTER:
Sinner will have a tricky start, as he has been drawn against Arthur Rinderknech. The Frenchman, who will be the crowd favourite in the opening round-tie on Sunday, has beaten the Italian previously. Incidentally, it was their only encounter on clay. Sinner won the next two. He could set up a pre-quarters date with Arthur Fills, the highest-ranked localité, who had an impressive summer that saw him rise to a career-high ranking of 14. No. 5 seed Jack Draper, the reigning Indian Wells champion, who also reached the final in Madrid, could be waiting for him in the last eight. Sinner is 1-1 against the Brit.
Quarterfinal: Sinner beats Draper
SECOND QUARTER:
When was the last time a pre-Slam talk did not have any of the Big Three in the headlines? After Roger Federer’s exit and Rafael Nadal’s struggle with injury until his retirement last November, men’s tennis was about Novak Djokovic and the Grand Slam limits he could set with his quest for ultimate greatness. But all until the Next Gen stood firm and said, ‘Our time is now.’ It’s been almost 16 months since the Serb last won an ATP title – his longest drought. 2025 also witnessed a difficult start with a poor show in Monte Carlo and Madrid, before he split with coach Andy Murray, and then withdrew from the Rome Masters. The run left him seeded sixth in the Roland Garros draw, but luck played a stunning part in handing him an easy draw. Couple it with his run to the final in Geneva this week, which leaves him one behind a record-equaling 100th career title and Djokovic has a fair shot of causing a disruption, let alone end his wait for the unprecedented 25th major.
An out-of-form Daniil Medvedev in his half of the quarter is unlikely to leave the 3-year-old tensed. His most immediate threat is No. 3 seed Alexander Zverev, a potential quarterfinal opponent.
Quarterfinal: Djokovic beats Zverev
THIRD QUARTER:
This should have been Taylor Fritz’s quarter, with the American, seeded No. 4, being handed an easy opportunity to break in a Slam semifinal for the first time in his career. But clay hasn’t quite been his territory. This section of the draw could, however, be Lorenzo Musetti’s quarter. The No. 8 seed reached the final in Monte Carlo, before making the semifinal in both Madrid and Rome. But he does have a threat in Holger Rune, who could set up a mouth-watering round of 16 clash.
Quarterfinalist: Musetti
FOURTH QUARTER:
Fresh from his title wins in Barcelona and Rome, Alcaraz is the overwhelming favourite in this part of the draw. His most likely opponent in the last eight could be two-time French Open finalist Casper Ruud, who lifted the title in Madrid a few weeks back. But the Spaniard holds a 4-1 record against the Norwegian.
Quarterfinal: Alcaraz beats Ruud.
Prediction –
Semifinal: Sinner beats Djokovic; Alcaraz beats Musetti.
Final: Alcaraz beats Sinner.
