Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner are the two main candidates to contend for the title at Roland Garros, the second Grand Slam tournament of the season. The Spanish champion lifted the trophy in the last edition thanks to an amazing run, despite his preparation had been conditioned by a forearm injury that had forced him to miss the tournaments in Monte Carlo, Barcelona and Rome.
The 22-year-old from Murcia had an adductor problem in his right leg this year and was unable to play the Mutua Madrid Open, but his preparation has been more linear as evidenced by his successes in Monte Carlo and Rome.
In the last act of the Rome Masters 1000, Carlitos defeated his top rival Sinner in straight sets and showed that he has a few more weapons on this surface. The world number 1 played his first official tournament after being suspended for three months and immediately expressed excellent tennis, although his level suddenly dropped in the second set of the final.
The 23-year-old from Sesto Pusteria reached the semifinals in Paris last year and has shown that he can also be a dangerous player on red clay, although these courts are the least congenial to his game. Having played several matches in front of his home fans in Rome, Jannik has decided not to participate in the Hamburg ATP this week and will arrive in the French capital today.
Two huge favorites in Paris
Bookmakers consider Alcaraz to be a slight favorite over Sinner to lift the trophy in this year’s edition, while other players such as Alexander Zverev, Novak Djokovic, Casper Ruud, Lorenzo Musetti, Jack Draper, Stefanos Tsitsipas and Holger Rune are far behind.
The draw ceremony will take place on Thursday and it will be very interesting to understand the potential path of the first two favorites.
The Spaniard is subject to more ups and downs than the Italian, who does not have the peaks of his top rival but who always maintains the same level during the season and is already certain to remain at the top of the ATP ranking until the end of the French Open.
