Former World No.1 Sees Better Chances for Novak Djokovic at Roland Garros Amid Carlos Alcaraz’s Absence

Former World No.1 John McEnroe believes Novak Djokovic’s chances of capturing his 25th Grand Slam title at the French Open have improved in the absence of Carlos Alcaraz in the draw. Alcaraz will not play at Roland Garros following a wrist injury he sustained at the Barcelona Open in April.

Alcaraz would have been the favorite to win the French Open if he hadn’t sustained an injury. The Spaniard won the clay-court Grand Slam in 2024 and defended it last year. He had already won the first Grand Slam of the season in January and had claimed two titles before injury forced him to withdraw from the clay-court tournaments.

Djokovic, who has won the Roland Garros three times in his career, last claimed the title in 2023. He reached the semi-finals last year before losing to Jannik Sinner. Also, he got to the final of the Australian Open earlier this season after beating Sinner in five sets in the semi-finals. However, the 38-year-old failed to win the Melbourne championship.

Sinner has dominated the men’s circuit in the absence of Alcaraz. He has won five consecutive ATP Masters 1000 titles this season, two of which came in tournaments including the Italian Open where Alcaraz was absent from the draw. He’s the overwhelming favorite to win the Roland Garros for the first time in his career.

Nonetheless, they see Djokovic as the second favorite to win the tournament because of his experience on the surface. Speaking to Forbes ahead of the French Open kick-off, John McEnroe analyzed that Sinner is the player to beat at the Roland Garros, but it’s hard to rule out the chance of Djokovic’s eventual triumph:

You’d have to say that when it looked even bleaker that he’d win another [major], the door’s opened up obviously more for [Djokovic] as well as [Alexander] Zverev, for example, and others that have been struggling. You talk about wide open in a way, other than the obvious guy Sinner. But to me ultimately it’s Sinner against the field, I’d take Sinner right now. But it does open the door for a bunch of other guys to make runs they weren’t ever going to potentially going to make.

Djokovic has played just one clay-court match this season, which is nowhere near the 17 matches. He has also not won a singles match since March and has struggled with physical issues on tour. However, Djokovic can turn up with a mind-blowing performance at the French Open.

Patrick McEnroe says Novak Djokovic just needs a few matches to find his rhythm

Novak Djokovic is now at a stage in his career where Grand Slam tournaments have increasingly become the ultimate goal every season. The Serbian legend can afford to miss any event on tour, but not a major tournament, which keeps him fresh before those events, but a bit rusty at times.

Djokovic was among the early birds at the French Open and has trained with other top players, but he will also need matches to examine his level of preparation. During the aforementioned interview, Patrick McEnroe revealed that if Djokovic wins his first two matches, he will get his confidence back:

If he can get through the first couple rounds, then he can become one of the favorites, obviously.

At the Australian Open in January, Djokovic had a fourth-round walkover after Jakub Mensik pulled out of the event due to an injury. He then faced Lorenzo Musetti in the quarter-finals and was one set away from the tournament before the Italian star retired. But he went on to prove to the world that he’s one of the greatest players in the sport by beating Jannik Sinner in the semi-finals.

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