Ex-ATP Pro Says Only ‘This’ Player Can Stop Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz at Roland Garros, but He’s Not Novak Djokovic

Jannik Sinner, who is 4-7 in the head-to-head record against Carlos Alcaraz, will meet him in Paris if they reach the final.

Ex-ATP Pro Says Only ‘This’ Player Can Stop Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz at Roland Garros, but He’s Not Novak Djokovic

Carlos Alcaraz, Jannik Sinner (Image via X/Janniksin_Updates)

Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz will definitely be entering the Roland Garros as the heavy favorites to win. Sinner has been in red-hot form despite his doping ban.

Alcaraz, who during Sinner’s absence, was struggling to win tournaments, will be bidding to win his third clay-court title of the season at the French Open. He has reached the final of every tournament he has played on the red dirt, winning in Rome and Monte Carlo, and losing in Barcelona to Holger Rune.

According to former player Adriano Panatta (the winner of the 1976 French Open), Sinner and Alcaraz can only lose a set if they are “distracted“, and no player, except his compatriot Lorenzo Musetti, can challenge these top two players. Musetti has produced impressive performances on the clay swing so far.

After a string of poor results on the hard courts, Musetti played his first clay tournament at the Monte Carlo Masters and reached the final, which he lost to Alcaraz. He skipped the Barcelona Open due to an injury he suffered during the final in Monte Carlo, following which Musetti was defeated in the Madrid Open semifinal by reigning Indan Wells champion Jack Draper and in the Italian Open semifinal by Alcaraz.

They will be one on one side of the draw and the other on the other since they are first and second in the ATP rankings, and honestly, I don’t see who can stand in their way. The only one could be Musetti, but I don’t think that’s the case with the others.

Adriano Panatta said (via La Gazzetta dello Sport)

Musetti could face Alcaraz in the semifinals of the clay-court major and Sinner in the final. Against his compatriot, Musetti is 0-2 in the head-to-head matchups, while against Alcaraz, he is 1-5.

Adriano Panatta reveals what Jannik Sinner lacks right now

After winning eight official titles last year, Jannik Sinner started the 2025 season by defending the Australian Open, playing the final on January 26. Since that victory, Sinner did not play competitive tennis for four months as he chose not to defend the Rotterdam Open, and while he was preparing for the Qatar Open, he received his three-month ban.

Jannik Sinner (4)
Jannik Sinner (Image via X/The Tennis Letter)

The Italian Open was his first tournament, and he played exceptionally well, reaching the final en route to which he destroyed reigning Madrid Open champion Casper Ruud 6-0, 6-1. But it was Carlos Alcaraz who spoiled his match-winning streak (26).

Adriano Panatta lauded Sinner for not wasting his three months and working on improving his physicality. He thinks what Sinner needs the most is match practice, which the former player, in a previous interview, said that the lack of it was perhaps the reason behind his defeat to Alcaraz. He told La Gazzetta dello Sport:

I would say that he is physically very well, he has maintained himself very well, he has done specific work both physically and mentally. What he lacks a little is rhythm, the match prepares you in a different way compared to a training session. For sure the matches in Rome will help him at Roland Garros.

In the first round, the three-time Grand Slam champion will meet Arthur Rinderknech, who he defeated twice in their three meetings. Alcaraz, on the other hand, is pitted against veteran Japanese ace Kei Nishikori and the first-round match will be their first encounter on the tour.

Alcaraz won the French Open for the first time in his career last year by beating Alexander Zverev in five sets. En route to the final, he knocked out Sinner in five sets in the semifinals.

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