French Open: Men’s Singles Preview

Tennis’ second Grand Slam of the year gets under way in Paris on Sunday as the French Open kicks off at Roland-Garros. Who will finish the clay-court season with a Major victory?

This year’s French Open will certainly be one for the history books as it looks like it’ll be legendary Rafael Nadal’s final Roland-Garros, a competition which he has been completely dominant in over the past few decades despite missing last year’s renewal due to injury.

Ahead of the opening round at Roland-Garros, let’s take a look at who has history in Paris and who’s coming into the Grand Slam in the best form.

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Past champions

Rafael Nadal is at the epicentre of success, and with a record 14 titles to his name he is the most dominant player of a single tournament in the history of the sport, earning him the nickname the ‘King of Clay’. Rafa has played in 18 French Opens, winning 14 – including 115 matches along the way, of which he has won 112 with a win rate of 97%. Nadal has also never lost a French Open final, having been eliminated in prior rounds three times and withdrawing once.

Many other tennis greats have lifted the trophy on multiple occasions including Björn Borg, Steffi Graf and Serena Williams. As with any of the major tournaments in the tennis calendar, The French Open cements itself as one of the most lucrative challenges, with both singles champions of 2023, Novak Djokovic and Iga Swiatek, taking home an eye-watering €2.3 million.

Who’s hot?

Carlos Alcaraz has not had ideal preparation going into the Roland-Garros tournament after injury put him out of both the Monte Carlo Masters and the Barcelona Open, while his attempt to retain his title in Madrid ended in a quarter-final knockout. However, should he play pain-free, he’ll be all guns blazing to pick up his maiden French Open title.

The current world number one and defending champion Novak Djokovic returns this year for his 20th stab at the title. However, this year, he uncharacteristically arrives in Paris having failed to pick up a win this year in a Grand Slam after losing out in the Australian Open for the first time since 2018. More recently, he’s bowed out in the semi-finals and Round of 32 at the Monte-Carlo Masters and Rome Masters, respectively.

Another of world’s top three, Jannik Sinner, also enters the French Open with injury doubts, having pulled out of Madrid Open with an injury. Sinner wowed tennis fans all over when beating Daniil Medvedev in the final of the Australian Open, overcoming a two-set deficit to pick up his first Grand Slam title and will have his heart set on another in France.

2024 Contenders

Carlos Alcaraz – 7/4

The former world number one tops the market ahead of the clash on clay in France to pick up his first Major win on the surface. The Spaniard has been unlucky with injuries this year and suffered from cramps in the semi-final in this competition in 2023, eventually being knocked out by Djokovic. Since then, though, he got his own back on the grass at Wimbledon after winning his maiden Grand Slam there, and then reached the semi-final in the US Open in the last Grand Slam of the year. Alcaraz seems to excel on the clay and won the most on the surface last year, and the elusive French Open title seems to the missing piece of the puzzle.

Novak Djokovic – 11/4

Last year’s champion Novak Djokovic returns to France to defend his title, having won three of the Grand Slams of 2023, narrowly missing out in the final of Wimbledon to the aforementioned Alcaraz. Djokovic is a proven demon on any surface and his price looks a tad long for a 24-time Grand Slam winner. There’s plenty of life in the old dog yet, and the 37-year-old shows no signs of slowing down anytime soon.

Jannik Sinner – 7/2

Jannik Sinner picked up his first Grand Slam win in Australia earlier this year and looks a strong contender on the clay for this year’s French Open. His record in the competition, however, doesn’t look as appealing, with his best finish reaching the quarter-finals back in 2020. Should Sinner find his form he showed earlier this year, he should manage to make this year his best attempt in France in pursuit of consecutive Grand Slam wins.

One to watch

Casper Ruud – 9/1

If there’s one player to watch ahead of this year’s French Open, it’s the Norwegian talent Caspar Ruud. Ruud has reached the final of the French Open twice in succession, losing to Nadal in 2022 and again last year against Djokovic. He looks a large price here and could be worth a nibble with a 76% win rate in the competition, just shy of Alcaraz’s record, and 3% higher than the current world number two, Jannik Sinner.