Sinner starts in Paris on a 29-match winning streak: 'No excuses here'

On Monday afternoon, on Roland Garros’s practice court number seven, Sinner declined to answer a Le Monde reporter on what he made of Alcaraz returning for the US Open. Coach Darren Cahill tried to redirect the question, but the Italian was already facing the ball cart, working serve and volley. That is a new element in his game this season; he added it after Cincinnati last year, when he understood that on clay he cannot survive from the baseline if his opponent serves above 200 kilometres per hour.

His push for the career Grand Slam begins Tuesday evening. The Italian opens the only tournament he has not won by playing Clement Tabur, a wildcard ranked 162. In the 2026 season he has logged 29 consecutive wins, the longest active streak on tour, and has not lost a match since the Australian Open semifinal against Djokovic in January.

Why this tournament carries more pressure than the rest

The Italian lost last year’s Paris final to Alcaraz in five sets, after three match points. Many treat that match as a turning point in his career, since Sinner was world number one that season and the tournament remained the only one out of reach. With Alcaraz out of this year’s draw with a wrist injury, as reported by the ATP Tour a week ago, the field of title contenders has narrowed. The Italian is the main favourite, both at sportsbooks and in analyses by former players.

Tabur is a stranger to him. The 22-year-old from Lyon was two levels below the main draw in qualifying, won three wildcard rounds, but has never broken into the top 100. He plays a right-hand grip with a one-handed backhand, a rarity today. His qualifying stats: an average of 5.4 winners a set, respectable for someone outside the top 100. Sinner for him is someone he can match only if the Italian does not serve at 75 percent of first serves in, which is Sinner’s standard.

Statistically, Sinner has averaged 78 percent of first serves in over the last 12 months at Grand Slams, the range of Ivanisevic in his best days. He has conceded break points 12 percent of the time, the best average on tour. If he holds both numbers against Tabur, the match does not run past two hours.

What next, if he advances?

In the second round the most likely opponent is Britain’s Jack Draper or Argentina’s Sebastian Baez. In the third round, Hubert Hurkacz, against whom he has a 4-1 head-to-head. The real test does not come until the quarter-finals, where a meeting with Germany’s Alexander Zverev is expected; Zverev lost the Marrakech final in May to Sinner himself in three sets.

The Belgrader (Djokovic) is in the same half of the draw as Sinner, meaning a potential meeting would come in the semi, not the final. Djokovic’s team said on Tuesday morning that the old rival is not too dangerous, provided they get to the semi. The Italian lost to the Belgrader twice last season, at the Australian Open and Wimbledon, but on clay their head-to-head stands 3-1 in the Italian’s favour.

Personal call: Sinner is the biggest favourite for the title since 2009, when Nadal won his fourth Roland Garros. The combination of Alcaraz’s absence, physical condition, and the fact that he won his 29 matches without going to five sets, reaches a number rarely seen. The only question is whether he can hold the concentration he has shown since the start of the season through the semi and final. Tabur is just a warm-up; the first real test arrives Sunday, when a match against Draper is expected in the third round.

Tip-off in Paris is around 8:15 p.m., per the tournament schedule. The second round would be on Thursday.