Jannik Sinner arrives at Roland Garros this weekend having won 29 consecutive matches, carrying momentum that hasn't been seen at a Grand Slam in decades. The 24-year-old Italian world number one has swept all six Masters tournaments on clay—Monte Carlo, Madrid, and Rome among them—leaving the tennis world wondering whether anyone can actually stop him from claiming his first French Open title.
This French Open feels different from those of recent years, largely because it finally has a clear leader. For the past two seasons, the men's game has been defined by a fierce duel between Sinner and his generational rival Carlos Alcaraz, who together have won nine of the last ten major championships. But with Alcaraz sidelined by a wrist injury, the race is suddenly Sinner's to lose. Having already collected the Australian Open twice, Wimbledon, and the US Open, victory in Paris would make Sinner only the tenth man in history to complete a career Grand Slam—a milestone that would represent tennis immortality.
What makes Sinner's dominance so devastating is the relentlessness of it. Norway's Casper Ruud, who lost to Sinner in the Rome final just last week, described facing him as suffocating: "Whether you're playing a forehand cross-court rally, or a backhand cross-court rally, you know the ball will come at a high pace and typically good placement as well. You know every shot needs to be close to perfect." Russia's Daniil Medvedev, the only player to take a set off Sinner in Rome, echoed the sentiment. "The only way to beat him is being at your best for three sets, maybe even four, five sets," Medvedev said. "Everything needs to be on the top level."
Yet the most troubling question for Sinner's rivals is not how to beat him, but whether anyone can. Sinner has lost only two matches all season—one to Novak Djokovic at the Australian Open and one to Jakub Mensik in Doha—out of 38 total. Since Wimbledon last year, he has lost to no other player at the majors besides Alcaraz and Djokovic. The 39-year-old Djokovic, who showed he still possesses the tactical brilliance to trouble Sinner at Melbourne, remains the most plausible challenger. But his age raises serious questions about whether he has the physical stamina to survive a clay court fortnight.
The supporting cast offers little hope. Second seed Alexander Zverev was dismantled 6-1 6-2 by Sinner in the Madrid final. Fourth seed Felix Auger-Aliassime has struggled all year. American seeds Ben Shelton and Taylor Fritz, fifth and seventh respectively, are nursing injuries. Even Medvedev, currently showing the best form among the contenders, has long despised clay, famously calling it "for dogs."
Sinner has also just completed the full set of nine ATP Masters 1000 titles—the so-called "career Golden Masters"—cementing his status as perhaps the most complete player on the tour. Djokovic himself acknowledged the reality. "He's maybe in the form of his life, and without Carlos being here increases his chances of claiming more Grand Slam titles," the Serbian legend said. "But we are all here to try to win against him and prevent him from taking more titles."
For the next fortnight, it feels less like a tournament and more like a coronation waiting to happen.