The tennis world is buzzing after Carlos Alcaraz's shocking withdrawal from Roland Garros, leaving the door wide open for a new champion to emerge at the French Open. The Spanish superstar, who was chasing his third consecutive title in Paris, picked up a wrist injury at the Barcelona Open, and his absence has completely reshaped the tournament's landscape.
Suddenly, world No. 1 Jannik Sinner finds himself as the clear frontrunner. After falling to Alcaraz in the last two French Open finals, the Italian now has a golden opportunity to complete his Career Grand Slam. But according to former US Open champion Marin Cilic, Sinner shouldn't start celebrating just yet.
"Yeah, absolutely," Cilic said when asked if the draw had opened up. "You can't hide from the fact that Jannik and Carlos were dominating the game in the last 18 months. Now, with him being on the sidelines, it's a bigger motivation for Jannik to try to win the only missing Slam in his cabinet—and for the rest of the guys as well."
Cilic, speaking on the Tennis Majors podcast, specifically highlighted two dangerous contenders who could spoil Sinner's Parisian party. First up is Alexander Zverev, who's been building serious momentum. "Zverev is being really consistent now, playing in the final of Madrid. He's giving himself enough chances. If he's going to take it, you never know, but he's playing great tennis," Cilic noted.
The German star is still hunting for his first Grand Slam title after heartbreaking final losses at Wimbledon (2023) and Roland Garros (2022 and 2023). With Alcaraz out of the picture, this could be his best shot yet.
Then there's Casper Ruud, the Norwegian clay-court specialist who seems to save his best tennis for Paris. "You always have a few guys that are playing unbelievably on clay, like Casper Ruud, he always loves those Roland Garros court conditions," Cilic added. Ruud has reached the final in back-to-back years (2022 and 2023) but came up short both times. Could this be the year he finally breaks through?
With only four active players besides Alcaraz and Sinner having ever reached a French Open final, the stage is set for either a new champion to be crowned or for one of these perennial contenders to finally seize their moment. One thing's for certain: Roland Garros just got a whole lot more interesting.