Predicting 3 Favorites For Roland Garros 2025
The storyline is slowly coming towards Roland Garros. All three Masters 1000 events are completed. It will be only the second event after 2004 that will not feature Rafael Nadal. The “King of Clay” officially bid farewell to the sport after Spain’s Davis Cup journey last year. He finished his career at the French Open with an astonishing 112-4 record.
Now, there are more storylines to be written, and there are some exciting ones to look at. Jannik Sinner, Carlos Alcaraz, Casper Ruud and Novak Djokovic all in the mix. So, who will prevail on the Paris dirt? Let’s look at the three notable candidates for the French Open.
3. Novak Djokovic
Many people will find it ridiculous that Novak Djokovic is among the favorites in Roland Garros. However, you cannot count out a 24-time Grand Slam champion under any circumstances. The Serbian is a three-time former champion for a reason and knows what it takes to get over the lines when the odds are stacked against him. He doesn’t need to go far back, as a similar scenario was present at the Paris Olympics last season.
The Serb was coming back from a meniscus tear and played his best tennis on the Paris dirt. Djokovic dethroned Carlos Alcaraz in two tiebreak sets to win the first Olympic Gold medal of his career. Unfortunately, that is the last title that he has won. Astonishingly, Djokovic hasn’t lost at Roland Garros since 2022, when he lost to Rafael Nadal in the quarterfinals. He withdrew from the Roland Garros quarterfinals last year after the tear he sustained in his five-setter against Francesco Cerundolo.
2. Jannik Sinner
World No. 1 Jannik Sinner is on top of the tennis world at the moment. After the conclusion of this year’s Roland Garros, it will mark a full year in which the Italian has held the No. 1 ranking. However, Sinner is not going for that milestone as he wants to win his first Roland Garros title. Recently, he was banned due to the doping scandal that was publicized across all platforms in August.
He agreed on a three-month suspension with the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) and made his return at the Italian Open. He performed well in front of his home fans, dominating the likes of Casper Ruud and Tommy Paul. However, he lost to Carlos Alcaraz in the final as his 26-match unbeaten run came to a halt. Despite the loss, the Italian will be content with his clay-court performance as he looks to add matches to his legs before the Grand Slam event.
1. Carlos Alcaraz
Let’s be honest: The clear-cut favorite for Roland Garros has to be Alcaraz. The defending champion has had a few issues recently with his fitness. He endured a groin injury during the Barcelona Open final against Holger Rune and skipped the Madrid Open. However, he has erased all those doubts after putting up a dominant performance against Sinner in the Italian Open final.
Alcaraz has already completed the clay court set (all three Masters 1000 titles and Roland Garros). The fans in Paris have been accustomed to listening to the Spanish national anthem at the trophy ceremony for the last two decades. And the way Alcaraz performs, he may add more storylines to Spanish tennis.
