Jannik Sinner picks up where he left off as Carlos Alcaraz’s main rival at French Open

PARIS – Jannik Sinner’s dazzling winning streak ground to a halt ahead of the French Open, but the world No. 1’s top-notch return from a three-month doping ban suggests he will be the main challenger to Carlos Alcaraz in Paris.

The 23-year-old had won 26 straight matches before losing 7-6 (7-5), 6-1 to Alcaraz in the Italian Open final last weekend.

The defeat also ended a streak of 94 consecutive matches in which he had won at least one set – a run dating back to 2023, when he was beaten by Novak Djokovic at the ATP Finals.

Sinner agreed to a settlement with the World Anti-Doping Agency (Wada) in February and began an immediate three-month suspension, after authorities accepted that the anabolic agent clostebol had entered his system via massages from his physiotherapist.

The three-time Grand Slam champion had not played since winning the Australian Open in January and he viewed the Italian Open as a chance to rebuild his momentum ahead of Roland Garros, which starts on May 25.

Despite failing to get his hands on the trophy, the Italian left Rome with encouraging signs.

He battled through foot pain, managing tight wins over Francisco Cerundolo and Tommy Paul, and showed glimpses of the aggressive baseline game and superb returning that have lifted him to the top of the rankings.

“It was a great week for me in many ways. I am closer than expected to my best tennis after a little time away, and I’ve found good sensations on clay,” Sinner said in Rome.

Alcaraz’s victory in Rome gave the Spaniard two elite clay titles this spring, following his triumph in Monte Carlo, and the rivalry between the young guns has become the most compelling in men’s tennis. Alcaraz leads their head-to-head meetings 7-4 and it would be no surprise if the pair were battling in the Paris final.

Sinner’s improved physical conditioning has been one of the key factors in his rise, though the lingering foot blister he battled in Rome raised questions about his durability over a gruelling best-of-five format. Yet the Italian remains optimistic.

“Surely I will beat you in Paris,” he joked to Alcaraz during the trophy ceremony in Rome, setting the stage for another potential showdown on Court Philippe-Chatrier.

It would not be easy, however.

Alcaraz’s fourth straight win over Sinner saw the 22-year-old join Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic, Gustavo Kuerten and Marcelo Rios as the only men to have captured all three clay-court ATP Masters 1000 titles – Monte Carlo, Madrid and Rome.

“Winning tournaments and lifting trophies give you a lot of confidence... just to know you’re on the right path and playing great tennis. I’m excited about what’s to come for me,” he said after his Rome success.

“It means that I’m doing the right things and I’m going to keep doing the right things coming to Paris.”

While Alcaraz has a long way to go to match the consistency of the now-retired Nadal on clay, he possesses all the weapons to be just as ruthless, while his improved mental strength has helped him bear the weight of expectations.

The pressure to unseat Sinner at the top of the world rankings during the Italian’s three-month ban seemed to unnerve Alcaraz and he crashed to losses at Indian Wells and Miami.

“Something that I realised that I had to do is not think about anything else but enjoying,” Alcaraz said, hinting that he is much stronger mentally now.

“I’m not thinking about the world rankings any more. I just keep going, doing the things that I enjoy, that make me happy.

“It’s stepping on the court, showing good tennis, that’s it. If I win, great. If I don’t, I’ll learn and keep going.” REUTERS