Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner are the favourites to win the 2026 French Open.
In 2025, Alcaraz defeated Sinner in arguably the greatest French Open final of all time, 4-6, 6-7, 6-4, 7-6, 7-6.
Having witnessed such a legendary clash a year ago, it’s no surprise that fans expect big things from Alcaraz and Sinner next month.
Should Carlos Alcaraz have skipped the Barcelona Open? Did he make a mistake by playing it?
But who will emerge victorious? Former French Open finalist David Ferrer has now picked his favourite.
David Ferrer claims Carlos Alcaraz is the ‘clear favourite’ for the French Open
Speaking to Movistar, Ferrer shared his thoughts on Alcaraz’s chances at the French Open.
“Nowadays, in the new era, he is the favourite to win all the tournaments on clay,” said Ferrer.
“You want him to win all of them.
“But in reality, that is very difficult.
“If anyone can, it used to be Rafael Nadal on his day, and now, it’s Carlos Alcaraz.
“I think that in Paris, he has to arrive with a fresh mentality in order to reclaim his title.
“He is the clear favourite.”
Ferrer believes Alcaraz is the favourite, but other than Sinner, who else is in contention to win the title?
French Open favourites and their records at the event
| Player | Best French Open performance | 2025 performance | Win/Loss record | Win % |
| Carlos Alcaraz | Champion – 2024, 2025 | Champion | 25-3 | 89% |
| Jannik Sinner | Finalist – 2025 | Finalist | 22-6 | 79% |
| Novak Djokovic | Champion – 2016, 2021, 2023 | Semi-finalist | 101-17 | 86% |
| Alexander Zverev | Finalist – 2024 | Quarter-finalist | 38-10 | 79% |
| Lorenzo Musetti | Semi-finalist – 2025 | Semi-finalist | 13-5 | 72% |
Serbia’s Novak Djokovic is a three-time champion and has won 86% of his matches in the French capital.
He did, however, fall well short in last year’s semi-finals, failing to win a set against Sinner.
And competing as a 39-year-old at this year’s French Open, it would take an other-worldly effort for Djokovic to add a 25th Grand Slam to his collection.
Then, there’s Germany’s Alexander Zverev, the 2024 runner-up.
Always a feature in the second week of Slams, Zverev is widely considered to be the greatest player to have never won a major title.
Whether or not he can change that in 2026 remains to be seen.
Italy’s Lorenzo Musetti is also worth a mention.
Musetti reached the semi-finals last year, capping off a stellar clay-court campaign.
He hasn’t quite had the same success in 2026, but the peak level is there, and if he can find form in Paris, don’t be surprised if he makes another deep run.
The 2026 French Open begins on Sunday, May 24.
David Ferrer highlights the ‘best thing’ about Carlos Alcaraz
Ferrer was then asked to explain the improvements Alcaraz has made to his game.
“Well, he has improved his serve a little bit. Then the rest of the game, from the back of the court,” he said.
Carlos Alcaraz’s ‘Serve rating’ year by year
- 2021 – 261.6 (47th on ATP Tour)
- 2022 – 278.7 (22nd on ATP Tour)
- 2023 – 281.3 (13th on ATP Tour)
- 2024 – 284.2 (11th on ATP Tour)
- 2025 – 285.8 (10th on ATP Tour)
“The best thing about Carlos, is he improves every year.
“When someone is so good and does everything well and wins practically all the games or tournaments he competes in, you have to adjust the small details.”
Ferrer also touched on Alcaraz’s split from Juan Carlos Ferrero and his attitude on tour.
“After a fallout with his old coach, on an emotional level, that must have been very difficult for him, but he went to Australia and won, which is not easy,” he said.
“I am not worried one bit, even if there might be moments where mentally he can be a little negative. That’s only logical.”
Alcaraz made a strong start to his 2026 campaign, winning the Australian Open and Qatar Open.
It would be unfair to say that he’s struggled since, even though he hasn’t won another title.
Alcaraz lost in the semi-finals of Indian Wells, the third round of the Miami Open, the final of the Monte Carlo Masters, and was forced to withdraw from the Barcelona Open due to injury.
If he can recover in time, Alcaraz will return to action at his second home tournament, the Madrid Open.
