Jannik Sinner and Alexander Zverev will be seeded one and two at the French Open.
Therefore, they could meet in this year’s Roland Garros final.
A worrying thought for Zverev, who has lost each of his previous nine meetings with the Italian.
Who will win this year’s French Open?
The second Slam of the year…
Former world number one Mats Wilander has now shared the one way Zverev can beat Sinner at Roland Garros.
Mats Wilander says Alexander Zverev could beat a ‘tired’ Jannik Sinner in a long match in perfect conditions
Speaking to Eurosport, Wilander shared how Carlos Alcaraz’s absence in Paris could affect Zverev.
“[Carlos] Alcaraz’s absence opens up opportunities, and [Alexander] Zverev is one of the biggest beneficiaries,” he said.
“If you keep putting yourself in that position, the day will come eventually [to win a Grand Slam] with the right conditions, the right opponent, and a bit of luck.”
But when assessing Zverev’s chances against Sinner, Wilander admitted the German would need everything to go his way.
“Perfect conditions, a tough court, long matches, and a tired Sinner,” Wilander said.
Zverev has lost nine consecutive matches against Sinner, including four defeats this year.
Alexander Zverev and Jannik Sinner’s head-to-head record
| Match | Winner | Loser | Score |
| 2026 Madrid Open – F | Jannik Sinner | Alexander Zverev | 6-1, 6-2 |
| 2026 Monte Carlo Masters – SF | Jannik Sinner | Alexander Zverev | 6-1, 6-4 |
| 2026 Miami Open – SF | Jannik Sinner | Alexander Zverev | 6-3, 7-6 |
| 2026 Indian Wells – SF | Jannik Sinner | Alexander Zverev | 6-2, 6-4 |
| 2025 ATP Finals – RR | Jannik Sinner | Alexander Zverev | 6-4, 6-3 |
| 2025 Paris Masters – SF | Jannik Sinner | Alexander Zverev | 6-0, 6-1 |
| 2025 Vienna Open – F | Jannik Sinner | Alexander Zverev | 3-6, 6-3, 7-5 |
| 2025 Australian Open – F | Jannik Sinner | Alexander Zverev | 6-3, 7-6, 6-3 |
| 2024 Cincinnati Open – SF | Jannik Sinner | Alexander Zverev | 7-6, 5-7, 7-6 |
| 2023 US Open – 4R | Alexander Zverev | Jannik Sinner | 6-4, 3-6, 6-2, 4-6, 6-3 |
| 2022 Monte-Carlo Masters – QF | Alexander Zverev | Jannik Sinner | 5-7, 6-3, 7-6 |
| 2021 US Open – 4R | Alexander Zverev | Jannik Sinner | 6-4, 6-4, 7-6 |
| 2020 Cologne 2 – SF | Alexander Zverev | Jannik Sinner | 7-6, 6-3 |
| 2020 French Open – 4R | Jannik Sinner | Alexander Zverev | 6-3, 6-3, 4-6, 6-3 |
The matches haven’t been close either, as the German has lost their last six matches in straight sets.
Whatever Zverev is doing clearly isn’t working…
After losing to Sinner again in Madrid, Zverev shared his thoughts during his post-match press conference.
“I think everybody’s struggling against him. He’s won the last five Masters events, so it’s not like I’m the only one losing to him. I’m just losing to him more because I get to him every single time and I lose to him,” he said.
“I think there’s a big gap between Sinner and everybody else right now.
“It’s quite simple. I think there’s a big gap between Sinner and everybody else. And I think there’s a big gap between Alcaraz, myself, maybe Novak [Djokovic], and everybody else. I think there are two gaps right now.
“It’s difficult to say that there’s not a gap between Sinner and everybody else if he hasn’t lost a match in how many Masters events? Since Shanghai.
“He hasn’t lost a match in almost nine months. I think you have to admit that there’s a gap between him and everybody else, yeah.”
Sinner hasn’t lost a match at the Masters 1000 level since the 2025 Shanghai Masters, and is unbeaten at all levels since Doha in February.
Dominating as much as he has, Sinner is surely a lock to win the French Open.
TalkingPoints fans vote for their French Open favourite
Ahead of the 2026 French Open, we asked fans on TalkingPoints to pick their winner.
Unsurprisingly, Sinner was the clear favourite, with 68% of the vote share.
TalkingPoints vote share
| Player | Vote share | French Open titles | French Open record |
| Jannik Sinner | 68% | 0 | 22-6 (79%) |
| Novak Djokovic | 10% | 3 | 101-17 (86%) |
| Casper Ruud | 8% | 0 | 24-8 (75%) |
| Alexander Zverev | 5% | 0 | 38-10 (79%) |
| Other | 4% | – | – |
| Rafael Jodar | 3% | 0 | – |
| Arthur Fils | 2% | 0 | 2-2 (50%) |
Novak Djokovic was the second favourite, ahead of Casper Ruud, and Zverev.
Only time will tell who will emerge victorious in the French capital, but you certainly won’t want to miss any of the action.
The 2026 French Open main draw begins on Sunday, May 24.
