Jannik Sinner is the heavy favourite to win the 2026 French Open men’s singles title.
The Italian was a point away from winning Roland Garros last year, and the man who beat him in the final, Carlos Alcaraz, won’t return to defend his title due to injury.
Furthermore, Sinner has won all three Masters 1000 titles on clay this season, lifting trophies in Monte Carlo, Madrid, and Rome.
Who will win this year’s French Open?
The second Slam of the year…
Serena Williams’ former coach, Rick Macci, has now suggested whether any of the American men can stop Sinner from winning the French Open.
Rick Macci says Jannik Sinner is going to have to get ‘sick or injured’ for an American player to win Roland Garros
Appearing as a guest on NBC News, Macci shared his thoughts on X.
“Anything is possible, but [Jannik] Sinner is going to have to get sick or injured,” he said.
“It’s not going to happen on the slow red clay.
“You’ve got Tommy Paul, you’ve got Taylor Fritz, you’ve got [Frances] Tiafoe, they can play on this stuff, but to go through a whole tournament, I don’t see it.
How American men have performed on clay this year
| USA Rank | ATP Rank | Name | 2026 clay-court record | Roland Garros record |
| 1 | 6 | Ben Shelton | 7-4 (64%) | 4-3 (57%) |
| 2 | 8 | Taylor Fritz | 0-1 (0%) | 10-9 (53%) |
| 3 | 20 | Learner Tien | 4-3 (57%) | 0-1 (0%) |
| 4 | 21 | Frances Tiafoe | 4-2 (67%) | 8-10 (44%) |
| 5 | 26 | Tommy Paul | 7-2 (78%) | 9-7 (56%) |
“No American has won any Slam for such a long time, it’s not going to happen at Roland Garros, but you never know.”
Andy Roddick was the last American man to win a Grand Slam singles title, emerging victorious at the 2003 US Open, 23 years ago.
Ben Shelton is the highest-ranked American in this year’s field, but even he has struggled on clay recently.
Is Ben Shelton in danger of an early exit at Roland Garros?
He's struggled since winning in Munich…
It seems unlikely that an American man will lift the title this year, but what about the women?
Macci delivered his verdict on Coco Gauff’s chances, ahead of her French Open title defence.
“Her toughest competition is in the mirror,” he said.
“Coco can beat anybody anytime, anywhere.
“As I’ve said many times, her backbone is better than her backhand.
“She’s so resilient she never goes away, she’s your worst nightmare.
“On clay, she can run down everything, I love Coco, and I think she has a shot to win it all.”
Gauff is one of the favourites to win this year’s French Open.
In fact, our fans on TalkingPoints voted Gauff as the favourite to win the title.
French Open women’s singles title – TalkingPoints vote share
| Player | Vote share | French Open titles | French Open record |
| Coco Gauff | 21% | 1 (2025) | 27-5 (84%) |
| Elena Rybakina | 19% | 0 | 16-6 (73%) |
| Iga Swiatek | 18% | 4 (2020, 2022, 2023, 2024) | 40-3 (93%) |
| Aryna Sabalenka | 18% | 0 | 22-8 (73%) |
| Other | 17% | – | – |
| Alexandra Eala | 3% | 0 | 0-1 (0%) |
| Mirra Andreeva | 3% | 0 | 11-3 (79%) |
| Emma Raducanu | 1% | 0 | 2-2 (50%) |
| Jessica Pegula | 1% | 0 | 11-6 (65%) |
The 22-year-old burst into life at the Italian Open recently, reaching the final where she lost to Elina Svitolina.
If she can maintain that level through Roland Garros, she stands a great chance of defending her crown.
Rick Macci names his French Open dark horses
Macci was later asked to pick his dark horses for this year’s French Open.
“On the men’s side, Norway’s finest, Casper Ruud,” he said.
“You’ll like this, I taught his dad back in the day, so I’m kind of biased with that pick, but he got to the finals of the Italian Open, he’s playing great.”
“And Karolina Muchova, she can dip it, flip it, rip it, and chip it; she can make you uncomfortable, keep an eye on Muchova.
“Those are my two dark horses for the tournament.”
Casper Ruud and Karolina Muchova have both played Roland Garros finals before, but have yet to lift the trophy.
Casper Ruud and Karolina Muchova’s Roland Garros finals
- 2022 French Open final – Rafael Nadal defeated Casper Ruud, 6-3, 6-3, 6-0
- 2023 French Open final – Iga Swiatek defeated Karolina Muchova, 6-2, 5-7, 6-4
- 2023 French Open final – Novak Djokovic defeated Casper Ruud, 7-6, 6-3, 7-5
Will this year be their year? Only time will tell.
The 2026 French Open begins on Sunday, May 24.
