3 players tipped to win French Open 2026 after Djokovic, Sinner exit

The French Open draw has opened up in a big way after shocking exits for Novak Djokovic and Jannik Sinner. Djokovic, aiming for a 25th Grand Slam title, lost in the third round to Brazil’s Joao Fonseca 4-6, 4-6, 6-3, 7-5, 7-5, and Sinner was eliminated in the second round by Juan Manuel Cerundolo 3-6, 2-6, 7-5, 6-1, 6-1.

Djokovic arrived at the tournament with a limited amount of clay court play. He survived two tricky tests in the first two rounds, beating Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard in the first round and Valentin Royer in the second round, both in four setters. But he lost to the 19-year-old from Brazil, his first defeat in a French Open quarterfinal since 2009. Djokovic led two sets to love but the Brazilian fought back for the final three.

All the Major winners have been knocked out of the tournament, so Roland Garros will have a new Grand Slam champion. Alcaraz's exit means Djokovic (24), Sinner (4), Stan Wawrinka (3) and Marin Cilic (1) are the only remaining Grand Slam champions at the French Open. There will be a new champion, as there are only three Major finalists left: Alexander Zverev (3 finals), Casper Ruud (3 finals) and Matteo Berrettini (1).

These results leave the door open for a number of other candidates. Zverev, Ruud and Berretini are the only remaining finalists but there are more who can pull off a surprise and take the Musketeers’ Trophy. Let’s take a look at them:

1 - Alexander Zverev Germany Zverev is the highest-ranked seed left in the Roland Garros after Sinner's exit. The second seed is the 2024 finalist, losing to Carlos Alcaraz 6–3, 2–6, 5–7, 6–1, 6–2. He is regarded as one of the best active players never to have won a Grand Slam, having been runner-up at the Australian Open and US Open.

2 – Casper Ruud: Norway’s Casper Ruud is another strong contender for the Roland Garros crown. The 15th seed is a clay court specialist, having been a finalist in Paris in 2022 and 2023. The Norwegian was beaten by the King of Clay Rafael Nadal in the 2022 final before losing to Djokovic in the 2023 final. Ruud beat USA’s Tommy Paul in the third round and will face Joao Fonseca, who defeated Djokovic at Roland Garros this year.

3 - Rafael Jodar Another sensation from Spain is Rafael Jodar, the 19-year-old who has rocketed up the ATP rankings. He was outside the top 100 just two months ago in March but is now 29th in the world and playing some sensational tennis. The 20-year-old is through to the Roland Garros fourth round and will next face Pablo Carreno Busta. At tour level on clay, Jodar’s record is a pretty strong one – 18 wins from 21 matches.