The crown jewel of clay court tennis is again up for grabs in Paris, with the 2025 French Open kicking off at Stade Roland-Garros. This year’s lead-in on the men’s side was primarily dominated by reigning King of Clay Carlos Alcaraz, who claimed Masters titles in Monte-Carlo and Rome.
However, the four-time major winner is far from the only man with dreams of La Coupe des Mousquetaires on Championship Sunday. So, who belongs in the conversation, and how realistic are their expectations?
Let’s simplify the equation by breaking down the three tiers of contenders for the French Open men’s singles title.
Tier 1: Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner
If anything was established in Rome, it was that while a collection of old and new contenders have emerged behind them, the ATP Tour is still Sin-caraz’s world. The ATP No. 2 Alcaraz reigned supreme with a straight sets win over the local hero and ATP No.1 Sinner in Sunday’s final, but the dominance of the two of them as a tandem was the story, both clearly on a level of their own throughout the two weeks.
While the Spaniard outdueled two of his emerging adversaries in world No. 5 Jack Draper and world No. 8 Lorenzo Musetti (both in straight sets), it was Sinner’s jarring 6-0, 6-1 demolition job of Madrid Masters champion and world no. 7 Casper Ruud that most clearly demonstrated the sizable gap in ceiling between the two of them and the chasing field.
The credentials of the world’s top two tell a compelling story of two favourites seemingly destined for a grand showdown; Alcaraz is the defending French Open champion and claimed two of the three Masters 1000 events in this years’ European clay swing, while Sinner remains a run-away ATP no.1 and is on a 42-match win streak against players not named Carlos Alcaraz.
It's not precisely the boldest, bravest forecasting, but it would be a genuine surprise to see anyone other than these two men lifting the silverware when all is said and done as and with that in mind, they have earned the right to stand in a tier of their own.