Djokovic’s mission is set in Paris

Some 540 kilometres away in Geneva, Novak Djokovic is putting the polish on his pre-tournament preparations, but on a sunny, crisp afternoon in Paris, his route to a potential record-smashing title was revealed. 

Read on to discover four things we learned from Thursday’s men’s singles draw: 

Novak in Zverev’s quarter, Sinner’s half 

Djokovic is celebrating his 38th birthday in Geneva, but his real mission lies in wait here in Paris. The three-time Roland-Garros champion has been dropped into Jannik Sinner's top half of the draw and could face third-seeded Alexander Zverev in the quarter-finals. 

But before that the Serbian legend will have to deal with American Mackenzie McDonald in a first-round encounter, before a potential second-round clash with Frenchman Corentin Moutet or a qualifier.

Djokovic, who is seeking a record 25th major title in Paris, owns a 96-16 lifetime record on the Parisian clay. To get to 100 wins he would have to get through a round of 16 match against either 11th-seeded Daniil Medvedev or 22nd-seeded Ugo Humbert, if the seeds hold. 

If Djokovic can reach what would be his record 62nd Grand Slam quarterfinal, last year’s runner-up Zerev could be waiting to face him in what would be a rematch of their 2019 quarter-final in Paris, won by Djokovic in three sets.

If all that proves manageable for the Grand Slam guru, Sinner could be waiting for him in what would be a to-die-for semi-final...

Alcaraz’s path littered with challenges 

For defending champion Carlos Alcaraz the road to a fifth major title, and second in Paris, is loaded with potential pitfalls. The Spaniard will kick off his fortnight with a heavily anticipated clash with Japan’s Kei Nishikori. The 62nd-ranked former world No.4 owns a 27-12 lifetime record in Paris, but he has lost all nine of his encounters with top-20 talent on the terre battue. 

Alcaraz could face Hungary’s Fabian Marozsan, the man who shocked him on the red clay of Rome in 2023, in round two, and former finalist Stefanos Tsitsipas lurks as a potential round of 16 opponent. Two-time Roland-Garros runner-up and 2025 Madrid champion Casper Ruud could end up facing the Spaniard in the last eight. 

If Alcaraz passes through the gauntlet, and the seeds hold, he’d face Italy’s Lorenzo Musetti or American Taylor Fritz in the semi-finals. 

Week one popcorn?

These potential second and third-round encounters, if they come to fruition, would surely create enormous buzz around the grounds. 

If No.5-seeded Jack Draper and Gael Monfils can pass the first round, they’d meet in an absolute blockbuster round two clash. We can dream, can’t we?  

Former quarter-finalist Alejandro Davidovich Fokina could end up facing top-seeded Sinner in round three, in what could be the Italian’s first big test of the tournament. If we close our eyes, we can already see a clay-covered Fokina jettisoning himself through the air as he attempts to rein in the world-beating Italian…

Our crystal ball also points to a potential third-round clash between Arthur Fils and Andrey Rublev. Fils, yet to win a round at Roland-Garros in two previous main draw appearances, defeated Rublev in straight sets at Monte-Carlo, but if they meet again with a spot in week two on the line next week, the atmosphere would be off the charts.

Sinner v France? 

Top-seeded Jannik Sinner will be hearing it from the French faithful this year at Roland-Garros. He’s slated to face hard-hitting Arthur Rinderknech in the opening round, then either Richard Gasquet or Terence Atmane in the second round. If he progresses to the second week, rising force Fils, the No.14 seed, could be waiting.

Three-time major champion Sinner will quickly become aware of the fact that he’s not in Rome anymore.