There were still plenty of talking points from Roland Garros , though, with plenty of players likely to be pleased with their efforts, while a few will rue missing a golden chance.
We look at the winners and losers from the men’s singles draw.
Big Winners
Carlos Alcaraz: The Spaniard is back up to world No 2 after becoming the youngest man to complete the ‘Surface Slam.’ Alcaraz wanted a French Open title more than anything else, and it is difficult to see him not winning more Paris titles.
Jannik Sinner : Despite looking fatigued in his semi-final loss, Sinner is a deserved new world No 1 on the ATP – the first Italian ever to top the singles rankings. It will be hard to usurp him from the top, and he and Alcaraz are clear Wimbledon favourites.
Grigor Dimitrov : Reaching a first French Open quarter-final aged 33 is no mean feat, and the Bulgarian continued his fine recent form on a surface he has never really loved. Watch out for him on the grass courts.
Alex de Minaur : Another player who has never loved clay before this year but impressed on his way to a second Grand Slam quarter-final. The Australian is having the year of his life and, much like Dimitrov, will be a huge grass-court threat this summer.
Corentin Moutet: Moutet flew the French flag in a pretty disappointing men’s event for home players. The mercurial talent captured the imagination of his watching public and did himself proud with a run to the second week.
Big Losers
Novak Djokovic : The Serbian is down to world No 3 in the ATP Rankings and faces an uphill battle to make Wimbledon and the Olympics this summer after his meniscus injury. A tough blow for the all-time great at this stage of his career.
Alexander Zverev: Fourth seed Zverev reached the final, but once again spurned a golden opportunity by playing passive, unconvincing tennis in the final two sets against Alcaraz. His mental struggles at Slams – and ongoing off-court controversy – leave questions to answer.
Stefanos Tsitsipas : The Greek looks as far away as ever from winning a Slam, unable to transition his strong clay court form into a deep run. Tsitsipas is now 0-6 against Alcaraz and it is hard to see how he can do enough to turn this around – and win a major.
Casper Ruud : Another player whose Grand Slam chance may have gone begging after stomach issues hampered him in a semi-final loss to Zverev. The Norwegian will always be a threat on clay, but can he match Alcaraz or Sinner?
Rafael Nadal : A round-one exit felt far from fitting for a man who has dominated a Grand Slam event like no one else. Nadal, however, did not conclusively rule out a Roland Garros return; will he be back for a more satisfactory farewell next season?
Holger Rune : Danish star Rune has again dropped slightly down the rankings after his round four loss, failing to defend quarter-final points – but there was enough life from him at this event to suggest he is turning a corner.
Get updates delivered to you daily. Free and customizable.
It’s essential to note our commitment to transparency:
Our Terms of Use acknowledge that our services may not always be error-free, and our Community Standards emphasize our discretion in enforcing policies. As a platform hosting over 100,000 pieces of content published daily, we cannot pre-vet content, but we strive to foster a dynamic environment for free expression and robust discourse through safety guardrails of human and AI moderation.
Comments / 0