PARIS – For the first time since 2009, there will be no Novak Djokovic or Rafael Nadal among the final four of the French Open.
Nadal's journey this year lasted just one round, as the 14-time champion, battling injury, was defeated by Alexander Zverev. But there was still Djokovic, the defending champion.
Djokovic played two epic five-set matches in the third and fourth rounds, but injured his knee during his victory against Francisco Cerundolo on Monday. On Tuesday, Djokovic's withdrawal was announced: he had suffered a meniscus tear in his right knee.
For a long time, the French Open seemed predestined to end up in the hands of Nadal or Djokovic. But with both legends gone, the tournament remains as open as it has been since Nadal began his dominance at Roland Garros in 2005. Who will win? We rank the contenders.
1. Carlos Alcaraz
Ever since Carlos Alcaraz burst onto the scene, it has felt like he is the heir apparent to Nadal's throne at the French Open. But his first two Slams would come elsewhere: at the US Open in 2022 and then in that epic triumph over Djokovic at Wimbledon last year, where he won the title in just his fourth grass-court tournament.
This year, Alcaraz reached the quarterfinals of the Australian Open, where he lost to Zverev, but then won at Indian Wells. However, his swing on clay has not been easy at all. He was forced to withdraw from the Monte Carlo Masters and the Barcelona Open due to a forearm injury. He then lost in Madrid to Andrey Rublev and withdrew from Rome due to the same injury.
Here at Roland Garros, he wore a protective sleeve on his right arm and said: “I'm a little afraid to hit every forehand at 100%.”
The Alcaraz movement is an art form 🤌@carlosalcaraz | @Roland Garros | #Roland Garros
— ATP Tour (@atptour) June 2, 2024
He said the same thing after his easy first-round win over JJ Wolf. If he reaches his full power, it will surely be a worrying sign for the other contenders, and it might be impossible to stop him.
Alcaraz was pushed hard by Dutch qualifier Jesper de Jong in the second round and again by Sebastian Korda in the third round. But it was in his emphatic victory over Felix Auger-Aliassime in the fourth round that he seemed to feel comfortable again.
Next up is Stefanos Tsitsipas in the quarter-finals, and Alcaraz is confident and says on court that he has the “key” to beat him, having won all five of their previous meetings.
“I know Stefanos is playing very well, but I know tactically what I have to do in the game, which I'm not going to say, obviously, but I know what I have to do.” [to win] the game,” Alcaraz said.
2. Sinner Jannik
After winning his first Grand Slam in January, Jannik Sinner was one of the favorites to win the second of two in Paris. But like many of his contemporaries, Sinner arrived at Roland Garros with doubts about his physical condition. He withdrew from the Madrid Open quarterfinals with a hip injury and then also withdrew from the Italian Open. He told the media before the tournament that he was feeling good, and backed it up with a commanding first-round victory over Chris Eubanks.
“The hip is fine. I'm very happy. I'm glad that my team and I worked very hard to be on the court as soon as possible,” Sinner said afterwards. “Certainly the overall form is not 100% yet, so we are trying to improve every day.”
He had to deal with playing against a partisan crowd in his second round match against Richard Gasquet, but beat him in straight sets. Afterwards, the hugely experienced Gasquet praised Sinner.
70% of the Earth is covered by water, the rest by Sinner 🌍#Roland Garros pic.twitter.com/jnTVRRTuM0
– Roland Garros (@rolandgarros) May 31, 2024
“Other than Djokovic, he hits a hard backhand and a hard forehand,” Gasquet said. “He also has a good serve. So with Alcaraz they will be number 1 and 2, I think, for quite a few years, because they are both very good players. He plays really, very well. His timing is extraordinary. He is a great player.”
Sinner backed up that victory over Gasquet with a comfortable win over Pavel Kotov in Round 3. “Tennis-wise, I felt pretty good on the court today,” Sinner said after the match. “Physically I feel like I still have to improve a couple of things.”
Although he lost the first set in the fourth round against Corentin Moutet, he overcame that difficult tie well.
Sinner was on court when Djokovic's withdrawal was announced, midway through the final third of his straight-sets quarterfinal victory over Grigor Dimitrov. Djokovic's withdrawal means Sinner will be crowned world number one on Monday. Sinner, who won the Australian Open, makes history in the process, becoming the first Italian to achieve such a feat.
3. Casper Ruud
The clay court specialist reached the last two French Open finals. In 2022, he had the misfortune of running into a resurgent Nadal, while last year it was Djokovic who brought him down.
After that defeat against Djokovic, Ruud outlined his aspirations. “Hopefully I can take advantage of that and one day I will obviously try to aim for a Slam title,” he said. “It's been close, but close, but without a cigarette, so I'll keep working and try to get it one day.”
70% of the Earth is covered by water, the rest by Sinner 🌍#Roland Garros pic.twitter.com/jnTVRRTuM0
– Roland Garros (@rolandgarros) May 31, 2024
He has not found the simple life at Roland Garros. He easily cruised through the first round in straight sets against Felipe Meligeni Alves, then needed five sets to overcome Alejandro Davidovich Fokina.
Tomás Martín Etcheverry pushed him hard in the third round, with Ruud winning 6-4, 1-6, 6-2, 6-2. And Taylor Fritz was a tough test in the fourth round: the American renamed himself “Claylor” due to his newfound love for clay. Ruud had a iffy second set, but recovered in four, beating Fritz to further emphasize his title credentials. And now he has a couple of extra days of rest and automatically advances to Friday's semifinal due to Djokovic's withdrawal.
The best of the rest
Alexander Zverev He has mixed memories at the French Open. Two years ago, he was going toe-to-toe with Nadal in the 2022 semifinals, only to slip awkwardly and tear ankle ligaments. Last time, he reached the semi-final for the third year in a row, but lost in straight sets to Ruud.
But this year he arrived at Roland Garros as one of the favorites after winning the Italian Open. He defeated Nadal in straight sets in the first round and then survived a major scare to overcome Tallon Griekspoor in a tiebreaker in the fifth set of the third round. On Monday, in the fourth round, Zverev again needed five sets to overcome Holger Rune. Rune pushed him to the limit, but Zverev's experience got him through.
While playing in Paris, Zverev remains the focus of domestic abuse allegations in Germany. His trial, for which he does not need to be present, began on May 31 in Berlin.
Alex de Minaur he was outstanding against Daniil Medvedev in their fourth round match. The Australian had never reached this stage of the tournament before, but the variety in his play against Medvedev was impressive, as was his speed to the net. Just seconds after winning the match, he was yelling to the crowd on Court Suzanne Lenglen: “I love clay. I love it here. I can't get enough.”
They will reach the quarterfinals calmly confident of reaching the semifinal.
Stefanos Tsitsipas They would have been the main contenders for the title if not for the fact that they have Alcaraz in their way. Tsitsipas is loving life at Roland Garros, playing in men's doubles with his brother, Petros.
But he has maintained his intensity in the singles, getting through his first three rounds losing only one set and then needing four to overcome Matteo Arnaldi, after losing the first set.
