Roland Garros draw, who Jannik Sinner is playing against: path set for all Italians
The draw for the men’s draw for Roland Garros 2026, the second Slam of the season and the only one on clay, took place Thursday afternoon in Paris. The tournament officially kicks off on Sunday, May 24, and has Carlos Alcaraz, the defending champion, and Italian Lorenzo Musetti among the big absentees. Jannik Sinner, winner of the last six Masters 1000s and last year’s finalist, comes in as the big favorite and is in the hunt for a Career Gold Slam.
The world number one will make his debut against wild card Clement Tabur, who will enjoy the support of the home crowd. In the second round the Azure could face Jacob Fearnley or Juan Manuel Cerundolo, while in the round of 16 a crossroads with compatriot Luciano Darderi is possible. In the quarters watch out for one between Shelton and Bublik. The big danger for Sinner is Daniil Medvedev, who gave him a hard time in Rome: the two could cross paths again in the semifinals.
On the other side of the scoreboard there could be a possible semifinal between Novak Djokovic and Alexander Zverev: Nole and Sinner could then face each other only in the last act of the Paris tournament. The other Italians: Flavio Cobolli will face a qualifier in the first round, while Darderi will face Austrian Ofner: both are on the same side of the draw as Sinner. Lorenzo Sonego will debut with a qualifier, Mattia Bellucci against Halys, Matteo Berrettini with Hungarian Fucsovics, and Matteo Arnaldi with Dutchman Griekspoor.
In Djokovic’s home, the news of a new coach is holding sway: just days before the start of the tournament, the Serb announced on his social channels the hiring of Viktor Troicki, former world number 12 and longtime Davis Cup teammate. “Welcome my friend, teammate and now coach — Viktor Troicki,” Nole wrote on Instagram. The two share a deep bond, cemented among other things by Serbia’s Davis Cup triumph in 2010. Djokovic’s stated goal remains to win the 25th career Slam, and the choice to rely on a longtime friend seems to respond as much to technical as emotional logic.
