Paris, May 23: Jannik Sinner’s bid for a maiden Roland Garros crown could involve a semi-final clash with three-time champion Novak Djokovic.The No. 1 in the PIF ATP Rankings, Sinner will begin with two matches against home favourites at the 2025 edition of the clay major in Paris. The Italian faces Arthur Rinderknech in the first round, with one of two French wild cards, Terence Atmane or Richard Gasquet — who is competing in the final event of his career — his potential second-round opponents.
The 38-year-old Djokovic, who plays Mackenzie McDonald in the first round, is seeded to face 2024 finalist Alexander Zverev in the quarter-finals. Should the Serbian reach the semi-finals, he could play Sinner. They are tied 4-4 in their Lexus ATP Head2Head series.
Sinner, who won his three Grand Slam trophies at the Australian Open (2024, 2025) and the US Open (2024), holds a 16-5 record at Roland Garros after reaching his maiden semi-final last year, according to the Infosys ATP Win/Loss Index. He could face a popcorn fourth-round meeting with the highest-ranked Frenchman in the draw, 14th seed Arthur Fils, while fifth seed Jack Draper, ninth seed Alex de Minaur and #NextGenATP star Jakub Mensik are all possible quarter-final opponents for the 23-year-old World No. 1.
The Roland Garros draw, which was carried out with the help of special guest and Paris Saint Germain football star Ousmane Dembele, presented Carlos Alcaraz with a tough start to his title defence. The second seed takes on former World No. 4 Kei Nishikori first up in the French capital.
Alcaraz is seeded to meet big-serving lefty Ben Shelton in the fourth round, when former Roland Garros finalist Stefanos Tsitsipas is also a possible opponent. Casper Ruud, who reached the title match in Paris in 2022 and 2023, is seeded to face Alcaraz in the quarter-finals.
Notable first-round clashes for fans to keep an eye on in Paris include 30th seed Hubert Hurkacz’s meeting with fast-rising #NextGenATP star Joao Fonseca. The 18-year-old Brazilian Fonseca, who won his maiden ATP Tour title on the clay of Buenos Aires earlier this year, will be making his Roland Garros debut.
Third seed Zverev meets another #NextGenATP star, American lefty Learner Tien, while fourth seed Taylor Fritz opens his campaign against Daniel Altmaier.