The Roland Garros men’s event has transformed from a near certainty to a scramble.
As recently as Wednesday, Jannik Sinner appeared to be heading for a career Grand Slam. Now, for the first time in the Open era, there will be nobody in the round of 16 who has won a major title. Even Novak Djokovic couldn’t survive the wave of upsets. Between them, Sinner, Djokovic, and Carlos Alcaraz had won the last 15 majors.
With all of them gone, virtually everyone left in the draw will have a legitimate chance to win their first Slam. They’ll also have to deal with that fact.
An Unexpected Jolt of Hope
On Thursday, Sinner’s loss gave the rest of the field an unexpected jolt of hope. The next day, that field gave us two instant-classic third-round dogfights.
Joao Fonseca came back from two sets down to stun Djokovic 7-5 in the fifth, in 4 hours, 53 minutes. It was just the second time that Djokovic has lost from two sets up—he’s now 209-2.
Later, Casper Ruud followed suit when he came back from two sets down, and saved two match points, to beat Tommy Paul, also 7-5 in the fifth, in 4 hours, 43 minutes.
Mindset Shift Required
Gilles Simon described the new dynamic. “I’ve never seen anything like it in 20 years,” Simon wrote.
“It’s going to be so fascinating to see who gets all tense and, on the contrary, who will be ready to seize their chance because there’s a huge mindset shift to be done here.”
Zverev’s Opportunity
Alexander Zverev may have been the name that popped into most fans’ minds when Sinner and Djokovic lost. The German is the No. 2 seed, he has never won a major, and he has lost three Slam finals, including a five-setter to Alcaraz here two years ago.
After years of banging on the door, it just opened wide for him. Here is his chance to win one—or fail in the most crushing way.
Every shot, game, set, and match—and match point saved—will mean just a bit more.