Tennis star Jannik Sinner is in the form of his life right now and quite possibly the form of anyone else’s, too. He has overhauled his great rival, Carlos Alcaraz, at the top of the world rankings and now holds a substantial lead which is set to get much bigger in the weeks ahead, as we will discuss. He looks unstoppable at the moment, and many would have fancied him to win the French Open no matter what.
However, on the 24th of April, Alcaraz, the winner at Roland Garros in both 2025 and 2024, announced he would not be defending his title. The Spaniard became the youngest man to complete the career Grand Slam at the start of the year when he completed his set with the Australian Open. But now it looks like his withdrawal will give Sinner the chance to become just the 10th man to land a career Slam.
💔 The defending champion is out.
Carlos Alcaraz says he will miss next month’s French Open because of an ongoing wrist injury. pic.twitter.com/HRxd01AiZk
— BBC Sport (@BBCSport) April 24, 2026
Alcaraz withdrew from the Barcelona Open on the 15th of April, having shown signs of discomfort in his opening-round win over Otto Virtanen. Tests revealed a more serious injury than the seven-time major winner expected, and he subsequently withdrew from the Madrid Open, too.
Missing these two tournaments would have been a huge blow to his preparations to try and claim a French Open hat-trick. Had he been fit, he would have still had a fighting chance, but unfortunately for the Spaniard, and the many tennis fans who love the rivalry he has with Sinner, he revealed he would have to withdraw from both the Italian Open, in Rome, and also the second Grand Slam event of the year, the French Open.
Sinner Huge Favourite
Sinner would have loved to complete the career Slam by beating his rival in the final in Paris, and given his current form, would have backed himself to do so. Sadly, he will not have the chance to face Alcaraz now, and in the wake of the defending champion’s withdrawal, Sinner is now priced at just 4/9 to claim the French Open for the first time.
That makes him the shortest-priced favourite in a men’s Grand Slam for a long, long time. There is only one other player priced shorter than Novak Djokovic at 14/1, and that is Alexander Zverev at 17/2. As far as the bookies are concerned, this one is virtually done and dusted. The only dead certs in sports betting are in the graveyard, but even so, it truly is difficult to see anyone stopping the world number one.
More Records for Sinner
The Madrid Open is ongoing at the time of writing, with Sinner through to the semis and awaiting the completion of the quarters of the ATP Masters 1000 series tournament. Whoever he faces, he will be a huge favourite, and he is now just two games away from becoming the first man ever to win five Masters 1000 events in a row. If he does, he will also become the first player to win the first four such tournaments of the season.
He is currently level with legends Djokovic and Rafa Nadal on four consecutive Masters 1000 wins. The Italian triumphed at the end of last season in the Paris Masters, before adding the Indian Wells tournament earlier this year. He won both of those prestigious, high-class tournaments without conceding a single set, becoming the first player to win back-to-back Masters 1000 events in such fashion.
| Date | Tournament Won | Surface | Prize Money |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nov 2025 | Paris Masters | Hard | €946,610 |
| March 2026 | Indian Wells | Hard | $1,151,380 |
| March 2026 | Miami Open | Hard | $1,151,380 |
| April 2026 | Monte-Carlo Masters | Clay | €974,370 |
More was to come as he won another Masters 1000 event, the Miami Open, again without dropping a set, extending the record he had set at Indian Wells. Then, he joined Novak and Rafa by claiming the Monte-Carlo Masters. At last, someone managed to at least take a set off the Italian in Monte-Carlo, though, but he did smash the record for most consecutive sets won in ATP Masters 1000 tennis, moving the mark from 24 to 37!
He has been making fairly serene progress in Madrid, and has now won 21 matches in a row in Masters 1000 tournaments, having beaten Spaniard Rafael Jodar in the quarters. He will play Frenchman Arthur Fils in the semis, before a potential final against number two seed Zverev, a man he has beaten so often during this incredible run.
Career Slam and Extended Stint Atop Rankings Beckon
It seems barely a match passes without Sinner breaking some record or other, but the world number one will be most focused on landing the French Open. With Alcaraz out of the draw, he should get the job done. Even if he doesn’t, however, he looks set to establish a huge lead in the world rankings.
| Rank | Player | Points |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Jannik Sinner | 13,350 |
| 2 | Carlos Alcaraz | 12,960 |
| 3 | Alexander Zverev | 5,255 |
| 4 | Novak Djokovic | 4,710 |
| 5 | Felix Auger-Aliassime | 4,100 |
With his rival set to have an extended spell on the sidelines, Sinner has a real chance to build a dominant lead. Alcaraz will drop a huge number of points as he won the French Open last term, as well as the Italian Open before it. In contrast, Sinner has never made it as far as the semis in Madrid and lost in the final in both Italy and France. Tough times for Alcaraz, but neutrals should really savour the tennis Sinner is producing right now, and he is setting records that will stand for a very long time.