French Open projected men’s seeds: Sinner No 1, Djokovic benefits from Alcaraz’s withdrawal
Roland Garros is one week away and the provisional seeds have been placed for the second Grand Slam of the season.
Jannik Sinner, who earned World No. 1 status yet again by beating Carlos Alcaraz in the Monte Carlo Masters final, is the top seed at the event for the second year in a row.
Sinner’s top seeding at the 2025 event did not ensure he won the Grand Slam, as he was beaten in a thrilling final by Alcaraz in Paris. The Italian will be hoping to go one further to try and earn the Career Grand Slam.
Alexander Zverev and Novak Djokovic make up the top three seeds, with Zverev confirmed to be on the other side of the draw to Sinner. The pair have benefitted from Alcaraz’s withdrawal from the Grand Slam, as he would have been the second seed.
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Alcaraz’s withdrawal gives Zverev a major opportunity to reach the final as he attempts to inflict his first victory on Sinner since the 2023 US Open.
Felix Auger-Aliassime, Ben Shelton, Daniil Medvedev, and Taylor Fritz will make up the top eight, and they will be rewarded with an ‘easier’ schedule.
From the third round, seeded players between one and eight will be paired with those ranked between 25 and 32, should they make it to that stage.
The players seeded between nine and 16, meanwhile, will play those seeded between 17 and 24 at the third round stage.
In the round of 16, the top four seeds will play seed between 13 and 16, while five to eight face off against players between nine and 12 at the event. In the last eight, the top four 1-4 seeds will face the players seeded between 5-8, should they reach the latter stages.
Of course, anything can happy in the first week of a Grand Slam and there is sure to be plenty of upsets and surprises at the clay court major.
Other high-profile players who have earned seeded entry include Italian Open finalist Casper Ruud, Britain’s Cameron Norrie, rising star Rafael Jodar, and Joao Fonseca.
Jodar and Valentin Vacherot will play Roland Garros as seeds for the first time in their careers, after their incredible success throughout the last year.
Vacherot stunned the world by winning the Shanghai Masters in 2025 and he followed it up with a glorious run to the semi-finals of his home event at the Monte Carlo Masters.
Jodar, meanwhile, has been one of the stories of the clay court swing so far. He won an ATP 250 event in Marrakech, reached the semi-finals of the Barcelona Open, and earned back-to-back quarter-finals in Madrid and Rome.
Major names, including Stefanos Tsitsipas, Denis Shapovalov, and Sebastian Korda will not be seeded, so they could play the big names in the first round.
Men’s top 32 seeds for Roland Garros
1. Jannik Sinner
2. Alexander Zverev
3. Novak Djokovic
4. Felix Auger-Aliassime
5. Ben Shelton
6. Daniil Medvedev
7. Taylor Fritz
8. Alex de Minaur
9. Alexander Bublik
10. Flavio Cobolli
11. Andrey Rublev
12. Jiri Lehecka
13. Karen Khachanov
14. Luciano Darderi
15. Casper Ruud
16. Valentin Vacherot
17. Arthur Fils
18. Learner Tien
19. Frances Tiafoe
20. Cameron Norrie
21. Alejandro Davidovich Fokina
22. Arthur Rinderknech
23. Tomas Martin Etcheverry
24. Tommy Paul
25. Francisco Cerundolo
26. Jakub Mensik
27. Rafael Jodar
28. Joao Fonseca
29. Tallon Griekspoor
30. Corentin Moutet
31. Brandon Nakashima
32. Ugo Humbert
