Alexander Zverev ‘should not be afraid’ of Novak Djokovic, Felix Auger-Aliassime as he is ‘simply better’
Jannik Sinner exit from the 2026 French Open has opened the door for a potential shock champion, but Boris Becker believes one man is the clear favourite as he “is simply better” than “every possible opponent” left in the draw.
Having won five consecutive ATP Masters 1000 events in the lead-up to Roland Garros, Sinner took his winning streak to 30 matches with a first-round win and many expected his clash against Juan Manuel Cerundolo to be a formality.
The world No 1 appeared to be in cruise control as he took a 6-3, 6-2, 5-1 lead, but then suffered one of the biggest collapses in tennis history as the heat and illness started to take its toll.
Not even a medical timeout could help the Italian as he won only two more games as world No 56 Cerundolo played it out expertly to secure a shock 3-6, 2-6, 7-5, 6-1, 6-1 victory.
Sinner’s defeat has left the top half of the draw wide open as fifth seed Ben Shelton, sixth seed Daniil Medvedev and ninth seed Alexander Bublik are among the top-10 players to exit early from the clay-court Grand Slam.
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Meanwhile, in the bottom half of the draw, second seed Alexander Zverev has tennis great Novak Djokovic, 15th seed Casper Ruud and rising star Rafael Jodar – who is seeded 27th – in his half.
But former world No 1 Becker doesn’t think anyone left in the main draw should pose a threat to Zverev, who is looking to win his first Grand Slam following three runners-up finishes.
“If I may judge this from Alexander Zverev’s perspective: there is no player I should be afraid of,” the six-time Grand Slam winner said speaking for Eurosport and TNT Sports.
“For me, as of today, he is the top favourite for the title. I say that with great respect for every possible opponent. Against Quentin Halys and Karen Khachanov, he is the favourite, Rafael Jodar is playing his first Grand Slam tournament, Novak Djokovic is 39 years old, and Felix Auger-Aliassime is not world-class on clay — sorry, but Sascha is simply better!”
Zverev will face Halys next and if he gets through that match he could potentially take on 13th seed Khachanov for a place in the quarter-final.
With Taylor Fritz also exiting early in Paris, Zverev could meet 27th seed Jodar in the quarter-final before a potential clash with 24-time Grand Slam winner Djokovic in the last four.
Zverev certainly has the record at Roland Garros to back up Becker’s claims as he reached the quarter-final last year, finished runner-up to Carlos Alcaraz in 2024 and was a semi-finalist for three consecutive years from 2021 to 2023.
*Boris Becker will feature as part of TNT Sports’ Roland-Garros coverage*
*Every match of Roland-Garros is live across TNT Sports and HBO Max*.
