Roland Garros 2026 Draw: Sinner vs Djokovic, Shock Withdrawals & A Grand Farewell on the Terre Battue

The Roland Garros 2026 draw has been made — and the stage is set for one of the most compelling French Opens in a generation. The two-time defending champion Carlos Alcaraz is absent through injury. World number one Jannik Sinner arrives on the form of his career, one Grand Slam short of completing a Career Grand Slam. Novak Djokovic prowls the bottom half of the draw with his record 25th major title within reach. And before the first ball is struck, two of the game’s most beloved veterans — Stan Wawrinka and Gaël Monfils — will say goodbye to Paris for the last time.

From the men’s draw to the women’s, from the race for immortality to the end of an era, here is everything you need to know about Roland Garros 2026.

▶  Tournament Essentials: Dates, Prize Money & Key Facts

Roland Garros 2026 runs from 24 May to 7 June at Stade Roland Garros in Paris, with the total prize fund confirmed at a record €61,723,000 — a 9.53% increase on 2025. Singles champions take home €2,800,000 each, with the runner-up receiving €1,400,000. The draw was revealed on Thursday 21 May at 2pm CEST in Paris, and within minutes every storyline in men’s and women’s tennis crystallised into brackets.

▶  The Biggest Absence: Alcaraz Withdraws as Defending Champion

The headline before anyone hit a ball: Carlos Alcaraz, the two-time defending Roland Garros champion who has won in Paris in 2024 and 2025, is not in the draw. The Spaniard suffered a right wrist injury (tenosynovitis) during the Barcelona Open on 14 April and has not played since. Having already withdrawn from Madrid, Rome, and now the French Open, Alcaraz’s 2026 season has stalled dramatically.

It breaks my heart not to be in Paris. Roland Garros is my favourite Grand Slam. I will be back. — Carlos Alcaraz, on his withdrawal from Roland Garros 2026

Alcaraz’s absence reshapes the entire tournament. He was the one player universally considered capable of beating Sinner on clay; without him, the path to the title for the world number one has never been clearer. It also opens the door for Djokovic and Zverev in a way that the draw itself might not have.

▶  Men’s Draw: Structure & Key Seedings

The men’s singles draw pits the top two seeds — Sinner and Zverev — in opposite halves of the bracket, meaning they cannot meet until the final. Djokovic, seeded third, is placed in the same half as Zverev, creating a congested bottom half and a comparatively cleaner path for Sinner to the final.

Full Men’s Seedings — Top 8

▶  Sinner’s Half: The Cleaner Path

Jannik Sinner draws Corentin Tabur in the first round — a French wildcard who will have the crowd behind him, but who represents a manageable opener for the world number one. Sinner’s projected path through the quarters sees him navigate Ben Shelton and potentially Felix Auger-Aliassime before a semi-final. His career record against the trio of Shelton, Auger-Aliassime, and Zverev stands at 24-7 combined — a statistic that tells its own story about his dominance over these opponents.

Sinner arrives in Paris carrying the weight of history and the momentum of an extraordinary season. He swept all three clay Masters in 2026 — Monte Carlo, Madrid, and Rome — becoming the first player since Rafael Nadal in 2010 to achieve that treble. His overall winning streak entering the French Open stands at 29 matches. This is the most focused, dominant version of Sinner that clay has ever seen.

▶  The Bottom Half: Djokovic, Zverev and a War of Attrition

If Sinner’s half looks navigable, the bottom half of the men’s draw is a battlefield. Alexander Zverev, seeded second and a perennial French Open contender, anchors one quarter — but faces the formidable obstacle of home favourite Arthur Fils, who opens against Stan Wawrinka. Djokovic lurks in the other quarter, opening against Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard — a powerful French serve-and-volleyer ranked inside the world’s top 15 and a dangerous first-round test.

Djokovic’s projected path beyond round one is equally demanding. A potential third-round clash with NextGen star Joao Fonseca looms, followed by the possibility of facing Casper Ruud in the fourth round before Rublev or de Minaur in the quarter-finals. The Serbian then would need to beat Zverev in the semi-final before even reaching the final against Sinner. It is a mountain — but Djokovic has climbed bigger ones.

▶  Djokovic’s Quest: 25 Grand Slams or Bust

At 39, Novak Djokovic is playing in a dimension of his own. He has 24 Grand Slam singles titles — tied with Margaret Court’s all-time record. A win here in Paris would hand him the record outright: 25 Slams, more than any player in history across men’s and women’s tennis. Djokovic has won Roland Garros three times — in 2016, 2021, and 2023 — and knows every inch of Philippe-Chatrier.

His readiness is the question. A shoulder injury has followed the Serb through the 2026 clay season, and his results before Paris have not been consistently at his highest level. At Roland Garros, though, his experience, tactical intelligence, and extraordinary mental resilience can compensate for physical limitations that would undo lesser players. He beat Sinner in five sets at the 2026 Australian Open semi-finals — proof that when the moment demands it, Djokovic can still produce tennis of the very highest order.

▶  The Emotional Story: Wawrinka & Monfils Bid Farewell to Paris

Roland Garros 2026 carries a layer of emotion that goes beyond the race for titles. Two legends of the sport — Stan Wawrinka and Gaël Monfils — have been granted wild cards for their farewell appearances at the tournament that shaped their careers. A special ceremony was held on 21 May to honour both players, along with women’s champion Caroline Garcia, who is also retiring from professional tennis.

Stan Wawrinka, 41, is a three-time Grand Slam champion whose 2015 Roland Garros title remains one of the most stunning performances in the tournament’s history. The Swiss maestro, known for his one-handed backhand and ability to produce moments of genius under pressure, opens against Arthur Fils in the bottom half of the draw — a cruel but poetically fitting final match for a player who has always relished a fight.

Gaël Monfils, born in Paris and a former world number 6, has embodied French tennis for two decades. His Roland Garros semi-final in 2008 remains one of the most celebrated performances in French Open history. The crowd at Chatrier will give him a send-off worthy of the career he has had.

▶  Dark Horses & NextGen Threats

Beyond the headline names, Roland Garros 2026 offers a cast of players capable of causing damage. Arthur Fils — the young Frenchman with a booming baseline game — arrives as the leading home hope in the absence of Monfils’ and Wawrinka’s competitive ambitions, and his placement in the bottom half means he could reach the semi-finals if he finds his best clay form. Joao Fonseca, the Brazilian NextGen star, could meet Djokovic as early as the third round and has shown in recent weeks that he is ready to compete at the very highest level. Casper Ruud, a perennial Roland Garros finalist, brings clay-court pedigree and consistent danger.

•  Arthur Fils (FRA) — home favourite, dangerous draw in Zverev’s quarter

•  Joao Fonseca (BRA) — NextGen, potential R3 meeting with Djokovic

•  Casper Ruud (NOR) — perennial RG finalist; title-winning experience on clay

•  Stefanos Tsitsipas (GRE) — volatile but dangerous; knows clay

•  Rafael Jódar / Martín Landaluce (ESP) — Spanish clay specialists, dark horses after Madrid/Rome form

▶  Women’s Draw: Sabalenka, Swiatek, Gauff — Who Claims the Coupe?

The women’s draw at Roland Garros 2026 has been structured so that each of the top four seeds leads a separate quarter — meaning Sabalenka, Rybakina, Swiatek, and Gauff cannot meet until the semi-finals, and Sabalenka and Rybakina (the top two seeds) could only clash in the final.

Women’s Draw: Quarter Assignments

World number one Aryna Sabalenka arrives as the player under the most pressure — she is the last of the current Big Four without a Roland Garros title, and last year’s finalist status makes this her clearest opportunity yet. Her quarter features Jessica Pegula at 5, but also dangerous floaters in Naomi Osaka and Madison Keys.

Iga Swiatek remains the sentimental and statistical favourite on these courts. The Polish champion has four Roland Garros titles to her name and has a record on the Parisian clay that rivals Nadal’s in terms of dominance-per-tournament. Her 2026 season has been inconsistent by her standards (18-9 heading into the clay swing), but Swiatek players their best tennis at Roland Garros — and the draw has given her a quarter from which she can build momentum.

Coco Gauff, the defending champion, opens against compatriot Taylor Townsend and must navigate a quarter that contains French wild card Lois Boisson — who reached the semi-finals at Roland Garros 2025 and will have the crowd firmly behind her. Elena Rybakina, the 2026 Australian Open champion, enters the tournament as the second seed with formidable power on clay and a legitimate claim to the title.

▶  Prize Money: Full Breakdown by Round

•  Winner (Men’s & Women’s): €2,800,000

•  Runner-up: €1,400,000

•  Semi-finalists: €700,000

•  Quarter-finalists: €375,000

•  Fourth round: €205,000

•  Third round: €115,000

•  Second round: €72,000

•  First round: €52,000

▶  Our Predictions for Roland Garros 2026

With Alcaraz absent and Sinner in historic form, the odds are stacked heavily in one direction on the men’s side. But Roland Garros has a habit of producing surprises — and in the bottom half, Djokovic’s experience and Zverev’s consistency make the semi-final picture genuinely unpredictable.

▶  Roland Garros 2026 Betting Odds