Jannik Sinner is gearing up for his second tournament since serving a three-month suspension following a positive doping test. After a runner-up finish to Carlos Alcaraz at the Rome Open, the Italian enters the Roland Garros in top form. However, Andy Roddick has cautioned the World No. 1 about the challenges he might face in Paris.
Sinner, the top seed at Roland Garros, headlines the upper half of the draw and will begin his campaign on Sunday, May 25, against World No. 72 Arthur Rinderknech. The pair has met three times, with Sinner holding a 2-1 edge over the Frenchman.
Speaking on his podcast, Served with Andy Roddick, the former World No. 1 highlighted the stark contrast between the warm reception Sinner received in Rome and the atmosphere awaiting him in Paris. Facing a French opponent early in the tournament, Roddick warned Sinner to prepare for a much tougher crowd.
“I’m just telling you, as nice as the reception was for Sinner in Rome, where he got standing ovations from the press when speaking to the media, Paris will be different,” Roddick explained. “It’s like two Frenchmen right out of the gate—that’s a guarantee. And then Arthur Fils. He’s going to hear it from the French crowd in Paris for the first week of this year’s French Open”.
The former World No.1 noted that the Parisian crowd might take aim at Sinner, possibly referencing his recent suspension. While Sinner has demonstrated an ability to stay composed under pressure, Roddick acknowledged the potential difficulty of navigating such an environment.
“He’s going to deal with some things coming off this suspension,” Roddick added. “It doesn’t seem to bother him—he seems like he’s able to compartmentalize. But you hear it, you just do. He handles it better than most, but that doesn’t mean it’s not there”.
Sinner and Alcaraz lead youthful charge at Roland Garros
Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz enter the French Open as the top two seeds, marking a historic moment for the sport. At 23 and 22 years old, respectively, they are the youngest top two seeds at a Grand Slam in 19 years.
The last time a similar scenario unfolded was at the 2006 US Open, when Roger Federer, then 25, and Rafael Nadal, just 20, were the top two seeds. Sinner and Alcaraz now aim to etch their names in the record books at Roland Garros.
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