Alcaraz, Sinner set to achieve Grand Slam milestone at Roland Garros last seen in Federer-Nadal era

Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner will be two of the top contenders at the French Open, which begins this Sunday. The pair has been dominating the ATP Tour recently, as evidenced by their performances at the Rome Masters 1000, and they’ll look to continue that momentum in Paris. They’re also closing in on a feat last accomplished by Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal.

Sinner and Alcaraz will be seeded No. 1 and No. 2, respectively, at Roland Garros—positions that reflect their current status as the top two players in the ATP rankings. At 23 and 22 years old, they will be the youngest top two seeds at a major tournament in the last 19 years.

The last time something similar happened was at the 2006 US Open, when the top two seeds were Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal. Back then, the Swiss star was 25 years old, while the Spanish player was just 20. Federer, then World No. 1, went on to win the title, defeating Andy Roddick in the final.

The last time both top seeds at a Grand Slam were 23 or younger was at Wimbledon in 2005, when Roger Federer (23) and Andy Roddick (22) led the draw—matching the current ages of Sinner and Alcaraz. That year, too, it was the Swiss legend who came out on top.

Jannik Sinner of Italy (left) and Carlos Alcaraz of Spain

Alcaraz’s track record at Roland Garros

Carlos Alcaraz will be making his sixth appearance at the French Open this year, and in each edition, he has shown steady improvement over the previous one. In 2020, at just 17 years old, he was knocked out in the qualifiers by Aleksandar Vukic, but from the following year onward, he has consistently made it into the main draw.

see also

Roland Garros: Jannik Sinner targets Grand Slam feat only achieved by Novak Djokovic in recent history

In 2021, Alcaraz reached the third round, where he lost to Jan-Lennard Struff. A year later, he advanced to the quarterfinals before being eliminated by Alexander Zverev. In 2023, it was Novak Djokovic who ended Carlos’s run in the semifinals. Finally, last year, Alcaraz captured his first French Open title by defeating Zverev in the final.

Sinner’s history at the French Open

Jannik Sinner’s track record on the clay of Paris has been less impressive than Alcaraz’s. At 23, the World No. 1 is still chasing not only his first Roland Garros title but also his first appearance in a final. His best result so far came in 2024, when he reached the semifinals before falling to Carlos.