The Top Men’s Players to Watch at the 2024 French Open

With Novak Djokovic coming off a shock exit in Rome and Rafael Nadal in the twilight of his career, the field is wide open at Roland Garros.

Casper Ruud has made the last two French Open finals, but has yet to take home the title. / Jonathan Hui-USA TODAY Sports

Rafael Nadal will step onto the iconic clay courts at Roland Garros for likely the last time in his career this month as he’s expected to retire after this season.

Nadal has dominated the French Open since 2005 when he won for the first time in Paris, going on to claim the major title a record 14 times.

With the “King of Clay” nearing the end of his Roland Garros reign, just two short years after Roger Federer retired from the sport and following a shock exit from Novak Djokovic in Rome a week ago, tennis fans will be looking for the next big men’s tennis star to follow. The 2024 French Open field appears wide open, giving several players a good chance of making a successful run at the tournament.

Here are the male players with the most breakthrough potential at Roland Garros. 

Sinner won his first major title at the Australian Open in January. / Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports

No. 2 Jannik Sinner

Sinner could potentially ascend to world No. 1 depending on Djokovic's results in Geneva this week, so he’s already carrying a lot of weight on his shoulders heading into Roland Garros. The pressure is also there for the 22-year-old Italian to win another major after winning his first Grand Slam title in January at the Australian Open. Since then, Sinner has won two more ATP titles, including the Miami Open in March.

Sinner is looking to make it past the quarterfinals at the French Open for the first time in his career. He reached the quarters in 2020 and hasn’t been able to match that success since. Last year, Sinner lost early in the second round.

Sinner’s biggest obstacle will be his ongoing hip injury that caused him to withdraw from the quarterfinals of the Italian Open last week. There are rumors he wouldn’t play in the French Open, though. A good run in Paris could be the remedy he needs to get in form and would cement his name as one of the tour’s top stars. 

Alcaraz withdrew from the Italian Open with an arm injury, which could impact his showing at the French Open. / Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports

No. 3 Carlos Alcaraz

The 21-year-old Spaniard has been seen as Nadal’s successor in many ways, partially because of all he’s accomplished at such a young age. Alcaraz has two major titles to his name (2022 U.S. Open and 2023 Wimbledon), and he became the youngest World No. 1 in men’s tennis history in ’22.

As for Alcaraz’s previous Roland Garros results, he lost in the semifinals to Djokovic last year and reached the quarterfinals in 2022. This year, he could potentially add a French Open title to his ever-growing résumé. 

If Alcaraz and Sinner do end up meeting in the draw at some point, it’s important to note that the two young tennis stars hold an even 4–4 record against each other, with the most recent win coming from Alcaraz in the semifinals at Indian Wells in March. 

Similarly to Sinner, Alcaraz will start his French Open campaign with an injury obstacle as he also withdrew from the Italian Open, but with an arm injury. Eager to follow up his Indian Wells title, Alcaraz will look to add some hardware to his trophy cabinet in Paris. 

Ruud is a favorite entering Roland Garros, with clay being his preferred surface. / Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports

No. 7 Casper Ruud

The 25-year-old will be looking to make his third consecutive French Open final in the hopes of taking home his first major title trophy this year. Last season, Ruud lost in three sets to Djokovic in the final. The year prior, Ruud lost in straight sets to Nadal. It’s time for Ruud to hold the winner’s trophy.

The Norwegian already has one clay title this season after he beat Stefanos Tsitsipas in the final at the Barcelona Open last month. In April, he reached the final in Monte Carlo but lost to Tsitsipas there.

Clay seems to be Ruud’s best surface as 10 of the 11 ATP titles he’s won have been played on dirt. Is he aiming to dethrone Nadal from his “King of Clay” reign? Winning the French Open this year would definitely be a start.

Rune will look to advance beyond the French Open quarterfinals for the first time in his career. / Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports

No. 12 Holger Rune

Rune hasn’t reached as much international success as some of the names mentioned before, but he’s nearing tennis superstardom at 21 thanks to his recent tournament runs. The Dane reached two major quarterfinals last season, losing to Ruud in the French Open and Alcaraz at Wimbledon. But, Rune first reached prominence in 2022 when he beat Djokovic to win the Paris Masters. Since then, Rune has continued to make a name for himself.

As for his clay court success, Rune has won two clay tournaments in his career—back-to-back titles at Munich in 2022 and ’23. He will be looking to keep his streak going at the French Open in hopes of going beyond the quarterfinals this season.

Fritz has never advanced beyond the quarterfinals at a major and will look to change that at Roland Garros. / Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports

No. 13 Taylor Fritz

Fritz is no stranger to the limelight as he’s consistently been the top-ranked American male player or near the top for quite some time. Fans may also recognize him as one of the stars of the Netflix series Break Point. However, he has yet to garner success at a major, never advancing past a quarterfinal round.

Clay is not necessarily the 26-year-old’s strong suit, as none of his seven ATP titles have been won on the surface. In fact, he’s never advanced further than the third round at the French Open. But, Fritz will enter Roland Garros with momentum as he’s been competing among some of the top-seeded players in the world this year. He’s beaten Tsitsipas, Hubert Hurkacz and Grigor Dimitrov, to name a few.

Shelton has yet to win a match at Roland Garros, losing in the first round last year. / Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports

No. 14 Ben Shelton

At 21 years old, Shelton is relatively new to the tennis scene, first making a name for himself during last year’s U.S. Open run. He reached the semifinals, where he lost to Djokovic. This impressive outing helped him enter the Top 20 in the world rankings and secure a spot on Team World in the Laver Cup.

Shelton won the second title of his career in April at the U.S. Men's Clay Court Championships, which happened to be his first title on clay. This ricocheted him up the rankings, becoming the top American male in the world for the first time in his career. He surpassed Fritz, who held that position for over a year. Since then, though, Fritz has regained the top American seed.

This year will only be the second time Shelton’s played in the French Open. He has yet to win a single match at the tournament, falling in the first round in 2023. But, at such a young age, Shelton exudes an on-court confidence that just might propel him to success, especially with the résumé he’s built for himself in the past year.

The first round of the 2024 French Open begins Sunday, May 26, with the men’s final scheduled for Sunday, June 9.