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The Roland-Garros 2026 draw has been made in Paris and the headline writes itself, Jannik Sinner and Novak Djokovic are in opposite halves, which means the two men most likely to win this tournament cannot meet until the French Open final on June 7.

French Open 2026 without the two-time defending champion

The French Open tournament organisers will be quietly delighted. Everyone who bought tickets for the final will be quietly delighted. The players involved have seen enough draws in their careers to know that opposite halves is never just luck it is the seeding system working exactly as intended, preserving the two biggest names for the biggest occasion. Whether both of them actually get there is the question that makes the next two weeks genuinely interesting.

Carlos Alcaraz, the defending two-time French Open champion and the man who beat Sinner in last year's final in what became the longest French Open final on record, will not be in Paris. His wrist injury, which has already cost him Rome and this tournament, will also cost him Wimbledon. The path to the title is open in a way it simply was not last year, and Sinner, who is arriving at Roland-Garros on a 29-match winning streak, will know it.

Jannik Sinner's French Open 2026 path: The career Grand Slam is one title away

Jannik Sinner arrives as world number one in French Open, as the man with Australian Open titles in 2024 and 2025, a US Open in 2024, and a Wimbledon in 2025, and as the player who lost last year's French Open final to Alcaraz in a match that lasted so long people were ordering second dinners.

He needs Roland-Garros to complete the Career Grand Slamm to become only the seventh man in the Open Era to win all four majors. The draw has been kind enough in the first week and difficult enough thereafter to make this feel like a genuine test rather than a formality.

His first-round opponent is French wildcard Clement Tabur, manageable, though playing in front of a Parisian crowd always adds a layer of complication. From there, potential opponents include Jacob Fearnley in round two, Alexander Bublik in round three, Ben Shelton in the fourth round, and Daniil Medvedev in the quarterfinal.

The Medvedev match, should both progress, would be the match within the tournament, the world number one against one of the most awkward opponents in the draw on clay. If Sinner gets past that section, the semifinal likely awaits against Felix Auger-Aliassime or Alex de Minaur. The final, if everything goes to form, against Djokovic.

Novak Djokovic's French Open 2026 path: The 25th major bid through harder half

Novak Djokovic is 38 years old, chasing his 25th Grand Slam title, and has drawn what might be the more demanding half of the bracket. His first-round opponent is France's Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard a dangerous home favourite who will have the crowd and the pressure of representing his nation on Chatrier.

Should Djokovic get through that, Joao Fonseca awaits in round three, the Brazilian NextGen talent who has been one of the most exciting stories on the tour this season. Casper Ruud, a two-time French Open finalist who arrived in Paris in good form after reaching the Rome final, is a potential fourth-round opponent.

Then Alexander Zverev, the second seed and 2024 finalist, looms as a possible quarterfinal. And if Djokovic navigates all of that, a potential semifinal against the winner of the Fritz or Auger-Aliassime section, before the final against Sinner.

It is not an easy draw. It was never going to be an easy draw for a 38-year-old chasing history. But Djokovic has beaten Sinner in Australia this year and beaten Alcaraz at Wimbledon last year, which means the quality is still present even if the path is steep. He has won this tournament three times. He knows exactly what is required.

Arthur Fils opens against Stan Wawrinka, a first-round match that carries its own emotional weight given that Wawrinka, 41 years old and ranked 125, is playing his final season on the ATP Tour. The 2015 champion gets a farewell appearance at his favourite major, on Chatrier, in front of a crowd that will not need any encouragement to give him the send-off he deserves.

Gael Monfils, also in his final season, meets Hugo Gaston in what will be his final Roland-Garros appearance. The French crowd will be loud for both. Rafael Jodar, the 19-year-old Spanish NextGen talent who is 15-3 on clay this season, opens against Aleksandar Kovacevic and could face Fritz in round three.

Moise Kouame, the 17-year-old French wildcard, faces Marin Cilic in what is quite an opening assignment for someone of his age and ranking. Cameron Norrie opens against Adolfo Daniel Vallejo. Jacob Fearnley, the British unseeded player, faces Juan Manuel Cerundolo and could then meet Sinner in round two, a considerable step up from where his season has been so far.

The French Open 2026 women's draw: Sabalenka and Gauff could meet in the semifinals

World number one Aryna Sabalenka and defending champion Coco Gauff have been drawn into the same half, which means they could meet in the semifinals rather than the final. Sabalenka, runner-up last year after losing to Gauff, is still searching for her first French Open title.

She opens against Spain's Jessica Bouzas Maneiro and has a potential quarterfinal against Jessica Pegula. Gauff opens against fellow American Taylor Townsend, with Amanda Anisimova also on the same side of the draw. If both Sabalenka and Gauff progress as expected, the semifinal between them would be the match of the tournament on the women's side.

In the bottom half, Elena Rybakina, the Australian Open champion this season, opens against Slovenia's Veronika Erjavec and will be looking to add clay-court Grand Slam success to her hard-court titles. Iga Swiatek and Elina Svitolina are on course to meet in the quarterfinals if both progress.

Jasmine Paolini, the 13th seed, faces Dayana Yastremska in the first round and could meet Emma Raducanu in round two. Raducanu faces Argentina's Solana Sierra in her opener, a first-time meeting that should be manageable and arrives at Roland-Garros with only one clay-court match under her belt this season after a first-round loss in Strasbourg. The big stage has historically suited her more than the build-up has suggested it should.

Men's Singles (Round 1)

  • Jannik Sinner (1) vs Clement Tabur
  • Jacob Fearnley vs Juan Manuel Cerúndolo
  • Martín Landaluce vs Qualifier
  • Vít Kopřiva vs Corentin Moutet (30)
  • Arthur Rinderknech (22) vs Qualifier
  • Márton Fucsovics vs Matteo Berrettini
  • Ethan Quinn vs Francisco Comesaña
  • Sebastian Ofner vs Luciano Darderi (14)
  • Alexander Bublik (9) vs Jan-Lennard Struff
  • Qualifier vs Denis Shapovalov
  • Jaume Munar vs Hubert Hurkacz
  • Eliot Spizzirri vs Frances Tiafoe (19)
  • Tallon Griekspoor (29) vs Matteo Arnaldi
  • Alexandre Muller vs Stefanos Tsitsipas
  • Raphaël Collignon vs Aleksandar Vukic
  • Daniel Mérida vs Ben Shelton (5)
  • Felix Auger-Aliassime (4) vs Daniel Altmaier
  • Sebastián Báez vs Román Andrés Burruchaga
  • Luca Van Assche vs Patrick Kypson
  • Roberto Bautista Agut vs Brandon Nakashima (31)

Women's Singles (Round 1)

  • Aryna Sabalenka (1) vs Qualifier
  • Jessica Bouzas Maneiro vs Elsa Jacquemot
  • Daria Kasatkina vs Zeynep Sönmez
  • Qualifier vs Cristina Bucșa (31)
  • Iva Jovic vs Alexandra Eala
  • Emma Navarro vs Talia Gibson
  • Donna Vekić vs Alice Tubello
  • Laura Siegemund vs Naomi Osaka (16)
  • Victoria Mboko vs Nikola Bartunkova
  • Simona Waltert vs Kateřina Siniaková
  • Antonia Ružić vs Qualifier
  • Hanne Vandewinkel vs Madison Keys (19)
  • Diana Shnaider (25) vs Renata Zarazúa
  • Qualifier vs McCartney Kessler
  • Qualifier vs Oleksandra Oliynykova
  • Kimberly Birrell vs Jessica Pegula (5)
  • Coco Gauff (4) vs Taylor Townsend
  • Dalma Gálfi vs Qualifier
  • Wildcard vs Katie Boulter
  • Maya Joint vs Anastasia Potapova (28)

Also READ: Roland Garros 2026 complete withdrawal list: From Carlos Alcaraz to Victoria Azarenka every notable absence ahead of the French Open