Key Points
- Carlos Alcaraz withdrew from Roland Garros and Wimbledon with a wrist injury.
- World No. 1 Jannik Sinner lost in the second round to No. 56 Juan Manuel Cerúndolo.
- Their exits end a run of nine straight Grand Slam titles won between the two.
- The men's final is June 7, and every remaining contender is chasing a first major.
For the first time in two years, a Grand Slam will end without either Jannik Sinner or Carlos Alcaraz holding the trophy. The two players who have split the last nine majors between them are both out of the 2026 French Open, and whoever lifts the Coupe des Mousquetaires on June 7 will be a first-time Grand Slam champion.
How the favorites fell
Alcaraz, the defending champion, never made it to the start line — he withdrew from Roland Garros, and from Wimbledon, while recovering from a wrist injury, his first absence from a major in years. Sinner did play, and entered as the overwhelming favorite, but the world No. 1 lost in the second round to Juan Manuel Cerúndolo, ranked No. 56, in five sets — throwing the tournament open to the rest of the field for the first time in eighteen months.
A guaranteed first-time champion
That leaves a draw with no one who has ever won a major. Alexander Zverev, a multiple-time Slam finalist still chasing his first title, is the most decorated name remaining, alongside a deep Italian contingent that has thrived in their absence. It's a season of firsts across sports — the Knicks are playing for their first title since 1973 — and Paris is about to add a new name to the Roland Garros honor roll.
The era question
Sinner and Alcaraz turned the post-Big Three years into a two-man monopoly, matching the nine-major run Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic once strung together. A tournament without either of them is the first real test of how thin the field behind them actually is — and a reminder that the duopoly, for all its dominance, sits one bad draw or one wrist away from cracking open. A month later at Wimbledon, Zverev did exactly that, reaching the final where Sinner beat Djokovic to set up their title match.
Source: Yahoo Sports, ATP Tour.
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