The second week of the French Open at Roland Garros is about to get started and there are 16 men left in the draw. Click here to check that out if you haven't already done so. What I will do is share who I think the top five contenders are left in the tournament based on what we have seen up to this point. Click here to see who I got on the women's side. Okay, let's dive in!
#1. Carlos Alcaraz (Spain): Despite coming is as the No. 2 seed behind Jannik Sinner, I still have Carlos Alcaraz as the favorite to win it all. He's dropped a couple sets along the way so far to Fabian Marozsan in the second round and Damir Dzumhur in the third round, but aside from that it's been pretty smooth sailing. Honestly, Alcaraz has a pretty clear path to the final. No. 4 seed Taylor Fritz getting bounced in the first round and No. 7 seed Casper Ruud getting bounced in the second round really opened things up for Alcaraz. I expect him to take full advantage.
#2. Jannik Sinner (Italy): No. 1 Jannik Sinner is number two on my list. He hasn't dropped a set through three rounds and is really cooking with gas right now. A quarterfinal match with No. 5 Jack Draper could get interesting should Draper get through and then No. 3 Alexander Zverev is still in it as a possible semifinal opponent. Sinner's draw is tougher than Alcaraz's draw, but he's still the favorite to reach the final on that half of the draw. It'll be interesting to see if Sinner does indeed get to the final and if he does, whether or not he drops a set or more along the way.
#3. Jack Draper (Great Britain): Even though he's the No. 5 seed, I got Jack Draper third on my list. He is playing the best clay court tennis of his career right now, dispatching of Brazilian hot shot Joao Fonseca in straight sets in the third round. A quarterfinal match against Sinner would be tough, but given the way he's playing on the dirt, not just at Roland Garros, but all clay season (final in Madrid; quarterfinals in Rome), I think Draper has earned the right to be number three on my list. He's looking mighty dangerous or as the British like to say, the real McCoy.
#4. Novak Djokovic (Serbia): Despite being the No. 6 seed, Novak Djokovic is looking really strong right now. He hasn't dropped a set and is a three-time French Open champion. With each passing match, he's looking more and more strong. Some might want to put Zverev ahead of Djokovic, but given Djokovic's championship pedigree, I gotta give him the nod. Djokovic is facing unseeded Cameron Norrie in the fourth round, so we should on paper see a Djokovic/Zverev quarterfinal match. That should be an interesting match should everything hold.
#5. Alexander Zverev (Germany): Rounding out my top five is No. 3 Alexander Zverev. He reached the final last year and is still in search of his first grand slam title. He has a tough draw in front of him with Djokovic and Sinner on his half of the draw, but in order to be the best, you need to beat the best. I think the challenge for Zverev is simply having to go through those two guys to reach the final and then have the prospect of facing Carlos Alcaraz in the final. One thing is for certain: If Zverev does go all the way, he will have earned it.
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