ATP Rome Preview: Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz return in the first proper Roland Garros tune-up

Normally, when two big tournaments run back-to-back—Miami and Indian Wells or Canada and Cincinnati—the second one comes with a strong sense of déja vu. The surface is the same, the field is the same, the points and stakes are the same.

That’s not true, or as true, on the men’s side of the Madrid-Rome double this year. Yes, the courts are clay, and 1,000 ranking points go to the winner, in both places. But Rome has two very important things that Madrid didn’t: Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz. Last week, Sinner was still serving his ban and Alcaraz was hurt. This week, they’re both in the draw, and looking to get in as many reps as possible before Roland Garros.

Here’s a look at that storyline, and two others, as the clay swing reaches its final Masters 1000, and we get our first proper men’s tune-up for Paris. (Click here for the draw.)

1. What can we expect from Jannik Sinner after three months away?

Sinner’s return, in front of his home fans in Italy, will be an event. Not only has he been suspended for a doping violation since early February, but he missed Rome last year. We know his compatriots will be ready. Will he? For someone who has played just one event in 2025—the Australian Open, which he won—he hasn’t suffered much in the rankings so far. He’s still No. 1 overall, and fourth in this year’s race to Turin.

Like many of his fellow Italian players, who can seem overwhelmed by the atmosphere, Sinner hasn’t been at his best in Rome. He’s 9-5 there for his career, and has never made it past the quarterfinals. That may have as much to do with the surface as it does the location. Of his 19 titles, just one has come on clay. This was supposed to be a season where Sinner branched out from hard courts, but his suspension has left him with little time to test out his clay game. Currently he’s scheduled to play Rome and the ATP 500 in Hamburg before Roland Garros.

Whatever the surface, and however much time he has been away, Sinner remains the favorite against virtually anyone he faces. In Rome, he could begin against fellow Italian Federico Cina, then play Alejandro Davidovich Fokina in the third round, Francisco Cerundolo in the fourth, and Madrid champion Casper Ruud in the quarters. Alcaraz, the third seed, is in the other half.

2. Alexander Zverev is the defending champion. Can he be a factor in Rome, and in Paris again?

On the one hand, Zverev suffered a collapse in confidence after his blowout loss to Sinner in the Australian Open final; since then, he has made a series of early exits, while publicly lamenting his poor form at just about every stop. Yet he also broke out of that slump long enough to win a title in Munich a couple of weeks ago. For all of his recent frustrations, Zverev is a three-time finalist in Rome and last year’s runner-up at Roland Garros. Clay remains a comfortable surface for him, and one where he’s capable of turning his form around in a hurry.

Judging by his draw, though, Rome might be a tough place for him to do that this time around. Arthur Fils and Lorenzo Musetti, two guys who have been threatening to have breakout springs, are in his quarter, as are two of his lifelong nemeses, Daniil Medvedev and Stefanos Tsitsipas. If Zverev makes it past them, he could run into Alcaraz in the semifinals.

3. Can anyone use Rome to put himself in the Roland Garros contender conversation?

The list of favorites for Paris is short at the moment. Sinner and Alcaraz are the only definite members. Novak Djokovic, despite his current injured status and advanced tennis age, can’t be entirely counted out. Neither can Zverev, who was one set from the title last year. Casper Ruud, a two-time runner-up at Roland Garros, just made his case credible again with a title in Madrid. Who might be in a position to follow in his footsteps at the Foro?

Two guys who come to mind are Fils and Musetti.

So far this spring the Italian has been a finalist in Monte Carlo and a semifinalist in Madrid, and is at a career-high No. 9. While he has never been past the fourth round in Paris, he did make the semifinals at Wimbledon last year. If he can handle the home-court pressure, his draw gives him a path in Rome. The seeds nearest him are Brandon Nakashima, Alexei Popyrin and Medvedev. A Musetti-Medvedev fourth-rounder would be fun.

As for the 20-year-old Fils, he is also at a career-high of No. 14, and has also made noise over the past month. He reached the quarters in Monte Carlo, where he had Alcaraz on the ropes before losing in three. In Barcelona he made the semis and fell again to Alcaraz, in more routine fashion. By Madrid, where he lost early, Fils may have been a bit weary. But the Frenchman will surely want to ramp back up before he storms his home capital later this month. Fils could play Tsitsipas in his second match in Rome, and Zverev after that.