With Carlos Alcaraz and Novak Djokovic out of Madrid, who can stop streaking Jannik Sinner?

The 2026 Mutua Madrid Open men’s draw is out and all eyes will be on world No. 1 Jannik Sinner and his bid to win a fifth straight Masters 1000 title—and his first at the Caja Magica.

Sinner, who will face a qualifier following a first-round bye, arrives in Madrid having reclaimed world No. 1 from Carlos Alcaraz by winning the Rolex Monte-Carlo Masters, and with both Alcaraz and Novak Djokovic absent from the draw due to injuries, it will take a new challenger to snap the Italian’s 17-match winning streak.

Two possible candidates are Americans Tommy Paul and Ben Shelton, whom Sinner could face in the fourth round and semifinals, respectively. Paul, a former Roland Garros junior champion seeded fifteenth, kicked off the clay swing by winning the Fayez Sarofim & Co. U.S. Men's Clay Court Championship in Houston, while No. 4 seed Shelton is fresh off a win at the BMW Open in Munch.

Shelton’s Munich win was the biggest clay-court title for a U.S. man since Andre Agassi’s run to the Rome title in 2002—months before Shelton was born.

Paul will open against either Roberto Bautista Agut, who is competing in his final season, or Thiago Tirante, while Shelton has a potentially tougher challenge against Raphael Collignon or Matteo Berrettini.

Barcelona champion Arthur Fils is also in the top half of the draw, anchoring a quarter with 2025 finalist Jack Draper and No. 6 seed Lorenzo Musetti.

In the absence of Alcaraz, Alexander Zverev is the No. 2 seed and will play his first match against Nuno Borges or Mariano Navone. The German has posted consistent results throughout the 2026 season but has often faltered in the later stages, most recently last week at his home tournament in Munich. Also in Zverev’s quarter is No. 17 seeded American Learner Tien, and No. 7 seed Daniil Medvedev, who is looking to reverse course after suffering a rare 6-0, 6-0 defeat in Monte Carlo.

Click here to check out the full Madrid Open men’s draw.