French Open: ‘Lucky to be in this position’ Jannik Sinner

Jannik Sinner during the Italian Open recently. Pics/AFP

World No. 1 Jannik Sinner said he is ‘lucky to be in this position' as he begins to launch his bid to claim a maiden French Open title on the back of completing a Career Golden Masters - winning all nine ATP Masters events, becoming only the second player to do so after Novak Djokovic - while his biggest rival Carlos Alcaraz has also pulled out of the tournament due to a wrist injury.

Sinner admitted it was a ‘special feeling' to return to the red clay courts of Roland Garros, despite his last match at Court Philippe-Chatrier ending in an agonising 6-4, 7-6, 4-6, 6-7, 6-7 defeat to Alcaraz in the final.

"It's a very special tournament for me, and it has been increasingly better year after year, and last year we were very close [to winning]. [This year] I'm lucky to be in this position [to win]," said Sinner.

The Italian has been unbeatable so far this in this clay-court season, but the hectic schedule has left very little time for recuperation. "It has been a very long but very positive period. [But] it's always better to be in a position where you win and you start to feel tired than you feel very good but you lose a couple of rounds."

Sinner is aware that his dominance has put a target on his back. "Everyone is trying to beat [me], but that's normal. You need to be ready. I'm sure I have very tough matches in front of me. But I try to focus only on myself," he said. The top seed begins his bid to complete a career Grand Slam against French wildcard Clement Tabur on Monday.

100%
Jannik Sinner's win percentage across three clay court tournaments in 2026

29
Jannik Sinner's current winning streak

Five
No. of ATP tournaments Jannik Sinner has won this season

Two
No. of players to have won all nine Masters titles; Jannik Sinner is the only player to do so apart from Novak Djokovic

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