At this stage it is difficult to see anybody beating Sinner at Roland Garros.

Sinner has only lost to one man other than Alcaraz at the majors since Wimbledon in 2024 – that was Djokovic in this year’s Australian Open semi-finals.

The 24-time major champion rolled back the years, showing how he still has the nous and heart to beat anybody.

But, having turned 39 on Saturday, does he still have the physical capability to go all the way on clay?

The fact that Djokovic remains the most plausible challenger to Sinner is a damning indictment on the rest of the men’s tour.

Many of the players expected to challenge Sinner are floundering, with a glance at the leading French Open seeds offering little suggestion that he can be defeated.

German second seed Alexander Zverev generally looks beaten by Sinner before he steps onto the court, as demonstrated by a limp 6-1 6-2 defeat in a Madrid final which proved to be a non-contest.

Canadian fourth seed Felix Auger-Aliassime has fallen well short of his best this year, while American seventh seed Taylor Fritz has missed the bulk of the clay swing because of knee tendonitis.

Ben Shelton won the ATP 500 event in Munich but the American fifth seed then lost to qualifiers in his opening matches in Madrid and Rome.

Sixth seed Medvedev coming in with perhaps the most positivity is ironic, seeing as he has never been shy to show his disdain for the clay – and started the European swing with a 6-0 6-0 defeat in Monte Carlo.

“I always say sports is sports. So [Sinner] can lose,” said Medvedev, who famously pronounced the red dirt is “for dogs”.

“Every round someone is going to be on the other side of the court trying his best to beat him.”