Jannik Sinner arrives at Roland-Garros as the overwhelming favourite after another dominant week in Rome, prompting former British No 1 Laura Robson to suggest a Paris title now feels almost certain.
Sinner completed the Career Golden Masters by beating Casper Ruud in straight sets in the Italian Open final, becoming only the second man to claim all nine ATP Masters 1000 events. At 24 he is the youngest player to achieve the set; Novak Djokovic was 31 when he completed the collection in 2018. The Rome win stretched Sinner’s unbeaten run to 29 matches and made him the first Italian man to lift the trophy since Adriano Panatta in 1976.
With the French Open — the only Grand Slam missing from his résumé — beginning on Sunday May 24, Sinner heads into Paris on the back of a 17-0 clay-court record for the season. His most recent loss came in February, against Jakub Mensik in the Qatar Open quarter-finals.
Robson told Sky Sports Tennis that Sinner’s recent run means expectations and pressure will only build in the two weeks in Paris, but she does not see that as a problem for him. She believes his recent winning habit feels natural: he rarely overthinks, stays composed in big matches and has grown accustomed to managing crowds and expectations since the ATP Finals in Turin. While he will still be looking to fine-tune aspects of his game before Roland-Garros, Robson said the bigger challenge is for his rivals to close the gap — Sinner is simply ahead right now.
Robson also praised his consistency and physical resilience. After overcoming fatigue to beat Daniil Medvedev in Rome’s semi-final, Sinner showed no signs of wear in the final against Ruud. Robson noted how infrequently he drops concentration or gives away easy points, with very few unforced errors on display across this stretch of form. That steadiness, she argued, makes the draw feel lopsided: unless a top contender like Carlos Alcaraz is fully fit, opponents often look short of the belief needed to challenge Sinner.
Tim Henman added perspective on Sinner’s place in the modern game, calling him a complete player. Henman compared his achievement to the greats of the era, saying Sinner’s recent results underline his quality and all-round game. At 24, Henman suggested, Sinner is likely to add many more big titles to his collection.
Sinner has already won multiple Grand Slams — including two Australian Opens, Wimbledon and the US Open — leaving only the Coupe des Mousquetaires missing from his trophy cabinet. That combination of form, fitness and tactical maturity has teammates, commentators and many fans pencilling him in as a likely finalist in Paris.
As the clay-court season peaks, the central question is whether the weight of expectation will alter Sinner’s game or whether, as his supporters believe, he will continue to thrive under pressure and complete the career Grand Slam at Roland-Garros.