Carlos Alcaraz, Jannik Sinner distinguished among the pack: five ATP clay storylines following Madrid & Rome 

Following consecutive ATP Masters 1000 clay-court tournaments, the Mutua Madrid Open and Internazionali BNL d’Italia, comes five storylines ahead of Roland Garros. Here's what we're taking away going into Paris:

1. Per Usual, Two at the Top

The seemingly monolithic structure of an individual sport such as tennis has invariably lent itself to two or possibly three dominant players in many a given era. Rod Laver and Ken Rosewall. Margaret Court and Billie Jean King. Jimmy Connors, Bjorn Borg, John McEnroe. Connors, McEnroe, Ivan Lendl. Martina Navratilova Chrissie Evert, Tracy Austin. Stefan Edberg and Boris Becker. Pete Sampras and Andre Agassi. Serena and Venus Williams. And, of course, Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, and Novak Djokovic.

Though it was barely over a year ago that Jannik Sinner joined Carlos Alcaraz as a Grand Slam winner, there is no question that these two are the pace horses of contemporary men’s tennis. Back in action following a three-month suspension, Sinner in Rome picked up where he left off, showing scarcely a sign of rust to reach the finals before he was beaten by Alcaraz.

“After three months coming here making this result means a lot to me,” said Sinner. “For sure it's a good lesson then for Paris.”

Sinner’s ability to generate pace and depth from just about anywhere on the court is incredible. Added to that is his tremendous tranquility, a powerful form of detachment that greatly helps Sinner excel. It all adds up to a clinical brilliance, similar in many ways to Djokovic’s playing style.

Alcaraz’s approach to point construction and crowd interaction is completely different. While Sinner mostly keeps his blinders on akin to such greats as Borg and Lendl, Alcaraz wants to bring the audience into the action, more in the spirit of Connors and Nadal. Alcaraz’s sheer enjoyment for the sport and joyful opportunity to interact with his rivals is rare and endearing.

“I love watching him play,” Alcaraz said about Jack Draper prior to their quarterfinal match in Rome. “It’s going to be a beautiful match to watch.” Note that Draper had beaten Alcaraz the most recent time they’d played one another—and there was Alcaraz, prior to the battle more enthused than vengeful.

Patiently blending speeds, spins, short and deep shots, along with intermittent forward movement, Alcaraz’s victory over Sinner, at least this time, proved the case for breadth over depth. In the first set, the Spaniard fought off two set points, eventually took it in a tiebreaker, then snapped open the second set, 6-1, to end Sinner’s 26-match winning streak. This was the fourth straight time Alcaraz had beaten Sinner (victory number three was the bookend start to Sinner’s streak). The Spaniard now leads their rivalry 7-4.

Said Alcaraz, “[This was] probably one of the best matches I played so far in terms of level, maintain all the level during the whole match. . . [versus Jannik] I have to be ready and I have to think clear every time that I'm going to play the point or a game, the things that I have to do if I miss just to keep it going in the same way. And yeah, at the beginning I knew what I have to do, and I maintained that kind of strategy during the whole match.”

With all these achievements in mind, two words I’d like to see eliminated regarding Alcaraz’s playing style: high risk. When someone of any age—much less Alcaraz’s 22—has won four majors and seven Masters 1000 titles, such a notion is absurd. Those spectacular shots Alcaraz hits that construct and conclude many a rally? They are not leased. They are owned.

2. Humble & Grumble, aka Casper Ruud and Alexander Zverev

Coming into Roland Garros this year, which three-time Grand Slam finalist would you rather be, Casper Ruud or Alexander Zverev?

Ruud will arrive at Roland Garros having won Madrid and reached the quarters in Rome—where he won but one game versus Sinner. Still, Madrid marked Ruud’s first Tennis Masters 1000 title. Zverev won an ATP 500 event in Munich, lost in the round of 16 of Madrid to Francisco Cerundolo and was beaten in the quarters of Rome by Lorenzo Musetti.

And yet while Zverev’s resume boasts more accomplishments—including seven Tennis Masters 1000 titles and a 4-2 edge over Ruud—when it comes to matters of conduct and the poise it often takes to sustain an excellent career and perhaps even win a major, Ruud has a distinct edge.

In an imagined tennis laboratory, located in an ITF-approved region, might it be possible for Ruud to take receipt of Zverev’s backhand and Zverev obtain Ruud’s manners?

For now, though, these longstanding top tenners head to Roland Garros armed with their own blend of style, confidence, and the strong desire to capture the one big prize that has eluded each of them.

But as the likes of David Ferrer, David Nalbandian, Todd Martin, Brian Gottfried, Cliff Richey, Tom Okker, and Dennis Ralston have shown, many shapes, sizes, styles, and plot twists define the journey of the best man to have never won a singles major. Honorable Mention in the 2025 version of this category goes to two-time Slam finalist Stefanos Tsitsipas.

3. Novak Djokovic: Have It Your Way

The current state of Novak Djokovic is in large part a litmus test. If you don’t like your job, you wonder why someone who’s done so much and is worth millions continues to grind away, particularly amid recent occurrences.

In the last five tournaments he’s played this year, Djokovic has lost his opening match four times (the only exception was a run to the finals in Miami). Included in that are a pair of instant exits at clay court events in Monte Carlo to 32nd-ranked Alejandro Tabilo and in Madrid to No. 33 Matteo Arnaldi. Djokovic subsequently withdrew from Rome and, for the second year in a row, took a wild card into Geneva.

He also announced the end of his working relationship with Andy Murray. Per several recent news stories, Djokovic appears ready to start working with his fellow Serbian, Viktor Troicki.

But if you like your job, you grasp Djokovic’s desire to squeeze every last drop out of a game he’s loved since childhood.

“Kind of new reality for me,” said Djokovic following the loss to Arnaldi. “I have to say. You know, trying to win a match or two, not really thinking about getting far in the tournament.”

“It's a completely different feeling from what I had in 20-plus years of professional tennis, so it's kind of a challenge for me mentally to really face these kind of sensations on the court, going out early now regularly in the tournaments. But, you know, that's, I guess, the circle of life and the career, eventually it was going to happen. Now I'm trying to, you know, use this as a driving force for the future. Obviously Grand Slams, I was saying many times, are the most important tournaments for me. Which doesn't mean that I don't want to win here, of course I wanted to, but, you know, Grand Slams is where I really want to play the best tennis. I'm not sure if I'll be able to do that in Roland Garros, but I'll do my best.”

4. American Men & The Eternal Question

We now you bring you what may well be the longest running question in tennis history: Why can’t American men win more on clay?

Save for the 1989-1999 period when Michael Chang, Jim Courier and Andre Agassi collectively reached eight Roland Garros finals and won four titles there (Courier twice), we can just about always count on a dry red season of European clay court results for American men.

In Madrid, four American men—Taylor Fritz, Brandon Nakashima, Tommy Paul, Frances Tiafoe—reached the round of 16. All lost. In Rome, only Paul got that far, eventually advancing to the semis for the second straight year before losing to Sinner by the topsy-turvy score of 1-6, 6-0, 6-3.

Concurrently, just as they had once examined the clay court hotbed of Spain, USTA officials have been studying Italy to learn lessons about player development. One answer, of course, is to build more clay courts and provide more clay court training from a young age. But since when have fast-moving Americans—be it at work or play, as children or adults—had what it takes to build and subsequently master the nuances of a surface that demands exceptional patience and frequent maintenance?

For at least when it comes to tennis, our nation’s tennis sensibilities learn more towards the mass and monetizable utilitarian than the carefully cultivated craftsmanship clay demands. No question, America’s cadre of highly skilled men will fight the good fight at Roland Garros and make every effort possible versus many a dirt-trained warrior. There will definitely be some impressive moments. Still, as has been the case for years, the bigger message will be: Onward to Wimbledon.

5. Additional Players of Interest

• Jack Draper: powerful lefty has improved on clay, ready for more at Roland Garros
• Jakub Mensik: forceful ground game has taken him up the ranks
• Lorenzo Musetti: beautiful backhand just one piece in a pleasing game
• Stan Wawrinka: at age 40, perhaps one last go a decade after dazzling title run
• Richard Gasquet: RG has announced that RG will be his last tourney—bid adieu to beautiful backhand