With Sinner's elimination, the French Open has become a completely different tournament. Who will win?

Honestly,
many people must have thought
that Sinner would win this year's Roland Garros.

Carlos Alcaraz was absent.

He had shown overwhelming strength even on clay.

And in the current men's tennis world,
he was the most complete player.

That was Jannik Sinner.

However,
Sinner suffered an unexpected defeat. (Vogue)

Moreover, it was a shock on a level that changed the very flow of the tournament.

This year's French Open
has become a completely different tournament from this point on.

Why did Sinner lose?

Simply put,

it wasn't just about

the "content of his tennis."

A major factor this time was
physical condition.

It was hot in Paris.

During the match,
Sinner's movement clearly slowed down. (The Times of India)

Modern tennis
is overwhelmingly more exhausting than it used to be.

• Rally speed

• Ball speed

• Return intensity

Everything has increased.

In that context, Sinner is

playing "tennis that takes time away from his opponent."

In other words, he is

placing a high load on himself as well.

And this time, it seemed that
that load exceeded his limits.

What became apparent from Sinner's loss

What I felt once again this time is

"In modern tennis, perfection is not enough to win"

that.

Sinner is currently
probably the most complete player in the world.

However, a Grand Slam involves

• 5 sets

• climate

• pressure

• physicality

all intertwined.

That is exactly why it is difficult.

No matter how strong you are,
there is a moment when you break down.

I feel this defeat
symbolized that.

Alcaraz's absence has changed the tournament even further

And there is one more major factor this year.

The absence of Carlos Alcaraz.

If Alcaraz had been there,
many would have expected a final against Sinner.

Men's tennis today revolves around

Sinner

• reproducibility

• increased speed

• stability

Alcaraz

• creativity

• variety

• all-around play

—these two major pillars.

Those two are not here.

In other words, this tournament

has the potential

to produce a "new protagonist."

Who is currently closest to winning?

Personally, the one closest is

Alexander Zverev.

Many international media outlets have also
named him as the top favorite to win. (The Times of India)

The reason is simple.

• Clay court track record

• Serve

• Backhand

• 5-set experience

He has it all.

And above all,

"This opportunity may never come again"

is the situation.

However, there is also a major problem.

That is his mentality.

Zverev has, until now,

come close to winning a Grand Slam many times but failed to reach it.

That is precisely why this tournament

is not about technique,

but is highly likely to become

a "battle of mental strength."

If he wins,
his career will change significantly.

But if he loses,

"Here we go again."

That is what they say.

There is quite a lot of pressure.

My personal dark horse

The interesting part starts here.

Casper Ruud

His clay court aptitude is still among the best in the world.

He has achieved results at Roland Garros many times. (The Independent)

He lacks flashiness.

However,

• his physicality

• his clay court resilience

• and his consistency

are extremely high.

There is a very good chance he will be in the final before you know it.

João Fonseca

The biggest shock of this tournament.

He defeated Djokovic at 19 years old. (Reuters)

He is still young.

But the destructive power of his shots is the real deal.

In terms of momentum alone,
they are top-class in this tournament.

However, to win,
it will still be a battle against experience.

In fact, this tournament might be the moment a "new era" begins.

Until now, men's tennis has been

• Federer

• Nadal

• Djokovic

's era.

After that,

• Sinner

• Alcaraz

began to take center stage.

But this tournament is different.

Those central players are not here.

That is exactly why it is interesting.

Players who normally wouldn't be seen
have the potential to suddenly become the protagonists.

Who do you think will win?

My current prediction is:

1st Zverev
2nd Ruud
3rd Fonseca

.

Personally, however,
I am very interested to see how far Fonseca will go.

If he wins,

men's tennis will accelerate rapidly.

The tournament has become more interesting with Sinner's elimination.

Of course,
I also wanted to see a showdown between Sinner and Alcaraz.

But sports are interesting because of the unexpected.

This Roland Garros has changed from

"Sinner's tournament"

to

"who will be the new protagonist"

tournament.

That is precisely why,
it will become even more interesting from here on.

Men's tennis is now
truly entering a major turning point.