At the 2026 French Open, there’s no clearer favorite than Jannik Sinner. With the winning streak he is on this year, his aura of invincibility leaves tennis analysts grasping at straws to think of a possible challenger. On their recent podcast, former American ATP stars, including Sam Querrey, picked three players and a poorly prepared meal who could beat Sinner or at least bring it close.
Ben Shelton, Daniil Medvedev, and Arthur Fils Named Lone Hurdles to Jannik Sinner’s Title Chase
During a recent discussion breaking down the Roland Garros draw on their podcast “Nothing Major,” former pros Querrey, John Isner, and Steve Johnson couldn’t help but laugh at the futility of picking against the world No. 1. When Querrey asked his co-hosts for their men’s champion prediction, the immediate and unanimous answer was the Italian. However, the conversation moved on to a follow-up question: Who is the player most likely to defeat the heavy favorite?
Querrey took an analytical route, backing Daniil Medvedev as the only legitimate threat to Sinner’s Parisian campaign. Before Sinner’s recent meteoric rise, Medvedev actually owned the H2H, winning their first six consecutive matches. While Sinner has come a long way since then, Querrey highlighted Medvedev’s unique capacity to drag matches into deep waters.
“Medvedev battled him in Indian Wells and he battled him in Rome. I think he’s the only guy that can retreat behind the baseline, play awkward, and try to extend the match to five hours,” Querrey said as Medvedev thrives in marathon fixtures.
John Isner, a former top-10 player, admitted that an upset for Sinner could only be due to the notoriously fickle Parisian weather working in Sinner’s favor. And he picked Ben Shelton.
“People are going to rip me for this, but it’s weather-dependent. If we’re going to pick someone that’s going to beat Sinner, the scenarios have to be perfect. I would say Ben Shelton on a hot, dry day. We have to choose someone here, but it’s not likely to happen,” said Isner.
Under hot, dry weather conditions, the clay plays significantly faster, and the ball bounces higher, and Isner thinks it can work with Shelton’s left-handed kick serve and aggressive forehand.
Meanwhile, Johnson joked that the true threat to Sinner isn’t on the entry list at all.
“Some bad, undercooked chicken is the only thing that’s going to get this done. That’s why he’s -375 (odds of winning); it would take a badly cooked meal in the Chatrier dining hall.”
It’s a nod to the chaotic scenes at the Mutua Madrid Open just weeks prior. During that tournament, a massive wave of stomach viruses swept through the locker rooms, forcing stars like Iga Swiatek, Coco Gauff, and Marin Cilic into mid-match battles with nausea or early withdrawals.
Johnson also expressed that as a fan, he would love to see rising French star Arthur Fils push Sinner to the brink in front of a “crazy” home crowd, noting that the atmosphere “would be insane.”
The main draw begins on Sunday, May 24, where the top-seeded Sinner will begin his campaign against French wildcard Clement Tabur. Shelton (No. 5 seed) will open against Daniel Merida Aguilar, while Fils (No. 17 seed) aims to ignite the home fans in his first-round clash against Stan Wawrinka. Medvedev (No. 6 seed) will kick off his tournament against Australia’s Adam Walton.
