Janic Sinser faces intriguing early revanchist matches in his bid to complete the "career Grand Slam" on home soil in Rome. The world number one, who is chasing a record-breaking sixth consecutive Masters title, begins his quest with a potential first-round match against either Alex Michelsson or Sebastian Ofner. Sinser could face Jakub Mencik as early as the third round; Mencik, ranked 26th, is one of only two players to have defeated the Italian in 2026, after his quarterfinal victory in Doha in February.
If Sinser reaches the quarterfinals, he is likely to face Arthur Fis, who he comfortably defeated in two sets in the Madrid semifinals last Friday. Despite this victory, Sinser will be cautious against the in-form Frenchman, who is fourth in the season's rankings.
With a 30-2 record for the season, Sinser aims to become the second man after Novak Djokovic to triumph in all nine Masters tournaments. Djokovic has won each of them at least twice. Other top 10 stars such as Felix Auger-Aliassime, Ben Shelton, and Daniil Medvedev are also in Sinser's half of the draw. Auger-Aliassime, ranked fourth, may start against compatriot Denis Shapovalov, while NextGenATP star João Fonseca is a potential third-round opponent.
Ranked fifth, Ben Shelton opens his campaign against a qualifier. Former world number one Daniil Medvedev, who won his only clay title in Rome in 2023, faces a tough start against Stefanos Tsitsipas or Tomáš Macháč.
In the lower half of the draw, Djokovic returns after more than six weeks off the court due to injury. The six-time champion in the Eternal City starts against Marton Fucsovics or a qualifier. Djokovic is in the same quarter as eighth-seeded and home favorite Lorenzo Musetti, as well as 11th-seeded Jiri Lehec and 23rd-seeded Casper Ruud, who are scheduled to meet in the third round.
Second-seeded Alexander Zverev, who reached his first 2026 final in Madrid before losing to Sinser, will quickly look to respond to that tough defeat. Zverev, a two-time champion in Rome, opens against compatriot Daniel Altmaier or Gian Giudic.
Sixth-seeded Alex de Minaur could be Zverev's potential quarterfinal opponent, but the Australian is focusing on immediate matches. He starts against either home hope Matteo Arnaldi or Jaume Munar, before facing NextGenATP star Rafael Hodar in the third round. This would be their second meeting after Hodar's convincing 6-3, 6-1 victory in the second round in Madrid.
