“For me, as of today, he is the top favourite for the title" - Boris Becker outlines Alexander Zverev as favourite for maiden major title, dismissing Djokovic

With Jannik Sinner surprisingly gone, the ATP draw at Roland Garros has been blown wide open. Many players will fancy their shot at glory. While many believe that 24-time major champion Novak Djokovic is the main threat, Boris Becker disagreed and was in full belief that there was nobody who could challenge Alexander Zverev from this point onwards, outlining him as the overwhelming favourite.

It was a hugely dramatic day of action in the French Open on day five. Sinner, the overwhelming favourite to complete the career Grand Slam and almost breeze to the title after winning five Masters 1000 titles on the spin in 2026, crashed out. His 30-match unbeaten streak ended to the hands of Juan Manuel Cerundolo after his body shut down at a crucial time.

With the likes of Ben Shelton and Daniil Medvedev already having departed, the top half is looking notably sparse. A surprise name will be in the final, and it will be the first Grand Slam final since the US Open 2023 that does not feature at least one of Sinner or Carlos Alcaraz.

Djokovic was the man to win the title, boosting his overall tally to 24 Grand Slams won after downing Medvedev in straight sets. He has since reached just one final at the start of the year in Melbourne, losing to Alcaraz. His quest for an unprecedented 25th Grand Slam does not get much better than this.

The same could be said for Zverev. If the stars align, the pair will face each other in the semi-final, meaning possibly just one of them will compete for major glory. Other threats in the bottom half of the draw include two-time finalist Casper Ruud, Alex de Minaur and Spanish sensation Rafael Jodar.

Becker was very confident about the ability of his fellow countryman. The former world number one was in the belief that no one in the draw that remained posed a significant threat to the number two seed. “If I may judge this from Alexander Zverev’s perspective: there is no player I should be afraid of,” he said while speaking for Eurosport and TNT Sports.

“For me, as of today, he is the top favourite for the title. I say that with great respect for every possible opponent. Against Quentin Halys and Karen Khachanov, he is the favourite, Rafael Jodar is playing his first Grand Slam tournament, Novak Djokovic is 39 years old, and Felix Auger-Aliassime is not world-class on clay — sorry, but Sascha is simply better!”

Zverev has reached three Grand Slam finals, losing in all of them. His best appearance at Roland Garros came in the climax tie back in 2024 when he took a 2-1 lead over Alcaraz before the Spaniard dropped just three games to clinch a maiden slam on clay.

With no Sinner or Alcaraz, the pathway is clearer than it has ever been for Zverev to break new ground. He has won two ATP Finals titles, an Olympic gold medal and seven Masters 1000 titles. One accolade remains, and it is the biggest of them all.