French Open 2024: Men's singles power rankings ft. Novak Djokovic, Carlos Alcaraz & more

In the absence of the 14-time champion Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic and Carlos Alcaraz will spearhead the field at the 2024 French Open. The Serb faces a big task in having to defend the title that he lifted 12 months ago.

Leading the challenge will be last year’s beaten finalist Casper Ruud and World No. 2 Jannik Sinner and a host of other title hopefuls.

Some of these names have traditionally been more successful in the French capital than others. Here, we rank the top eight contenders for the title based on their performances during the claycourt swing over the last three years.

Note: The following formula was used to calculate the power rankings: (1x points earned in the 2024 clay swing + 0.5x points earned in the 2023 clay swing + 0.25x points earned in the 2022 clay swing). Only points earned by reaching the quarterfinals or further in a tournament are counted towards the rankings. This was done to avoid giving undue advantage to seeded players who received early-round byes in the ATP 250 and 500 tournaments.

#8, Taylor Fritz

The 2024 season finally brought claycourt joy to Taylor Fritz, who had up until this year struggled to post good results on the surface.

Not only did the American make his first final on the red dirt in Munich, but he also staged deep runs at Masters 1000 events in Madrid and Rome. Fritz’s build-up has been great and he will look to carry the momentum into the season’s second Grand Slam.

#7, Holger Rune

Holger Rune reached the Monte-Carlo Masters final, his first at the level on clay. The Dane has quietly put together a great European claycourt swing, having also made the semifinal in Madrid.

Rune has also lifted the trophy in two of the last three tournaments in Munich and has back-to-back quarterfinal runs at the French Open to show for. Given his steady progress, he is poised to break past the last-eight barrier.

#6, Alexander Zverev

Alexander Zverev with the Italian Open trophy.

Alexander Zverev’s powerful game may be better suited for the quicker conditions, but his title run at the Italian Open earlier this month showed that he is capable of hitting past most opponents irrespective of the surface.

The German had posted his best French Open result last year, reaching the semifinal with wins over the likes of Grigor Dimitrov and Frances Tiafoe before falling to Casper Ruud. Add to the mix his run to the Madrid final and Monte-Carlo semifinal 2022 and he begins to come across as a formidable opponent.

#5, Andrey Rublev

Andrey Rublev with the Madrid Open trophy.

Andrey Rublev won his first Masters 1000 title in unlikely territory, the claycourts of Monte-Carlo. The Russian, whose explosive baseline-oriented game works best on hardcourts, has gone on to surprise many by also winning his second title at the level, the Madrid Open this year, on the red dirt.

Another title in Serbia last year, when Rublev beat none other than Novak Djokovic en route, cements his ability to beat the best on clay. He has reached the quarterfinal at every Grand Slam, but never broke past the barrier. In form and fully fit, he will be keen on wanting to change that.

#4, Carlos Alcaraz

Carlos Alcaraz won the Madrid Open last year.

Home soil has helped Carlos Alcaraz achieve a great degree of success. The Spaniard lifted an ATP 500 trophy in Barcelona in 2022 before upgrading to a Masters 1000 with the Madrid Open title just weeks later.

What was more impressive was the fact that he successfully defended both tiles last year, adding to his claycourt exploits. His best French Open result came in 2022 when he made the quarterfinal, while his best claycourt result this year also remains a quarterfinal run, at Madrid.

Rested and ready, the dynamic youngster is as big a contender as they come.

#3, Novak Djokovic (defending French Open champ)

Novak Djokovic with the 2022 French Open trophy.

The 2024 season has seen Novak Djokovic go without a title in the first quarter. The seeming slump, however, does not take away from his hugely successful 2022 clay swing.

The Serb captured his third French Open title after beating Carlos Alcaraz in the semifinal and Casper Ruud in the summit clash. His other clay title in the three-year period came at the Italian Open in 2022.

Coming into this year’s tournament, he has semifinal showings in Madrid and Geneva to show for. His Grand Slam experience, 366-49 and 92–16 (85%) at the French Open, far exceeds the rest of the field and despite the poor form, the Serb will take some stopping.

#2, Stefanos Tsitsipas

Stefanos Tsitsipas at the Monte-Carlo Masters.

Stefanos Tsitsipas has won the Monte-Carlo Masters twice in the last two years. In fact, his widely successful 2022 clay swing also saw him make the finals in Rome.

Much like the 2022 season, the Greek has another final, Barcelona, to show for as readies for the French Open this year. As a former finalist, Tsitsipas knows what it takes to survive two weeks in the French capital.

That said, the path will not be easy. He has come alive on clay but form elsewhere has been worrying. Whether the French Open, a venue where he contested his first Grand Slam final, brings back the good memories or undue pressure is anyone’s guess.

#1, Casper Ruud

Casper Ruud has reached the last two French Open finals.

Casper Ruud has contested the last two French Open finals, losing to two of the sport's greats. While he came up short against Rafael Nadal in 2022, he was unable to find a way past Novak Djokovic last year.

The Norwegian, however, continues to build his resume on clay. Owners of one of the best topspin-heavy forehands, the kind that can do wonders on the red dirt, Ruud has won titles at the ATP 250 in Estoril (2023) and the ATP 500 in Barcelona (2024).

Ruud had come agonizingly close to winning his first Masters 1000 crown in Monte-Carlo earlier this year but fell to Stefanos Tsitsipas.

His record in big finals has been frustrating, but he possesses the game needed to turn things around as — evidenced from his ability to reverse the Monte-Carlo final result just weeks later in Barcelona. He has been around for a long time and were he to get another chance, Ruud could well take that final step.

How did Novak Djokovic meet Jelena Ristic? All about the most admired couples in tennis