Predictor Picks: Sinner's superb opportunity at Roland Garros

The clay-court season is coming to its climax at Roland Garros, where the storylines are plentiful. Defending champion Novak Djokovic and Jannik Sinner are not only battling for the title, but No. 1 in the PIF ATP Rankings. Carlos Alcaraz is trying to claim a major trophy for the third consecutive year and Rafael Nadal is pursuing a record-extending 15th Coupe des Mousquetaires.

Importantly, there are 2,000 PIF ATP Rankings points up for grabs, giving players an opportunity to make a big move over the course of the coming fortnight. For the players who performed well last year, it is a critical moment for them to retain their points. For those who lost early in 2023, they can gain many net points, which is pivotal for the PIF ATP Rankings Predictor game.

Before each tournament week, ATPTour.com looks at three players who might be good selections for fans in the Predictor.

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Jannik Sinner — defending 45 points
No player has earned more points in 2024 than Australian Open, Rotterdam and Miami champion Sinner. The Italian proved has made a memorable start to his season, tallying a 28-2 record entering the clay-court major.

Crucially, the 22-year-old is only defending 45 points at the tournament after losing in the second round last year. While he withdrew ahead of the Madrid quarter-finals and missed Rome due to a hip injury, Sinner has shown throughout 2024 that when he is on the court, he can be a dominant force.

Sinner will also be motivated to claim World No. 1 from Djokovic by the end of Roland Garros. He will begin the event at No. 1 in the PIF ATP Live Rankings because the Serbian is defending 2,000 points as 2023 champion.

Daniil Medvedev — dropping 10 points
For years, Medvedev has spoken about his disdain for clay. Yet quietly, he has become a consistent performer on the surface. An ATP Masters 1000 champion on the Rome clay one year ago, Medvedev advanced to at least the Round of 16 in Monte-Carlo, Madrid and Rome this year.

With only 10 points to defend following a first-round Paris exit in 2023, the 28-year-old has plenty of points to gain over the next two weeks. In his first three rounds at Roland Garros in 2021 and 2022, Medvedev lost a total of one set. Three years ago he made the quarter-finals and two years ago the fourth round.

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Andrey Rublev — defending 90 points
While Rublev has not advanced past the quarter-finals at the major, he has become Mr. Reliable at the Grand Slam tournaments. He has made the last eight in six of his past seven Slam appearances.

Rublev, a two-time Roland Garros quarter-finalist, will be confident after earning his second Masters 1000 title earlier this month in Madrid. With a 66.7 career winning percentage on clay according to the Infosys ATP Win/Loss Index, the 26-year-old is a good choice to not only defend the 90 points he earned in Paris last year, but put himself in position to gain net points for your team.

Bonus Ball — Jannik Sinner
Since Sinner is defending just 45 points at Roland Garros, he can leave France with 1,955 net points because 2,000 points go to the champion. That is a huge opportunity for one of the consensus tournament favourites, despite his recent injury.

By placing your Bonus Ball on the Italian, you could then double that total and earn as many as 3,910 points just for picking him. Sinner has excelled on the terre battue before, reaching the quarter-finals on his debut in 2020. There is no reason to believe that he will not make another deep run given his contender status and World No. 1 dangling in front of him.