The French Open 2026 is less than a week away, and all the big names, including Jannik Sinner, Novak Djokovic and Alexander Zverev, are headlining the event. It’s no secret that Jannik Sinner is tipped to win the clay-court event in the absence of Carlos Alcaraz, but there’ll be an intense fight between all other players to make a deep run in the event. And who knows, once they reach the semifinal or the final, an upset can’t be ruled out.
Meanwhile, entering a Grand Slam as a seeded player offers a major advantage. The top 32-ranked players are seeded and drawn against lower-ranked opponents, ensuring they avoid facing another seeded player until at least the third round. But drawing against unseeded players doesn’t mean that players get a walkover. Many top talents, who are ranked outside the op 32, have enough quality to give the seeded players a run for their money. Here are five such players, none of the top players on the ATP Tour, who will be keen to get drawn against at Roland Garros this year.
5 Dangerous Unseeded Players at the French Open 2026
Alexander Blox
Alexander Blockx entered the Roland Garros in red-hot form and reached the semifinals at the Madrid Open. The Belgian defeated top names like Brandon Nakashima, Casper Ruud, Felix Auger-Aliassime, and Francisco Cerundolo on his way to his first Masters semi-final. His familiarity with the conditions and skills on clay makes him a dangerous opponent at the Roland Garros.
Gael Monfils
The veteran is way past his prime and will retire at the end of this year. This will be his final French Open, his home tournament, and with French crowds behind him, Monfils will be charged up to do well. On a good day, Monfils can give any seeded player a run for their money. At the initial rounds, when his legs are fresh, Monfils is a player every seeded player would want to avoid.
Alejandro Tabilo
Clay specialist Alejandro Tabilo will be a force to reckon with at the Roland Garros. His powerful serve and solid defence, along with his experience on the surface, make him a nightmare to face for any player. Not many people defeat Novak Djokovic multiple times, and Tabilo did that twice in back-to-back years. He got the better of the veteran 2024 Italian Open and the Monte-Carlo Masters in 2025, proving he is good enough to scare any top player on his day.
Ignacio Buse
The 22-year-old is making waves with stunning performances on clay. At the ongoing Hamburg Open, Buse has reached the quarterfinal, including a win over Jakub Mensik. He will be playing his first main draw Grand Slam match, and if he can maintain the form he has shown in the build-up to the event, he can spoil the party for a couple of seeded players.
Stan Wawrinka
The three-time Grand Slam champion will be playing his final French Open, a tournament he won in 2015. At this stage of his career, he has nothing to prove in terms of his abilities as a player, and the only concern that remains is his fitness. When his legs are swift, there are not many players who can dominate him, and one can expect him to display his full abilities, at least in the first two rounds, possibly shocking a couple of seeded players.
