Novak Djokovic’s 2026 clay-court swing will begin at the Interazionali BNL d’Italia, where a friendly draw ceremony on Monday afternoon should set him up well for success. Djokovic cannot face world No. 1 Jannik Sinner until the final.
With Carlos Alcaraz sidelined by a wrist injury, the bottom half of every draw is where everyone always wants to be until he returns — and maybe even after he returns! Avoiding Sinner is the goal, as the 24-year-old Italian has won five consecutive Masters 1000 tournaments dating back to Paris in 2025. The Indian Wells, Miami, Monte-Carlo, and Madrid champion is on a record-setting run that continued with Sunday’s 6-1, 6-2 romp over Alexander Zverev at the Caja Magica.
It’s bad news at the Foro Italico for Arthur Fils and Ben Shelton. Fils could run into Sinner as early as round four, while Shelton is a possible quarterfinal opponent for the top seed. Jakub Mensik has the misfortune of being the first seeded opponent whom Sinner could face.
The top half of the bracket is also home to Felix Auger-Aliassime, Daniil Medvedev, Flavio Cobolli, and Joao Fonseca. Auger-Aliassime vs. Fonseca is a possible third-round showdown. Medvedev’s opening match will come against either Stefanos Tsitsipas or Tomas Machac.
Djokovic awaits either Marton Fucsovics or a qualifier, and the 38-year-old’s draw is extremely favorable until at least the quarterfinals. That’s where he could meet Lorenzo Musetti, Jiri Lehecka, or Casper Ruud. Musetti was incredible the entire way on clay in 2025, but the Italian has not been the same since retiring against Djokovic with a leg injury in the Australian Open quarterfinals.
Zverev’s quarter of the Rome draw includes Rafael Jodar, who is making a late push to be seeded at Roland Garros. The 19-year-old Spaniard is coming off a quarterfinal run in Madrid, where he destroyed Alex de Minaur before eventually falling to Sinner. Jodar and De Minaur could wage a rematch in the Rome third round.
Among the first-round matchups to watch on Wednesday and Thursday are Tsitsipas vs. Machac, Zizou Bergs vs. Terence Atmane, Denis Shapovalov vs. Mariano Navone, Matteo Berrettini vs. Alexei Popyrin, and Jenson Brooksby vs. Sebastian Baez.
Check out the entire Rome draw at the ATP website
