Madrid and Rome aren’t the biggest clay events of the year. That title still belong to Roland Garros. But the quick shift from the Caja Magica to the Foro Italico can feel like the peak of the dirt-ball swing. In the space of 24 hours, the tours move from one Masters 1000 event to the next, and from one of the sport’s most modern complexes to one of its most historic. The surface has the same name as it does in Madrid, but everything else—from the fans to the arenas to the altitude to the sun to the pine trees—feels new in Rome.
Also new are the draws. Now that they’ve been made, and everyone has their paths set for the next two weeks, here are five things to watch for at the Italian Open.
Jannik Sinner rolls on
If Sinner was out to avenge his suspension from last season, he has now succeeded. In 2025, he was forced to miss four Masters 1000s, in Indian Wells, Miami, Monte Carlo, and Madrid. In 2026, he has won them all, while dropping just two sets.
That run of brilliance has left him, oddly, in a slight quandary. Knowing that his ultimate goal is to peak for Roland Garros, and knowing that he has essentially played non-stop for two months, what makes more sense: Playing Rome or getting rest? Rest might seem to be the safer option, but skipping his national event would mean he’d come to Paris having not played a match in three weeks.
So Sinner is playing. He’s the top seed and the heavy favorite, and he should be motivated to win his first title at home and extend his ranking-point lead. If he’s looking for more “feedback” on his clay game, as he likes to say, he should get that, too. He’s scheduled to play Arthur Fils in the round of 16.
🔸 Sinner’s potential path to the title: 2R: Michelsen | 3R: Mensik | 4R: Fils | QF: Shelton | SF: Medvedev | F: Zverev
Top women try to recover from Madrid mayhem
For the first three and a half months of 2026, the WTA mostly stayed true to its rankings. Then the last two weeks set the tour on its ear.
Coming in to Madrid, Aryna Sabalenka was the player to beat, Elena Rybakina was the player most likely to beat her, Iga Swiatek and Coco Gauff were Roland Garros champs lying in wait, and Jessica Pegula looked set to to make a run at another final in the Spanish capital.
None of them ended up making the semifinals, and only Sabalenka reached the quarters. Instead, Marta Kostyuk added her name to the clay conversation by winning her first 1000 title; Mirra Andreeva reminded us of her sky-high potential on the surface by making the final; and Hailey Baptiste beat Paolini, Bencic and Sabalenka.
Which leaves us to wonder: Will order be restored in Rome, or is there more upheaval to come?
Judging by recent history, it could go either way. Last year, home favorite Jasmine Paolini made a Cinderella run to the title. At the same time, though, the top four—Sabalenka, Rybakina, Swiatek, Gauff—have all won in Rome or made the final in the recent past.