Sinner opens career Grand Slam bid vs. French Open wild card - ESPN

PARIS — Jannik Sinner won't have the crowd on his side when he starts his quest for a career Grand Slam at the French Open this weekend.

Sinner was on Thursday drawn a French opponent in the first round — Clement Tabur, ranked a career-high 165th. Tabur received the wild card vacated by former champion Stan Wawrinka, who gained a late automatic entry.

With two-time reigning champion Carlos Alcaraz out injured, Sinner is the overwhelming men's favorite on the red clay of Roland Garros. The French Open is the only major Sinner hasn't won. Sinner had three match points in last year's final, but Alcaraz prevailed in an epic match.

The Italian player is unbeaten in three months. He has won 29 straight matches and dropped just three sets.

In the women's draw, Coco Gauff is trying to become just the third woman to defend the Roland Garros title this century after Justine Henin and Iga Swiątek. Gauff will start her campaign against fellow American Taylor Townsend, a doubles specialist.

Gauff said at the draw that she was «as ready as you can be.»

«I feel I had a good tournament in Rome, similar to the preparation I had last year, so I feel really ready,» she said.

In the absence of Alcaraz, who will also miss Wimbledon, Sinner has claimed all three clay Masters 1000s in Monte Carlo, Madrid and Rome. The 24-year-old has the fifth-longest winning run in the ATP Tour era (since 1990). Novak Djokovic has the record of 43 straight wins in 2010-11.

With his historic Rome title — the first Italian men's champion in 50 years — Sinner became the second man after Djokovic to win all nine Masters, the biggest tournaments outside the Grand Slams.

Djokovic continues to chase an unprecedented 25th major title, but the Roland Garros champion