Internazionali BNL d’Italia, Rome Masters Draw 2026

The Internazionali BNL d’Italia returns to the iconic Foro Italico this week, and there’s no defending champion in the draw with Alcaraz missing both here and Roland Garros.

Thus, Jannik Sinner arrives as the clear favourite, chasing a Career Golden Masters and looking to dominate on home soil.

But with Novak Djokovic back from injury, Alexander Zverev looking to bounce back after his Madrid final loss, and a dangerous supporting cast ready to pounce, nothing is guaranteed.

Although you’d be hard-pressed to see anyone but the Italian Numero Uno leaving Rome with the title, his game seems to be on another level than anyone else right now.

Fresh off his Madrid title, Sinner sits at the top of a top half that looks manageable, while the bottom half features Zverev anchored against a tricky field.

The middle sections are wide open, with tricky matches for Daniil Medvedev, questions around Djokovic’s sharpness, and plenty of dangerous clay specialists lurking.

Full draw, seeds, key storylines, and section-by-section breakdown below.

Tournament Info

Italian Open 2026 Seeds

Seeds

Wild Cards

Protected Ranking

Withdrawals

Qualifiers

Lucky Losers

2026 Rome Masters Draw

Top Half

Bottom Half

PDF Draw

Thoughts on the Draw

Top Quarter

Seeded players: (1) Jannik Sinner, (5) Ben Shelton, (12) Andrey Rublev, (15) Arthur Fils, (20) Frances Tiafoe, (21) Alejandro Davidovich Fokina, (26) Jakub Mensik, (30) Brandon Nakashima.

This section revolves around Sinner, who arrives on a dominant Masters-winning streak and with the added motivation of completing the Career Golden Masters on home soil.

His opening rounds are manageable, but a potential third-round meeting with Mensik stands out, given that the Czech is one of the few players to beat him this season.

Fils looms as a fourth-round opponent, although Sinner handled him comfortably in Madrid, while Shelton is the main alternative threat with his improving clay game. Rublev’s presence adds some depth, but he hasn’t consistently delivered for a long time.

Overall, this looks like another title for the top seed, with only a couple of genuine danger spots early on, and I can’t see who takes him out, barring some sort of fatigue/injury? Even in Madrid, he didn’t play that well during the earlier rounds, but nobody got close.

Second Quarter

Seeded players: (4) Felix Auger-Aliassime, (7) Daniil Medvedev, (10) Flavio Cobolli, (14) Valentin Vacherot, (17) Cameron Norrie, (24) Tomas Martin Etcheverry, (27) Joao Fonseca, (28) Corentin Moutet.

This is the most open quarter in the draw. Auger-Aliassime could face Shapovalov early, while Medvedev has arguably the toughest opener of any top seed against Tsitsipas or Machac, effectively a second-week-level clash in round one.

Cobolli and Etcheverry are both dangerous clay-courters capable of capitalising if higher seeds falter, while Fonseca remains a potential disruptor with the ability to take out established names.

If Medvedev survives his early tests, he will likely become the favourite to progress as a former champion, but it’s been a while since he delivered any real tennis of note on clay.

Third Quarter

Seeded players: (3) Novak Djokovic, (8) Lorenzo Musetti, (11) Jiri Lehecka, (13) Karen Khachanov, (22) Arthur Rinderknech, (23) Casper Ruud, (25) Francisco Cerundolo, (31) Ugo Humbert.

All eyes here are on Djokovic, who returns from injury and faces a relatively gentle opener, but questions remain over his level and match sharpness.

Musetti, backed by the Rome crowd, is a serious threat and a natural clay performer who could capitalise if Djokovic is below his best.

The projected third-round clash between Ruud and Lehecka is pivotal, with the winner likely to emerge as Djokovic’s biggest obstacle en route to the semi-finals.

Cerundolo is another dangerous floater who could disrupt the seedings, and he has made the quarters in Rome before, so he could threaten Musetti in round three.

Regardless, this quarter has a clear favourite on paper, but also plenty of realistic upset pathways if Djokovic isn’t fully dialled in.

Bottom Quarter

Seeded players: (2) Alexander Zverev, (6) Alex de Minaur, (9) Alexander Bublik, (16) Tommy Paul, (18) Luciano Darderi, (19) Learner Tien, (29) Tallon Griekspoor, (32) Rafael Jodar.

Zverev anchors the bottom quarter and, despite a heavy loss to Sinner in Madrid, still looks well placed to go deep at a tournament he has historically performed well in.

His early rounds are not straightforward, with Altmaier or Zhang capable of testing him immediately, while a projected quarter-final against De Minaur could be tricky. But if he’s correct that there’s a gap between himself and the rest of the field, then he should progress.

Bublik remains unpredictable, while Paul, Griekspoor and Darderi offer solid but not overwhelming opposition. The wildcard storyline is Jodar, who already beat De Minaur in Madrid and could do so again.

Interesting First Round Matches