Defending champion Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal have been drawn to face each other in a potential blockbuster Roland Garros semifinal while struggling top seed Andy Murray and Stan Wawrinka find themselves in the same half.
The fourth-seeded Nadal, chasing a 10th title at the clay-court Grand Slam after achieving the stupendous ‘decima’ at the Monte Carlo Masters and at the Barcelona Open earlier, opens against the mercurial Benoit Paire while the other three have relatively easier first-round opponents, with No. 1 Murray taking on World No. 85 Andrey Kuznetsov, Djokovic meeting journeyman Marcel Granollers and Wawrinka drawn to play a qualifier.
Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal.
“Rafa is the number one favourite,” said Djokovic, who has brought on board the 1999 champion and fellow career-Slammer Andre Agassi in an attempt to defend the only Major title he holds.
Nadal boasts a sensational career record at Roland Garros: 72 wins and just two defeats, to Djokovic in 2015 and an injury-affected shock loss to Robin Soderling in 2009.
Murray, who is reportedly suffering from an illness, could face dangerous but injury-prone Juan Martin del Potro, playing his first Roland Garros since 2012, in the third round. The Scot could face Kei Nishikori in the last- eight.
If the seedings hold, the other quarterfinals would pit Wawrinka against Marin Cilic and Nadal against Milos Raonic. Djokovic could run into the highly regarded Dominic Thiem, who handed Nadal his only defeat on European clay this year but capitulated against the Serbian World No. 2 in the very next round at the Rome Masters.
While Djokovic has been on an upward curve coming to Paris — quarterfinals in Monte Carlo, semifinals in Madrid and the final in Rome where he was comprehensively beaten by Alexander Zverev, Murray has endured a wretched season by his standards with an elbow injury not helping his cause. He lost in the third round in Monte Carlo, made the semis in Barcelona and was a third-round loser in Madrid before an opening-round defeat in Rome to Fabio Fognini.
Zverev faces Fernando Verdasco first up, while fellow dark horse Thiem tackles Bernard Tomic and Nick Kyrgios faces Philipp Kohlschreiber.
In the women’s draw, top seed Angelique Kerber starts against the experienced Ekaterina Makarova. She is due to face defending champion Garbine Muguruza in the semifinals.
“I am super-excited to be here. I am preparing the best I can, but there is no magic pattern,” said Muguruza who comes into the tournament having suffered a neck injury in Rome last week.
Muguruza has a tough opener against former champion Francesca Schiavone.
Second seed Karolina Plisova is drawn to face 2014 runner-up Simona Halep in the semifinals, and will start against Zheng Saisai of China.
Halep has an ankle injury and had described her chances of making Roland Garros as “50-50” earlier this week.
With Serena Williams, Maria Sharapova and Victoria Azarenka all absent, the women’s event is regarded as being wide open.
If the seedings works out, Kerber will face former champion Svetlana Kuznetsova in the last eight with Muguruza against Dominika Cibulkova. Elina Svitolina would face Halep, who she defeated in the Rome final, while Johanna Konta would be Pliskova’s last-eight opponent.
Meanwhile, Petra Kvitova who has recovered from being stabbed during a burglary at her home in Prague last December, has been included in the draw.
Kvitova, who has not played competitively since the attack which left her with serious injuries to her left playing hand, will be seeded 15th thanks to her protected ranking.
Kvitova’s opponent in the first round will be Julia Boserup.
