Novak Djokovic has managed to dodge Jannik Sinner’s half of the French Open draw, but his path is still about as welcoming as a Parisian waiter who just spotted you’re a tourist. The three-time Roland Garros champion, chasing a record 25th grand slam singles title, will open against Giovanni Mpetshi-Perricard, a Frenchman whose serve is big and whose name is even bigger.
Djokovic, who has played a grand total of two tournaments since the Australian Open - where he beat Sinner in a five-set thriller before losing to Carlos Alcaraz in the final - arrives in Paris after a torrid, injury-ravaged period. His last outing was a first-round loss to world No 79 Dino Prizmic at the Italian Open, because why not add a little more drama?
By landing in the same half as Alexander Zverev, the No 2 seed, Djokovic can’t face Sinner before the final. Sinner, meanwhile, will begin his quest for a career grand slam against French wildcard Clement Tabur, likely in front of a crowd that will cheer for anyone not named Jannik. Sinner arrives as the dominant force in men’s tennis and the prohibitive favourite, thanks to Alcaraz’s injury-enforced absence. After becoming the second man in history to win every Masters 1000 title - after Djokovic, naturally - Sinner now aims to complete the grand slam set.
Emma Raducanu, on the other hand, will try to kickstart her season at Roland Garros against 21-year-old Argentine Solana Sierra. Raducanu is searching for rhythm after a two-month injury layoff due to post-viral illness, and she lost her first-round match to Diane Parry in Strasbourg earlier this week, because consistency is overrated. Sierra, sitting at a career-high ranking of No 64 after a fruitful clay-court season, is a talented young player fully capable of making Raducanu’s life difficult.
Unlike the men’s draw, where one player is the prohibitive favourite, the women’s draw is a chaotic free-for-all. Coco Gauff, the fourth seed, begins her title defence against Taylor Townsend. Aryna Sabalenka has had a clay-court season that, by her high standards, qualifies as a disaster, but the world No 1 remains a favourite. Jessica Pegula (fifth seed) and Victoria Mboko (ninth seed) also lurk in the top half.
The bottom half is equally stacked. Elina Svitolina, the seventh seed and recent Italian Open champion, could face Iga Swiatek, the third seed, who hopes hiring new coach Francisco Roig will lead to a fifth French Open title. Swiatek is seeded to meet 2017 champion Jelena Ostapenko in the third round - who, fascinatingly, holds a 6-0 record against her. Elena Rybakina, the second seed, wants a second straight grand-slam title after Melbourne, and is projected to face Mirra Andreeva (eighth seed) in the quarter-finals.