Nadal to face Zverev in French Open first round

The 2024 French Open draw reveal brought a major bombshell on Thursday, with 14-time champion Rafael Nadal slated to face world No.4 Alexander Zverev in the first round.

The draw couldn’t be worse for both players.

Zverev is in excellent form on clay, having just won the Rome Masters. However, the German won’t be pleased with the prospect of playing such a fierce competitor in his opening match, regardless of how far from his prime Nadal is.

The pair last met at this tournament two years ago. The opening two sets lasted three hours, before Zverev suffered a nasty ankle injury and was forced to retire.

Nadal, who is ranked No.276 in the world after scarcely playing over the past 12 months, is likely competing in his final edition of Roland-Garros. It’s by far the Spaniard’s most dominant Grand Slam, with two-thirds of his major titles coming at this event across the last two decades.

Djokovic also in Nadal’s half of French Open draw

For the winner of Nadal vs Zverev, things don’t get any easier further down the line in Paris.

Waiting in a potential semi-final will be defending champion Novak Djokovic, the top seed at Roland-Garros.

Djokovic is drawn to meet seventh seed and two-time French Open finalist Casper Ruud in the quarter-finals. Ruud has had a strong clay season this year, winning in Barcelona and finishing runner-up at the Monte-Carlo Masters.

Interestingly, Djokovic and Ruud may meet before Paris.

Both are still alive at the Geneva Open this week and will contest semi-finals on opposite sides of the draw on Friday night. If each wins, they will meet in the final of the ATP 250 event on Saturday.

Sinner, Alcaraz on collision course at Roland-Garros

In the other half of the Roland-Garros draw, Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz are on a collision course to meet in the semi-finals.

Ranked second and third in the world, respectively, Sinner and Alcaraz are two of the game’s most exciting young talents. Bet365 puts Alcaraz as the +240 favourite to win the French Open, with Sinner (+450) as third favourite and Djokovic (+300) sandwiched in between.

The duo share a riveting head-to-head record, which stands at four apiece. They are yet to meet at the French Open but have clashed twice at Grand Slams. Sinner won the first in four sets, while the most recent was a five-hour, 15-minute epic that went Alcaraz’s way.

Another notable matchup coming from the French Open draw is a first-round meeting between veterans Andy Murray and Stan Wawrinka.

While neither has announced exact retirement dates, both are in the twilights of their careers. The pair are used to meeting slightly later in Paris, having faced each other twice before in the semi-finals of Roland-Garros.

Play gets underway this Sunday, May 26, at 8pm AEST.

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