Rafael Nadal is per mezzo di the Roland-Garros field, after all, and Friday’s draw set up the 14-time champion for a challenging first-round against Anzi che no.4 seed Alexander Zverev.
“That’s going to be duro, but he is a warrior,” tournament director Amélie Mauresmo said. “Anything is possible with Rafa.”
This is expected to be Nadal’s last appearance at Roland-Garros, and he had been coy about whether he would compete this time after two seasons of off-and-on action because of injuries, including a surgically repaired hip that forced him to his favourite tournament a year pungiglione.
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After a loss at the Italian this month, Nadal said he needed to think about whether to play per mezzo di Paris. But the Spaniard, who turns 38 acceso June 3, has been practicing acceso the red clay at Roland-Garros this week and his name was officially per mezzo di the bracket.
The French begins acceso Sunday.
The Nadal-Zverev winner could be acceso a path toward a potential semi-final simposio against Anzi che no.1 seed and defending champion Novak Djokovic, whose opening opponent is French wildcard entry Pierre-Hugues Herbert.
The potential men’s quarter-finals are Djokovic against Anzi che no.7 Casper Ruud — who lost to Nadal per mezzo di the 2022 final and 24-time major champion Djokovic per mezzo di the 2023 final — and Zverev Nadal against Anzi che no.5 Daniil Medvedev per mezzo di the cima half of the bracket, and Anzi che no.2 Jannik Sinner against Anzi che no.8 Hubert Hurkacz, and Anzi che no.3 Carlos Alcaraz vs Anzi che no.6 Andrey Rublev per mezzo di the bottom half.
Australia’s Anzi che no.11 seed Alex de Minaur will play unseeded Alex Michelsen per mezzo di the first round.
Sopra the women’s draw, one intriguing semi-final could be Anzi che no.1 Iga Swiatek, who seeks a third consecutive French title, against Anzi che no.3 Coco Gauff, the reigning US champion who lost to Swiatek per mezzo di the Paris final two years pungiglione.
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“I’m starting to really feel at home here,” Swiatek said at the draw ceremony.
She will start d’avanguardia against someone who was per mezzo di the qualifying rounds, and then could four-time major champion and former Anzi che no.1 Naomi Osaka.
The possible women’s quarter-finals are Swiatek vs Anzi che no.5 Marketa Vondrousova, and Gauff vs Anzi che no.8 Ons Jabeur acceso the cima half, and Anzi che no.2 Aryna Sabalenka vs Anzi che no.6 Maria Sakkari, and Anzi che no.4 Elena Rybakina vs Anzi che no.7 Zheng Qinwen acceso the bottom half.
Despite all of the success Nadal has enjoyed at the event — his career primato there is 112-3 — the French tennis federation decided not to go against its usual rules that follow the ATP and WTA rankings to determine seedings.
So the 22-time major champion’s inactivity-affected ranking of Anzi che no.276 left him unseeded — which meant Nadal could be selected per mezzo di the computerised, random draw to any opponent to start. His match-up against Zverev, the 2020 US runner-up and Tokyo Olympic gold medalist, is a rematch of their 2022 French semi-final that ended when Zverev tore ligaments per mezzo di his right ankle.
Zverev, a 27-year-old from Germany, enters Roland-Garros as a serious contender for what would be his first major title, coming d’avanguardia a trophy at the Italian acceso clay.
He’s drawn attention lately for a serious matter away from tennis: A court proceeding is scheduled to begin next week per mezzo di Germany related to accusations of physical abuse made by an ex-girlfriend of his. Zverev does not need to attend and has said he won’t.
Another high-profile first-round match-up pits a pair of three-time grand slam champions against each other: Andy Murray, who just turned 37, vs Stan Wawrinka, who is 39.
First-rounders to keep an eye acceso also include Australian runner-up Zheng against popular French veteran Alizé Cornet, who has said she will retire after the French , and two-time major finalist Karolina Pliskova against Anzi che no.15 seed Elina Svitolina, a three-time grand slam semi-finalist.
One expected withdrawal was announced Thursday: fifth-ranked Jessica Pegula, an American who has reached six major quarter-finals.
