Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic and Roger Federer all in similar half of French Open draw

Defending champion Nadal and world No. 1 Djokovic can not meet within the last as they did final 12 months — Nadal got here out on high in straight units — with the pair projected to face off with in the semifinals as a substitute.
Nonetheless, Djokovic has the small matter of probably having to beat 20-time grand slam champion Federer to get there, with the Swiss probably going through Djokovic within the quarterfinals.
Nadal will start his efforts to win a record-extending 14th French Open title with a primary spherical match towards Australian Alexei Popyrin, Djokovic will face American Tennys Sandgren and the eighth-seeded Federer will face a qualifier.
Federer’s French Open preparations have been dented by a shock defeat to Pablo Andújar on the Geneva Open final week, in what was Federer’s first match since he made his damage comeback in March.
Russian world No. 2 Daniil Medvedev, two-time French Open finalist Dominic Thiem, Greek star Stefanos Tsitsipas and Germany’s Alexander Zverev are within the different half of the draw.
Within the ladies’ draw, defending champion Iga Swiatek is in the identical half as world No. 1 and 2019 winner Ashleigh Barty, who pulled out of the final 12 months’ event as a result of a pandemic.
World No. 2 Naomi Osaka, who introduced that she is not going to be collaborating in press conferences through the French Open, is seeking to advance past the third spherical at Roland Garros for the primary time and can face Romania’s Patricia Maria Tig within the opening spherical.
Williams’ preparations for her record-equaling try have been removed from supreme, with the French Open No. 7 seed falling to a shock straight units defeat to Kateřina Siniaková on the Emilia-Romagna Open final week.
Spaniard Carla Suárez Navarro will likely be making her return to tennis for the primary time since beating most cancers and can face 2017 US Open champion Sloane Stephens within the opening spherical.