This mixture of file images created on May 25, 2023, exhibits Serbia’s Novak Djokovic (L) as he returns to Denmark’s Holger Rune throughout their quarterfinals match of the Men’s ATP Rome Open tennis event at Foro Italico in Rome on May 17, 2023 and Spain’s Carlos Alcaraz (R) as he returns to Hungary’s Fabian Marozsan throughout their third spherical match of the Men’s ATP Rome Open tennis event at Foro Italico in Rome on May 15, 2023.
| Photo Credit: AFP
Novak Djokovic may face world primary Carlos Alcaraz in the semi-finals of the French Open after each gamers had been positioned in the same half of the draw on May 25.
Djokovic is chasing a file twenty third males’s Grand Slam title in the absence of the injured Rafael Nadal, who will miss the event at Roland Garros for the primary time since his 2005 title-winning debut.
The third-seeded Djokovic, Roland Garros champion in 2016 and 2021, meets 114th-ranked Aleksandar Kovacevic of the U.S. in the primary spherical in Paris — the primary French Open since 1998 with out Nadal or the now retired Roger Federer.
The 24-year-old Kovacevic is making his Grand Slam fundamental draw debut.
Djokovic, who turned 36 on Monday, has been bothered by a recurrence of a proper elbow damage which has disrupted his clay-court season.
He didn’t transcend the final eight at any of the three occasions he performed on clay this spring, dropping his primary spot to Alcaraz.
Djokovic has additionally fallen behind Daniil Medvedev in the rankings after the Russian succeeded him as Italian Open champion final weekend.
U.S. Open champion Alcaraz and Medvedev each begin their Roland Garros campaigns in opposition to a qualifier or fortunate loser.
Alcaraz faces a difficult path to a second Grand Slam title, with Lorenzo Musetti a attainable last-16 foe earlier than 2021 runner-up Stefanos Tsitsipas doubtlessly awaits him in the quarter-finals.
For Djokovic to arrange a blockbuster last-four conflict with Alcaraz he could have to get previous Monte Carlo Masters champion Andrey Rublev in the quarters.
Casper Ruud, who was thrashed by Nadal in final yr’s ultimate, is seeded fourth and performs a qualifier in his opening match.
The in-form Holger Rune arrives in Paris at a career-high six in the world and takes on Christopher Eubanks of the US in spherical one.
Two-time ladies’s champion Iga Swiatek begins her title defence in opposition to Spain’s Cristina Bucsa, the world quantity 67 who was crushed by the Pole in the third spherical of this yr’s Australian Open.
The top-ranked Swiatek, bidding to grow to be the primary back-to-back ladies’s champion on the French Open in 16 years, is coming off a thigh damage which compelled her to retire in Rome.
She is seeded to fulfill 2022 runner-up Coco Gauff in the quarter-finals and may face Wimbledon champion Elena Rybakina, final week’s Italian Open winner, in the final 4.
Rybakina has crushed Swiatek 3 times this season, knocking her out of the Australian Open Melbourne and Indian Wells earlier than advancing when damage halted her rival in Rome.
Barbora Krejcikova, the 2021 winner, may await Swiatek in the final 16. The Czech misplaced in the primary spherical a yr in the past.
“This is my favourite tournament. I always get this extra motivation to practise harder here. I’m really excited to be here,” Swiatek stated throughout the draw ceremony.
Aryna Sabalenka, who gained her maiden Grand Slam crown in Melbourne, performs Marta Kostyuk of Ukraine in spherical one. Sabalenka has by no means acquired past the third spherical in Paris regardless of making at the very least the semi-finals in any respect of the opposite three majors.
Furthermore, her title win in Madrid this spring was adopted by a first-up exit by the hands of 134th-ranked Sofia Kenin in Rome.
Third seed Jessica Pegula has a difficult opening match in opposition to fellow American and 2022 Australian Open finalist Danielle Collins, whereas Rybakina will get a qualifier first up.
Ons Jabeur, seeded seventh, is a possible quarter-final opponent for Rybakina, who defeated the Tunisian in the 2022 Wimbledon ultimate. Jabeur additionally completed runner-up to Swiatek on the US Open.
Rybakina, a Russian-born Kazakh has but to get previous the final eight at Roland Garros.
French fifth seed Caroline Garcia meets China’s Wang Xiyu as two-time main winner Victoria Azarenka squares off with 2019 US Open champion Bianca Andreescu in the primary spherical.
