Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal and Carlos Alcaraz all have been positioned in the identical half of the French Open males’s bracket in Thursday’s draw for the clay-court Grand Slam match.
Djokovic, who's the defending champion and seeded No. 1, may meet 13-time champion Nadal within the quarterfinals at Roland Garros. Djokovic beat Nadal within the semifinals a 12 months in the past.
“I'm very motivated to play my greatest tennis,” Djokovic stated in French on Thursday, as he marked his likelihood to get again on the Grand Slam stage after lacking the Australian Open as a result of he isn't vaccinated in opposition to COVID-19 (the French Open has no such requirement).
“Final 12 months in Paris was the right end result. Roland Garros was possibly the toughest of my profession — of all of the Grand Slams I've received,” he stated. “Very emotional, tiring, however on the finish, the end result arrived.”
Nadal leads the Grand Slam title standings amongst males with 21, one forward of Djokovic and Roger Federer.
READ: French Open 2022: Dates, kind information, prize cash, most titles and all it's worthwhile to know
If that Djokovic-Nadal showdown occurs, the winner may face No. 6 seed Alcaraz within the semifinals. Alcaraz is simply 19, not too long ago received the Madrid Open on clay and have become the youngest man to interrupt into the highest 10 within the rankings since Nadal in 2005.
Alcaraz may meet No. 3 seed Alexander Zverev in quarterfinals.
The potential quarterfinals on the opposite half of the bracket are No. 2 Daniil Medvedev in opposition to No. 7 Andrey Rublev in a matchup between two Russians who is not going to be allowed to compete at Wimbledon due to Moscow's invasion of Ukraine, and 2021 runner-up Stefano Tsitsipas in opposition to No. 8 Casper Ruud.
Naomi Osaka will get rematch on return to Roland Garros
Naomi Osaka is not going to have the luxurious of easing into her return to the courts of the French Open, dealing with a troublesome foe in her very first match.
Thursday’s draw additionally arrange two tantalizing potentialities within the fourth spherical for No. 1-ranked Iga Swiatek, the 2020 champion who's presently on a 28-match successful streak. She would possibly must go up in opposition to 2018 champion Simona Halep at that stage or 2017 champion Jelena Ostapenko — who simply so occurs to be the final lady to defeat Swiatek.
Osaka is a four-time Grand Slam champion who was once No. 1 within the rankings however has slipped to No. 38 partially due to a scarcity of exercise. That included day without work for a psychological well being break after she withdrew from Roland Garros forward of her second-round match final 12 months, revealing that she has handled anxiousness and despair.
As a result of she just isn't seeded on the French Open, she was not protected from dealing with a seeded opponent straight away, in order that’s what is going to occur in opposition to No. 27 Amanda Anisimova, a 20-year-old American who was a 2019 semifinalist in Paris.
Anisimova received their third-round encounter on the Australian Open in January by a rating of 4-6, 6-3, 7-6 (5). Osaka was the defending champion at Melbourne Park.
The doable ladies’s quarterfinals in Paris are Swiatek in opposition to two-time main runner-up Karolina Pliskova, and No. 3 seed Paula Badosa in opposition to No. 7 Aryna Sabalenka on the highest half of the sector, and defending champion Barbora Krejcikova in opposition to No. 5 Anett Kontaveit, and No. 4 Maria Sakkari in opposition to No. 6 Ons Jabeur on the underside half.
Final 12 months, in her first time in the primary draw of singles on the French Open, Krejcikova received each that trophy — the participant she beat within the last, Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova, introduced this week her season is finished due to an injured knee — together with ladies's doubles.
So it is smart that Krejcikova used phrases equivalent to “extraordinarily superb” and “one thing unimaginable" whereas discussing what occurred in 2021 throughout a quick look on the draw ceremony and famous with a smile: “This clay fits me.”
