Roland-Garros: Nadal to face Zverev in opener and could meet Djokovic in semis; Sinner v Alcaraz in bottom half

14-time champion Rafael Nadal was drawn to face fourth seed and Rome Masters champion Alexander Zverev in the first round of Roland-Garros. The Spaniard was the player that no one wanted to face early on in the tournament, but the draw gods set up a rematch of the 2022 French Open semi-final between the pair. That match was never completed as the German suffered a nasty ankle injury that left him in crutches and kept him out of action for six months.

That’s not the only blockbuster first round clash as veterans Andy Murray and Stan Wawrinka were also drawn to meet each other in what very well could be the last French Open for both.

Should Nadal manage to beat the Rome Masters champion and move into the second week, he is projected to face world No 1 and defending champion Novak Djokovic in the semi-finals. The Serb is projected to meet seventh seed Casper Ruud in a repeat of last year’s final in the quarter-finals this time around.

On the other side of the draw, the two youngsters tipped to become the game’s next superstars – second seed Jannik Sinner, who is in a good position to replace Djokovic as No 1 by the time the French Open ends, and third seed Carlos Alcaraz are projected to meet in the semi-finals.

The Men’s Singles Draw

The first-round matches we can’t wait to see

• (4) Alexander Zverev vs Rafael Nadal
• Andy Murray vs Stan Wawrinka
• (13) Holger Rune vs Dan Evans
• Richard Gasquet vs Borna Coric
• (15) Ben Shelton vs Hugo Gaston

Matches we’d like to see in the first week

• (1) Novak Djokovic vs Gael Monfils – 3rd round
• (9) Stefanos Tsitsipas vs Daniel Altmaier -2nd round
• (3) Carlos Alcaraz vs Jack Draper – 2nd round
• (15) Ben Shelton vs Kei Nishikori – 2nd round
• (25) Frances Taifoe vs Denis Shapovalov

Projected Quarter-Final Match-Ups

• (1) Novak Djokovic vs (7) Casper Ruud
• (4) Alexander Zverev (v 5) Daniil Medvedev
• (3) Carlos Alcaraz vs (6) Andrey Rublev
• (2) Jannik Sinner vs (8) Hubert Hurkacz

Novak Djokovic’s projected path to the title

• 1st round: Pierre Hugues-Herbert
• 2nd round: Roberto Carballes Baena or Constant Lestienne
• 3rd round: (30) Lorenzo Musetti or Gael Monfils
• 4th round: (14) Tommy Paul or (23) Francisco Cerundolo
• Quarter-Finals: (7) Casper Ruud or (12) Tayylor Fritz
• Semi-Finals: (4) Alexander Zverev or (5) Daniil Medvedev
• Finals: (2) Jannik Sinner or (3) Carlos Alcaraz

Jannik Sinner’s projected path to the title

• 1st round: Chris Eubanks
• 2nd round: Borna Coric or Richard Gasquet
• 3rd round: (32) Cameron Norrie or Stan Wawrinka/ Andy Murray
• 4th round: (16) Nicolas Jarry or (20) Sebastian Baez
• Quarter-Finals: (8) Hubert Hurkacz or (10) Grigor Dimitrov
• Semi-Finals: (3) Carlos Alcaraz or (6) Andrey Rublev/ (9) Stefanos Tsitsipas
• Finals: (1) Novak Djokovic or (4) Alexander Zverev

Carlos Alcaraz’s projected path to the title

• 1st round: Qualifier
• 2nd round: Jack Draper or Qualifier
• 3rd round: (27 Sebastian Korda or Emil Ruusuvuori
• 4th round: (15) Ben Shelton or (21) Felix Auger-Aliassime
• Quarter-Finals: (6) Andrey Rublev or (9) Stefanos Tsitsipas
• Semi-Finals: (2) Jannik Sinner or (8) Hubert Hurkacz
• Finals: (1) Novak Djokovic or (4) Alexander Zverev

Rafael Nadal’s projected path to the title

• 1st round: (4) Alexander Zverev
• 2nd round: David Goffin or Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard
• 3rd round: (26) Tallon Griekspoor or Luciano Darderi
• 4th round: (13) Holger Rune or (18) Karen Khachanov
• Quarter-Finals: (5) Daniil Medvedev or (11) Alex de Minaur
• Semi-Finals: (1) Novak Djokovic or (7) Capser Ruud
• Finals: (2) Jannik Sinner or (3) Carlos Alcaraz