French Open 2024: Nadal faces Zverev; Swiatek and Osaka eye showdown

Rafael Nadal will face world number four Alexander Zverev in a thrilling first-round match at his farewell French Open. Women’s champion Iga Swiatek and four-time major winner Naomi Osaka could meet in the second round.

Defending men’s champion and 24-time Grand Slam winner Novak Djokovic will begin his campaign against French veteran Pierre Hugues-Herbert.

Nadal, who has claimed Roland Garros titles 14 times, is unseeded after an injury dropped his ranking to 276. He and Zverev last met in the 2022 semi-finals, where the German had to retire due to a severe ankle injury.

With 22 Grand Slam titles, Nadal, turning 38 next week, is in his final season. He holds a 7-3 head-to-head advantage over Zverev, including five victories on clay. Zverev, 27, enters Paris after winning the Rome Open.

“I’m going to play the French Open giving my all, 100 per cent,” said Nadal following his second-round exit in Rome.

Along with his 14 titles in Paris, Nadal boasts a record of 112 wins and only three losses, two of which were to Djokovic, who aims for his fourth French Open title.

“Seeing the draw, Nadal won’t be thrilled,” said French Open tournament director Amelie Mauresmo. “Zverev is in excellent shape, so it looks tough. But Nadal is a warrior; with him, anything is possible.”

Djokovic, who turned 37 on Wednesday, celebrated by securing his 1,100th career win in Geneva. Despite not winning a title in 2024, Djokovic has made it to the semi-finals at both the Australian Open and Monte Carlo Masters. He is seeded to meet Zverev in the semi-finals.

World number two Jannik Sinner, who dethroned Djokovic at the Australian Open, will face Christopher Eubanks of the United States. Third-seeded Wimbledon champion Carlos Alcaraz, a 2023 Paris semi-finalist, will play a qualifier. Sinner and Alcaraz are projected to clash in the semi-finals, though both missed the Rome event due to injuries.

Andy Murray, the 2016 runner-up, will also compete in the tournament for the last time, facing 2015 champion Stan Wawrinka in a matchup of seasoned Grand Slam veterans. Murray leads their rivalry 13-9, with three of those matches at Roland Garros.

In the women’s draw, top seed and world number one Swiatek will start against a qualifier, while Osaka will face Italy’s Lucia Bronzetti before a potential second-round showdown. Swiatek aims for her fifth major and fourth French Open title, arriving with clay-court titles from Madrid and Rome.

Former world number one Osaka, ranked 134, has never advanced past the third round in Paris. Bronzetti, world number 48, has yet to win a main draw match in two visits. Osaka, 26, has had a challenging relationship with the French Open, including withdrawing in 2021 for mental health reasons and missing the 2023 edition due to pregnancy.

Swiatek hopes to become the first woman to win three consecutive French Open titles since Justine Henin in 2007. World number two Aryna Sabalenka will face 101st-ranked Erika Andreeva of Russia in her opener. Third seed and US Open champion Coco Gauff is set to meet a qualifier in the first round and is seeded to face Swiatek in the semi-finals. Sabalenka is expected to face former Wimbledon champion Elena Rybakina in the last four.