Rafael Nadal-Alexander Zverev clash highlights Roland-Garros 2024 first round: French Open preview, schedule, how to watch
Fourteen-time Roland-Garros champion Rafael Nadal has a steep climb to open his 2024 campaign, which he has said will be his last at the clay court tennis major.
The 37-year-old Spaniard was drawn against No.4 seed Alexander Zverev on Thursday (23 May), the German Olympic champion who won the Italian Open in Rome just last week.
The French Open is set to get underway at Roland-Garros on Sunday (26 May), with top seeds Novak Djokovic and Iga Swiatek as reigning champions.
"I always love this place. It feels like home," Swiatek, the Pole, told reporters Thursday, coming off back-to-back tournament wins at Madrid and Rome. She could face four-time major champion Naomi Osaka in the second round of the women's singles.
Swiatek said she's always looking forward to a particularly special summer in Paris, with the coming Olympic Games Paris 2024 also set to take place at Stade Roland-Garros, where she has won the singles title in 2020, 2022, and 2023.
"Winning any medal would be a dream come true, but we'll see," she said. "In Tokyo [2021], it was really stressful, so this year I'm working hard to keep expectations low. ... I want to keep this tournament like any other one, even though it is the Olympics. Even though I have a lot of baggage on my shoulders."
Swiatek is joined by 2023 US Open champion Coco Gauff on the top half of the women's draw, while No.2 seed Aryna Sabalenka has 2022 Wimbledon winner Elena Rybakina on the bottom half.
In the men's draw, Djokovic and Zverev (and Nadal!) are on the top half of the draw, and due to meet on the opening day, while Australian Open winner Jannik Sinner - who has injury doubt swirling around him - anchors the bottom half along with Carlos Alcaraz.
Roland-Garros 2024: Five things to watch
Paris 2024 marks the first time since 1992 that Olympic tennis will return to clay courts, meaning Roland-Garros takes on an even more special meaning for players as they look to hone their Games for the coming Olympics.
The rankings on 10 June - the Monday after the French Open finishes - will also be used to fill out the Olympic fields for tennis.
Here's five things to watch out for this coming fortnight in Paris:
Nadal vs. Zverev blockbuster
All eyes were on where Nadal, now ranked 276th in men's singles, would fall. He and Zverev have met 10 times previously, with Rafa holding a 7-3 advantage. Their most recent meeting was a dramatic quarter-final here two years ago, when Zverev tore ligaments in his right ankle, putting him out for the remainder of 2022. The German will no doubt be favoured, but Nadal brings a 112-3 win-loss record at this event into 2024, so is never to be counted out. They'll face each other in the opening round on Monday (27 May) in the French capital.
Swiatek eyes three-peat
Not since Justine Henin won three in a row (2005-07) has a woman gone back-to-back-to-back, but the 22-year-old Swiatek is looking to do just that. She's 38-4 in 2024, and has won 14 of her last 15 matches, including 12 in a row on clay.
Question marks for Djokovic
What is normal is seeing the No.1 next to Djokovic's name, but it otherwise stops there, with the reigning champion just 13-5 on the 2024 season and only 5-2 on clay. Djokovic is playing this week at a small event in Geneva to further prepare for Paris, something he has rarely done in years past. Djokovic was struck on the head by a fan's metal water bottle which fell while he was signing autographs in Rome, an injury that still could be impacting his physical form.
Who else to watch? Sinner, Alcaraz, Sabalenka & more
Injury question marks have swirled around both Sinner and Alcaraz, each of whom pulled out of Rome, with the Italian suffering from hip pain and the Spaniard dealing with an arm issue. Sinner hasn't played since his third match in Madrid. Meanwhile, Australian Open winner Sabalenka is developing quite the rivalry with Swiatek, the two of them meeting in each of the last two finals - including an all-time battle in Madrid, where Iga won in over three hours.
Olympics on the mind...
Players have been outspoken about their excitement for the coming Olympic Games, with two-time singles champion Andy Murray appearing to be eyeing a doubles medal as he teams up with British compatriot Dan Evans as a wild card in doubles for the French Open. Murray is set to meet fellow veteran Slam winner (and Olympic gold medallist) Stan Wawrinka in the first round of singles.
"It's like nothing else," Djokovic recently told ITF Tennis (see below). "It's really inspiring... the Olympics are so unique, being in the village you feel incredibly proud. I am going to try and learn from my previous Olympic experiences."
Roland-Garros 2024: Schedule of Play
All times listed are local Paris time (CEST, +2 GMT). You can find a full provisional schedule here, as well as the daily order of play here.
Sunday, 26 May & Monday, 27 May
- 11:00 - Men's & women's singles first round
- 20:15 - Evening session
Tuesday, 28 May
- 11:00 - Men's & women's singles first round; men's doubles begins
- 20:15 - Evening session
Wednesday, 29 May
- 11:00 - Men's & women's singles second round; women's & mixed doubles begins
- 20:15 - Evening session
Thursday, 30 May
- 11:00 - Men's & women's singles second round
- 20:15 - Evening session
Friday, 31 May & Saturday, 1 June
- 11:00 - Men's & women's singles third round
- 20:15 - Evening session
Sunday, 2 June
- 11:00 - Men's & women's singles fourth round; junior event begins
- 20:15 - Evening session
Monday, 3 June
- 11:00 - Men's & women's singles fourth round
- 20:15 - Evening session
Tuesday, 4 June
- 11:00 - Men's & women's singles quarter-finals; wheelchair event begins
- 20:15 - Evening session
Wednesday, 5 June
- 11:00 - Men's & women's singles quarter-finals
- 20:15 - Evening session
Thursday, 6 June
- 11:00 - Doubles, wheelchair & junior action (outside courts)
- 12:00 - Mixed doubles final
- 15:00 - Women's singles semi-finals
Friday, 7 June
- 11:00 - Doubles, wheelchair & junior action
- 14:30 - Men's singles semi-final 1
- Not before 17:30 - Men's singles semifinal 2
Saturday, 8 June
- 11:00 - Wheelchair & junior finals
- 15:00 - Women's singles final
- Followed by - Men's doubles final
Sunday, 9 June
- 11:00 - Wheelchair & junior finals (outside courts)
- 11:30 - Women's doubles final
- 15:00 - Men's singles final
French Open at Roland-Garros 2024: How to watch
French fans can watch the action on France TV Sport and Prime Video, while Americans can find the action split between Tennis Channel and NBC. Here's a schedule of the action on NBC, which will feature both the men's and women's singles finals.
Other major markets include:
- Europe (except for France) - Eurosport
- Australia - Channel 9
- Brazil - ESPN
- Canada - TSN & RDS
- India - SONY Ten
- Japan - WOWOW
- North Africa & Middle East - beIN Sports
You can see a full list of RG broadcasters here.