French Open 2017 Schedule: TV Coverage, Live Stream and Replay for Sunday's Draw
The 2017 French Open is set to be one of the most fascinating in many a year, with the top seeds in the men's and women's draws both struggling for form.
Having finished 2016 with a swagger, Andy Murray has been out of sorts on clay as of late and has a testing bracket to negotiate too. All eyes will be on the Briton when he gets his tournament underway against Andrey Kuznetsov, as well as defending champion Novak Djokovic and favourite Rafael Nadal.
It's a similar story in the women's draw, with No. 1 seed Angelique Kerber failing to replicate the consistency she showcased last season. Consequently, Ekaterina Makarova would've been optimistic about springing a surprise in their Round 1 match before knocking out the world No. 1 in straight sets on Sunday.
Here are details on where you can catch the rest of Sunday's action and a look ahead at what promises to be an intriguing fortnight in Paris.
TV Info: ITV 1 and ITV 4 (UK). NBC (U.S.).
Live Stream and Highlights: ITV Hub (UK), NBC Sports App (U.S.), Tennis Channel (U.S.).
Sunday Preview
After Friday's draw, the Roland Garros Twitter account provided details on who will play when over the course of the opening few days:
In the bottom half of the men's draw there are some big names who will be seeking to stake their claims for glory early on, most notably Djokovic and Nadal.
The former performed superbly to clinch the title last year, giving himself a career Grand Slam. However, the imperious aura the Serb had 12 months ago isn't quite there, with Djokovic showing some vulnerability on clay in the buildup to Roland Garros.
He lost the Italian Open final to rising star Alexander Zverev recently. As noted by Stuart Fraser of The Times ahead of his first match against Marcel Granollers, the Serb's not been at his best all year:
The man who tops the aforementioned standings is Nadal. The Spaniard did suffer a shock defeat to Dominic Thiem in Italy, but that was his first loss on clay in 2017. After a couple of tough seasons, the left-hander does look to be at a level approaching his best again, meaning first-round opponent Benoit Paire will have to produce a monumental display to halt him.
Experience counts for so much at Roland Garros too, and there's nobody with a better record there than Nadal. Victory would make it a remarkable 10 titles at the French Open, cementing the 30-year-old's status as the King of Clay.
Here's a reminder of how the great man clinched his first title in Paris in 2005, when he was just 18, via Eurosport UK:
In the women's draw Kerber entered the tournament as the world No. 1 after an excellent 2016, winning two Grand Slam titles and making it to the final of another. However, she's failed to find rhythm this year and has never looked to be completely at ease on clay.
The signs were worrying at the Italian Open. Kerber was brushed aside by unseeded Estonian Anett Kontaveit in the first round, taking just four games. The German failed to improve on Sunday, losing 6-2, 6-2 to the unseeded Makarova.
As noted by Ben Rothenberg of the New York Times, the draw would not been favourable to the top seed if she had progressed, either:
With Kerber already out and Serena Williams absent through pregnancy, the women's draw feels especially open this year.
Simona Halep has impressed in the buildup to the tournament and will be desperate to make that final step to win a major. Meanwhile, last year's champion, Garbine Muguruza, cannot be ruled out, as the Spaniard boasts the game to blow any rival off the court on clay.
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