French Open 2012 TV Schedule: Times and Channels for Opening Day Action

From May 27 to June 10, tennis fans will be glued to the action going on in Paris, France. The French Open, or Tournoi de Roland-Garros, is one of the biggest events in the sport.

This Sunday, which is the opening day for the tournament, will be aired on ESPN2 from 5:00 to 11:00 a.m, and from noon to 3:00 p.m it will be on NBC.

There are a tremendous amount of stars that will forecast their ability to the world, and here are a few players to keep your eyes on.

For the men’s competition the names are very familiar as Rafael Nadal, Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic are forces to be reckoned with. Djokovic is currently in a class of his own, as he is trying to become the first man in 43 years to hold all four Grand Slam titles.

To put this feat into perspective, only two men have held all four titles at the same time: Rod Laver and Don Budge.

Furthermore, only seven men in the history of tennis have held all four titles at the same time. Since 1969, the year that Laver made history, only Pete Sampras, Federer and Nadal have even had the opportunity to reach this outstanding accomplishment. 

Nadal as well as Li Na are the defending champions heading into the event, and they have a legitimate shot to repeat as champs in 2012.

Nadal has been flat-out dominant at this event with a career record of 45-1. If the Spaniard can find a way to win this tournament, he will take his seventh Roland Garros trophy, which is historic in itself.

It is interesting how a defending champion like Na flies under the radar, but she receives very little coverage in the media.

Li Na is the first Chinese champion ever in a singles tournament. Na, remains humble and quiet in the wake of the 2012 tournament as Williams, Sharapova and Azarenka continue to garner all the attention.

The Chinese sensation is coming off of a somewhat disappointing match where she lost in Beijing to the No. 57 player in the world, Monica Nicelescu.

As a defending champion, look for Na to step her game up a bit this summer, and she better because Williams, Sharapova and Azarenka are fantastic players capable of winning any tournament.

The French Open is one of the more exciting tournaments in the world, and the 2012 version will be fantastic.