French Open Live Streaming 2013: When and Where to Watch Online

All eyes in the tennis world will shift focus to the majestic red clay of Roland Garros as the ATP's best and brightest descend upon Paris for the beginning of the 2013 French Open on Sunday.

A two-week event that is as grueling for the players as it is captivating for the fans, the French Open, historically, is the tournament that vaults tennis into the conversation for the entire summer. The long lull between the descent to France and January's Australian Open allows everyone to get into top form, but it often puts fans in a bit of a malaise.

That changes starting Sunday. 

Rafael Nadal heads into the festivities as a prohibitive favorite despite having missed much of the past calendar year with injury issues. The 27-year-old Nadal is a clay-court legend, having amassed seven French Open titles, including the past three events. Standing in his way is the normal duo of top clay contenders in Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic, with an underrated crew of underdogs waiting in the wings as well.

On the women's side, all eyes will be fixated on Serena Williams and Maria Sharapova. It's been 11 years since Williams won at Roland Garros, but her recent dominance across the WTA makes her a force in any tournament. Sharapova is the defending women's champion. 

With all the top names—minus Andy Murray—in action, and ESPN and NBC's family of networks both carrying all the action from France, it will be critical to know where and when to watch—even when you're on the go. 

With that in mind, let's take a look at a complete viewing guide to all of this year's action at Roland Garros. 

Event Information

When: Sunday, May 26 through Sunday, June 9

Where: Stade de Roland Garros in Paris

Watch: ESPN, NBC, NBC Sports Network and Tennis Channel will all carry the event at various points. (For the full listings for the 2013 French Open, go here.)

Live Stream Schedule

Date	Service	Start time
May 26	WatchESPN	5 a.m. ET
May 26	NBC Sports LiveExtra	12 p.m. ET
May 27	WatchESPN	5 a.m. ET
May 27	NBC Sports LiveExtra	12 p.m. ET
May 28	WatchESPN	5 a.m. ET
May 29	WatchESPN	5 a.m. ET
May 30	WatchESPN	5 a.m. ET
May 31	WatchESPN	5 a.m. ET
June 3	WatchESPN	5 a.m. ET
June 4	WatchESPN	8 a.m. ET
June 4	WatchESPN	5 a.m. ET
June 5	WatchESPN	5 a.m. ET
June 6	WatchESPN	5 a.m. ET

*Dates and times subject to change as the tournament progresses. 

Men's Favorites

No. 3 Rafael Nadal

Andy Murray's withdrawal from this year's action at Roland Garros led to Nadal vaulting up to the No. 3 seed in this year's tournament, but that's about where the good luck ended for the defending French Open champion. 

Despite being the third seed, the French Open does not use a typical S-curve for its draw. Instead, there are pairings that are drawn live, a quirk of the tennis world that's as baffling as it is endearing. In this case, the draw led to the tournament's two prohibitive favorites—Nadal and Novak Djokovic—seeing each other on the same side of the bracket, setting up a possible semifinal faceoff that to most will feel like the final.

Djokovic defeated Nadal at the Monte-Carlo Rolex Masters at the beginning of the clay-court season, which could give the Serb confidence heading into the French.

Nonetheless, it's hard to favor anyone but Nadal heading into this tournament. Since returning from injury at the Chile Open, Nadal is yet to miss a final in 2013. He's been utterly dominant in a way few thought he could instantly, having taken an ATP-high six calendar titles and compiling a 36-2 record this season.

That's a lot of momentum for Nadal to take into a tournament where he seemingly needs none. The Spaniard has won seven of the last nine tournaments at Roland Garros, a feat of sustained excellence that rivals anything in tennis history. With Nadal having taken the Italian Open and the Madrid Open—the two highest-profile tuneup tournaments for France—all signs point to an eighth French Open triumph.

No. 1 Novak Djokovic

As noted in the previous section, Djokovic is the man with by far the best chance to take down Nadal. A potential matchup between Nadal and Djokovic in the semis has match-of-the-year potential, which speaks to just how much work the Serb has put in on clay.

The world's most dominant force on the hard court—he's won the past three Australian Opens and the 2011 U.S. Open—Djokovic has historically struggled at Roland Garros. He's made the final just once—last year when he faced the inevitable defeat at Nadal's hands.

However, the world's top-ranked player has made vast improvements from his early struggles. His win over Nadal at Monte Carlo was the type of resume-affirming triumph that you so rarely see in non-Grand Slam tournaments. It seemed to tell everyone that this was the Summer of Novak and everyone was just along for the ride, picking up the table scraps in tournaments he left behind.

And then the wheels started falling off a bit. Djokovic, who injured his ankle in the Davis Cup, suddenly started dropping out early in tournaments. He was upset by Grigor Dimitrov at the Madrid Open and then followed it up with a frustrating quarterfinal loss to Tomas Berdych in Italy.

The momentum-shifter now feels like a blip on the radar. Djokovic and Nadal finding the same side of the draw is a massive disappointment, but it should be a coronation for the winner. It'll be interesting to see if Djokovic has any Monte Carlo magic left. 

No. 3 Roger Federer

Hey guys, anyone remember Roger Federer? You know, the guy who has had arguably the longest sustained run of excellence in tennis history? Yeah, him. Has anyone seen or heard about him whatsoever this season?

Oh, OK, me neither. Fed-Ex, who returned to the world's No. 1 ranking a year ago, has been nowhere to be found roughly since August, having not won a tournament since the Western & Southern Open midway through the month. 

Thus far in 2013, the results have only gotten worse for Federer. He's only made one finals appearance in six events—a sound defeat at the hands of Nadal at the Italian Open—and boasts an un-Federer-like 18-6 record for the season.

Having turned 31, ancient for a top tennis pro, one has to wonder whether we're seeing the end of the line for the all-time great. Father Time waits for no man, even though Federer's scintillating run last season made everyone suspend their disbelief for a long time. His triumph at Wimbledon and re-ascent to the top of the tennis world was the type of late-career renaissance only seen by the Andre Agassis of the world.

Though the draw played to his favor with Nadal and Djokovic being on the opposite side of the bracket, it's hard to envision a scenario where Federer actually wins the title. He has only one career French Open title, though Nadal's excellence on clay has a good deal to do with that. His path looks clear in theory, but let's hold off before we go sending Federer straight to the final. 

Then again, we've counted out Federer before and been proven wrong. Very, very wrong. 

Women's Favorites

No. 1 Serena Williams

Viewed mostly as a monolith on the women's tour by casual fans, it's easy for some to chalk the French Open up as Serena's tournament to lose. History tells us that's not the case. Her only French Open championship came in 2002, at a time when her dominance rivaled anything we've seen in the sport's history—regardless of gender.

Even as she enters this year back atop the tennis world, Serena's not a spry 21-year-old anymore. She's pushing 32, a time where the quickness needed to excel on clay could frustrate any top player. 

It doesn't help that the last 10 tournaments that have come and gone since her last French Open title have been a never-ending series of disappointments. Williams has not made it past the quarterfinals in a decade, finding new and semi-humiliating ways (for her at least) to get upset with every trip to Paris. In 2012, Virginie Razzano defeated the fifth-seeded Williams in Round 1.

Wait, who? Wikipedia tells me she's a French tennis pro. Good enough for me. Suffice it to say, there were plenty of mouths agape at Roland Garros when the hometown hero defeated Williams last year. 

The only real success Williams has had at Roland Garros has come with her sister Venus by her side. The duo won the doubles tournament in 2010.

Nevertheless, there's reason for hope. Serena has regained not only her world No. 1 ranking but her form over the past 12 months. She heads into Roland Garros with a 36-2 record for the season and five calendar titles already, including three straight on clay. In two of those finals, she defeated her greatest competition, Maria Sharapova and Victoria Azarenka. 

If Williams ever plans on holding La Coupe des Mousquetaires again, this may be her last shot. 

No. 2 Maria Sharapova

Sharapova may have lost the last time she played Williams on clay, but she was triumphant the last time she stepped on Roland Garros soil. The 26-year-old Russian pulverized Sara Errani in straight sets to take the 2012 French Open crown, a victory that completed her career Grand Slam. 

It was also a win that culminated her career-long effort to get better on clay. An expert on hard and grass surfaces, Sharapova's frustration on clay was well-documented. She famously called herself a "cow on ice" on the surface following a second-round victory in 2007, a quote that's stuck with her ever since.

Since then, her footwork and defensive skills have made dramatic improvements, two critical elements on the clay. Sharapova's comfort on the surface was obvious last year, though she did defeat a somewhat depleted field.

That being said, it's impossible to count her out for a repeat. The victory at Roland Garros last season sparked something of a career renaissance for Sharapova, whose struggles with form and injury made some wonder whether she'd ever return to her former glory. With two victories already in the books for this season, it's safe to say she's back to form.

It will be interesting to see how the draw affects her, though. Victoria Azarenka awaits in the semifinals if the seeds hold, and the duo have battled through close matches in their careers. Williams' presence looms on the other side, but much like Nadal-Djokovic, Sharapova-Azarenka could become the tournament's best match. 

No. 3 Victoria Azarenka

She's the least-covered top tennis draw in this tournament, but it's arguable Azarenka has been the most successful this season. While Williams has a tour-best five calendar titles, it's Azarenka who comes into Roland Garros having taken the year's first Grand Slam.

The 23-year-old Belarusian's triumph over Li Na gave her two straight victories down under, her only Slam titles. But with a strong start to the season, it looked like Azarenka had the momentum to challenge Williams' world No. 1 ranking.

Unfortunately, injuries have marred Azarenka's post-January schedule. She had to withdraw from the Dubai Tennis Championships, Indian Wells and Sony Open in March with a lingering ankle injury and took the entire month of April off to rehab. 

Since returning, the results have been mixed, to say the least. Azarenka lost in the second round of the Madrid Open to Ekaterina Makarova, and though she made the final at the Italian Open a week later, Williams took her to the woodshed in straight sets.

In other words, this isn't exactly the best time for Azarenka to get over her clay-court woes. She's never made it past the quarterfinals at Roland Garros and has only gotten that far twice, in 2009 and 2011. Putting her on Sharapova's side of the bracket is just another sign that Azarenka is probably only a contender in name for only these next two weeks. 

Complete Men's Seeds for 2013 French Open

Seed	Player	Nationality
1	Novak Djokovic	SRB
2	Roger Federer	SUI
3	Rafael Nadal	ESP
4	David Ferrer	ESP
5	Tomas Berdych	CZE
6	Jo-Wilfried Tsonga	FRA
7	Richard Gasquet	FRA
8	Janko Tipsarevic	SRB
9	Stanislas Wawrinka	SUI
10	Marin Cilic	CRO
11	Nicolas Almagro	ESP
12	Tommy Haas	GER
13	Kei Nishikori	JPN
14	Milos Raonic	CAN
15	Gilles Simon	FRA
16	Philipp Kohlschreiber	GER
17	Juan Monaco	ARG
18	Sam Querrey	USA
19	John Isner	USA
20	Andreas Seppi	ITA
21	Jerzy Janowicz	POL
22	Alexandr Dolgopolov	UKR
23	Kevin Anderson	RSA
24	Benoit Pare	FRA
25	Jeremy Chardy	FRA
26	Grigor Dimitrov	BUL
27	Fabio Fognini	ITA
28	Florian Mayer	GER
29	Mikhail Youzhny	RUS
30	Julien Benneteau	FRA
31	Marcel Granollers	ESP
32	Tommy Robredo	ESP

*Via RolandGarros.com.

Complete Women's Seeds for 2013 French Open

Seed	Player	Nationality
1	Serena Williams	USA
2	Maria Sharapova	RUS
3	Victoria Azarenka	BLR
4	Agnieszka Radwanska	POL
5	Sara Errani	ITA
6	Li Na	CHN
7	Petra Kvitova	CZE
8	Angelique Kerber	GER
9	Samantha Stosur	AUS
10	Caroline Wozniacki	DEN
11	Nadia Petrova	RUS
12	Maria Kirilenko	RUS
13	Marion Bartoli	FRA
14	Ana Ivanovic	SRB
15	Roberta Vinci	ITA
16	Dominika Cibulkova	SLV
17	Sloane Stephens	USA
18	Jelena Jankovic	SRB
19	Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova	RUS
20	Carla Suarez Navarro	ESP
21	Kirsten Flipkens	BEL
22	Ekaterina Makarova	RUS
23	Klara Zakopalova	CZE
24	Julia Goerges	GER
25	Lucie Safarova	CZE
26	Sorana Cirstea	ROU
27	Yaroslava Shvedova	KAZ
28	Tamira Paszek	AUT
29	Varvara Lepchenko	USA
30	Venus Williams	USA
31	Alize Cornet	FRA
32	Sabine Lisicki	GER

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