French Open 2016: How to Catch Reveal of Roland Garros Draw
As the weather continues to warm up, the most exciting two months of the tennis season begin to heat up with the start of the French Open at Roland Garros on Sunday, May 22.
The second Grand Slam of the year will bring the top names of the men's and women's sides of the game to test their luck on the clay court.
But first, they have to find out who they are playing with the tournament's draw, which will take place two days before the French Open's start.
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| Friday, May 20 | 5 a.m. | RolandGarros.com |
What to Watch For
Last year, Stan Wawrinka was the first men's player not named Rafael Nadal or Roger Federer to win the French Open since 2004.
This is a tournament that has been largely dominated by Nadal over the past decade, as he won nine titles from 2005-14.
The 29-year-old is playing some great tennis heading into this tournament. He's coming off a stellar April in which he won the Monte-Carlo Masters and Barcelona Open, defeating big names like Kei Nishikori, Andy Murray and Wawrinka.
"I think I'm on a positive path," Nadal told the media, per Greg Garber of ESPN.com. "I hope to continue on this path. I feel happy competing. I'm comfortable. Also when I train, I train with a lot of joy to continue going this way."
However, he's had some difficulties with world No. 1 Novak Djokovic lately. Nadal has lost the past seven matches against the Serbian, including a Roland Garros quarterfinals loss last year.
If Nadal is able to avoid Djokovic until the late stages of the tournament, then he could knock out some big names yet again (like the defending champion) in an attempt to win his 10th French Open title.
On the women's side, Serena Williams and Maria Sharapova have alternated titles in each of the past four years.
Sharapova, though, is facing a hearing in London for her positive meldonium test at the Australian Open, according to BBC.com.
That means it will most likely be Williams against the world. The 34-year-old has won three of the last five Grand Slam tournaments.
She certainly has the respect of other tennis pros around the tour. In a survey of 31 players by ESPN.com's Matt Wilansky, 21 of them believe Williams has an air of invincibility.
But there should be an eye kept out for the likes of Victoria Azarenka, Angelique Kerber and Svetlana Kuznetsova—the three players who have defeated Williams dating back to January's Australian Open.
Stats courtesy of ESPN.com.
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