French Open 2016 Schedule: Full Draw, Odds and Reaction from Roland Garros
Friday saw the reveal of the 2016 French Open draw, laying out the paths to Grand Slam victory for defending singles champions Serena Williams and Stan Wawrinka.
Williams will begin her title defense against veteran Magdalena Rybarikova. Wawrinka will take on Lukas Rosol, whom he defeated in three sets Friday in the semifinals of the 2016 Geneva Open.
World No. 1 Novak Djokovic was runner-up in last year's tournament, but he will be looking to build off his win at the Australian Open earlier this year with another Grand Slam title. Rafael Nadal could foil those plans if health and form permit.
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The clay-court master is on Djokovic's side of the bracket, which means a semifinal date could be in the offering.
The door is open for a fresher face to reach the latter stages of the tournament, as Roger Federer will miss his first Grand Slam event in 17 years due to an unspecified injury, per the New York Times' Christopher Clarey.
Roland Garros sent out the official men's and women's draw soon after they were announced:
The full draw can be found at RolandGarros.com.
The tournament begins on Sunday. Here are the French Open men's and women's futures odds as of Thursday, courtesy of Odds Shark.
| Player | Odds |
| Serena Williams | +225 |
| Victoria Azarenka | +500 |
| Simona Halep | +600 |
| Garbine Muguruza | +1000 |
| Angelique Kerber | +1600 |
| Petra Kvitova | +2000 |
| Lucie Safarova | +3300 |
| Carla Suarez Navarro | +3300 |
| Belinda Bencic | +4000 |
| Ana Ivanovic | +4000 |
| Timea Bacsinszky | +4000 |
| Sloane Stephens | +4000 |
| Agnieszka Radwanska | +4000 |
| Eugenie Bouchard | +5000 |
| Madison Keys | +5000 |
| Ekaterina Makarova | +5000 |
| Caroline Wozniacki | +6600 |
| Dominika Cibulkova | +6600 |
| Daria Kasatkina | +6600 |
| Svetlana Kuznetsova | +6600 |
| Player | Odds |
| Novak Djokovic | -125 |
| Rafael Nadal | +350 |
| Andy Murray | +400 |
| Stan Wawrinka | +1600 |
| Kei Nishikori | +2200 |
| Dominic Thiem | +2800 |
| Gael Monfils | +4000 |
| Juan Martin Del Potro | +5000 |
| Jo-Wilfried Tsonga | +5000 |
| Tomas Berdych | +5000 |
| Grigor Dimitrov | +6600 |
| Milos Raonic | +6600 |
| Nick Kyrgios | +6600 |
| David Ferrer | +8000 |
| Marin Cilic | +10000 |
| Jack Sock | +15000 |
| Fabio Fognini | +15000 |
| John Isner | +15000 |
| David Goffin | +15000 |
| Roberto Bautista-Agut | +15000 |
Djokovic is the favorite to win the title, even though it's the only Grand Slam that has eluded him thus far in his career. He's reached the final three times in the past four years, only to come up empty in each outing. Clarey laid out what could be Djokovic's path to his first tournament win on the famous red-clay courts:
Roland Garros did some similar crystal-ball gazing, detailing could be some tantalizing quarterfinals matchups if the top seeds play out just right:
If Wawrinka is to be foiled in his quest for a French Open repeat, it will likely have to come before the final.
He is in good form as he enters the final of the Geneva Open—where he will face Marin Cilic—and ATP Media Info noted he's been automatic in finals for a couple of years now:
Nadal's star has fallen with injuries and some poor performances in Grand Slams over the past year or so, but his clay credentials are unmatched. He did flash some brilliance against Nick Krygios at the Italian Open in Rome but couldn't best Djokovic in the quarterfinals.
According to tennis reporter Carole Bouchard, he's wary of his first-round matchup against the hard-hitting Sam Groth:
While the likes of Andy Murray, Djokovic, Nadal and now even Wawrinka get plenty of attention heading into Roland Garros, there's always a little extra attention for the top Frenchmen such as Jo-Wilfried Tsonga and Gael Monfils. Both are sporting relatively decent odds heading into this tournament.
One might be hoping for some passionate comments from them, but Tsonga seemed laid back early Friday, per USA Today's Nick McCarvel:
While only a few players have a realistic chance at winning the men's singles title, the women's draw is wide open beyond the incomparable Williams. Although she hasn't been in the best form of late—her recent win at the Italian Open not withstanding—one can't question her self-belief, based on this quote from WTA Insider:
Williams will have to fight hard, as she could have a tough path to another final, per USTA.com's Matt Cronin:
Another tough player in Angelique Kerber is also on Williams' side of the draw. Kerber defeated Williams in the 2016 Australian Open final.
Fox Sports' Chris Chase doesn't even see Williams reaching the final:
As for a potential upstart in this year's drama, ESPN W's Johnette Howard likes 15th-seeded American Madison Keys to make some noise: "Keys has only one career title, and she's seeded only 15th. Her march to the Italian Open final last weekend against Serena, and her ability to hang with Williams there, has left Keys confident heading into the French. If Kerber wobbles at all, Keys could come through."
Keys had to work hard to get to the Italian Open final, defeating the likes of Garbine Muguruza and Petra Kvitova along the way.
Both favorites in this tournament can say they have a little extra motivation to win. Djokovic's motivation is deeply personal, as he's looking to complete the career Grand Slam.
Williams' quest is a little more historic. A win at Roland Garros would give her 22 Grand Slam singles titles, tying her with the great Steffi Graf for the most in the Open Era.
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