French Open 2018: How to Catch Reveal of Roland Garros Draw

All eyes will be on the 2018 French Open to see if defending champion Rafael Nadal, the King of Clay, can win an 11th title at Roland Garros.

The Spaniard heads to Paris in top form having claimed victory at the 2018 Monte Carlo Masters and the Italian Open, and he will be the hot favourite in the men's draw.

He's not had it entirely his own way, as defeat to Dominic Thiem at the Madrid Open showed he can be beaten. Thiem lost in the final to Alexander Zverev, who also gave Nadal a run for his money in the Italian Open final, and both men look in good shape ahead of the tournament.

There will be no Roger Federer or Andy Murray in Paris, but former world No. 1 Novak Djokovic will play. The Serb looked strong in Italy making it to the semi-finals before losing to Nadal. His last Grand Slam win came at the French Open in 2016, and if he can find his form, he will be a challenger.

The women's draw should make for interesting reading, as 23-time Grand Slam winner Serena Williams is not seeded for the tournament, per BBC Sport.

Two-time French Open runner-up Simona Halep will be hoping to go one better this year, although she will be wary of Elina Svitolina, who beat her for a second year in a row in the Italian Open final.

Jelena Ostapenko will be out to defend the title she won in 2017, while Karolina Pliskova, Petra Kvitova, Kiki Bertens and Maria Sharapova also look strong contenders ahead of the draw.

Here's a look at how you can watch the French Open draw, followed by a recap of what to look out for at this year's event.

Draw Date: Thursday, May 24

Draw Time: 6 p.m. BST/1 p.m. ET

Watch: RolandGarros.com 

What to Watch Out for

Anything other than a Nadal win in Paris would be considered a shock, as the Spaniard has ruled the event throughout his career. He's also returned to the top of the world rankings, replacing Federer, courtesy of his win in Rome.

We Are Tennis showed how strong his record on clay is this season:

The predicted conditions in Paris will also suit Nadal and could make him an even more formidable opponent, according to tennis commentator David Law:

Nadal managed to come back and claim victory at the Italian Open despite being a break down to Zverev in the deciding set in the final. 

The two players could meet again in the final, with Zverev set to be the second seed in Paris, per Russell Fuller at the BBC. Zverev is yet to get past the third round at the French Open, but what the 21-year-old lacks in experience he makes up for in talent.

Thiem is another player who will have little to fear having beaten Nadal in Madrid. Both he and Zverev look the most likely contenders to rival Nadal, per Law:

Despite injury and loss of form, Djokovic may also be worth keeping an eye on. The Serb put in a vastly improved performance in Rome, per Ben Rothenburg at the New York Times:

The women's draw looks far more open, and former champion Williams has been getting in some practice on the clay, as shown by Roland Garros:

The decision not to seed Williams has provoked discussion, as she could potentially face top ranking players in the early rounds.

Sharapova, Halep and Svitolina have all spoken in favour of a rule change to add protected seedings, per the Associated Press (h/t New York Post).

Svitolina looks the favourite going into the tournament after defending her Italian Open title with a straight-sets win over Halep. However, it's a strong field, and if Williams can rediscover her best, she will take some stopping.

Law offered an interesting overview of the women's game:

Williams pulled out of both the Rome and Madrid events, and she may be short of match practice on clay. However, none of the top players will fancy being paired with the American when the draw takes place on Thursday.