Djokovic could face Alcaraz in semis
PARIS - Novak Djokovic could face world No.1 Carlos Alcaraz in the semifinals of the French Open ,after both players were placed in the same half of the draw on yesterday.
Djokovic is chasing a record 23rd men’s Grand Slam title in the absence of the injured Rafael Nadal, who will miss the tournament at Roland Garros for the first time since his 2005 title-winning debut.
The third-seeded Djokovic, Roland Garros champion in 2016 and 2021, meets 114th-ranked Aleksandar Kovacevic of the US in the first round in Paris – the first French Open since 1998 without Nadal or the now retired Roger Federer.
The 24-year-old Kovacevic is making his Grand Slam main draw debut.
Djokovic, who turned 36 on Monday, has been bothered by a recurrence of a right elbow injury which has disrupted his clay-court season.
+e failed to go beyond the last eight at any of the three events he played on clay this spring, losing his No.1 spot to Alcaraz.
Djokovic has also fallen behind Daniil Medvedev in the rankings after the Russian succeeded him as Italian Open champion last weekend. US Open champion Alcaraz and Medvedev both start their Roland Garros campaigns against a qualifier or lucky loser.
Alcaraz faces a challenging path to a second Grand Slam title, with Lorenzo Musetti a possible last-16 foe before 2021 runner-up Stefanos Tsitsipas potentially awaits him in the quarter-finals.
For Djokovic to set up a blockbuster last-four clash with Alcaraz he may need to get past Monte Carlo Masters champion Andrey Rublev in the quarters.
Casper Ruud, who was thrashed by Nadal in last year’s final, is seeded fourth and plays a qualifier in his opening match.
The in-form +olger Rune arrives in Paris at a career-high si[ in the world and takes on Christopher Eubanks of the US in round one.
Meanwhile, two-time women’s champion Iga Swiatek begins her French Open title defence against Spain’s Cristina Bucsa.
Bucsa, the world number 67, was beaten by the Pole in the third round of this year’s Australian Open. The top-ranked Swiatek, bidding to become the first backto-back women’s champion at the French Open in 16 years, is coming off a thigh injury which forced her to retire in Rome.
She is seeded to meet 2022 runner-up Coco Gauff in the quarterfinals and could face Wimbledon champion Elena Rybakina, last week’s Italian Open winner, in the last four.
Rybakina has beaten Swiatek three times this season, knocking her out of the Australian Open Melbourne and Indian Wells before advancing when injury halted her rival in Rome.