12-time French Open champion Rafael Nadal, who is looking to equal Roger Federer’s record of 20 Grand Slam titles, has handed a relatively tough draw in this year’s Roland Garros.
The world number two men’s singles player will play Bulgaria’s Egor Gerasimov in the first round. If he can make it to the quarterfinals, he can potentially meet this year’s US Open finalist Alexander Zverev.
Nadal also stands a chance to meet last year’s French Open finalist Dominic Thiem in the last four.
Meanwhile, three years after suffering a career-threatening hip injury in a French Open contest against Stand Wawrinka, Andy Murray has been awarded a rematch with the Swede in the first round at the Roland Garros Complex this year.
In 2017, Murray and Wawrinka played a thrilling five-set semi-final which saw the latter triumphing over his Brit counterpart from two sets to down.
Murray, who will enter the clay-court Major with a wild card entry, was given a wild card entry for the recently-concluded US Open as well. In what was his first Grand Slam appearance after his hip injury, the world number 111 had registered a brilliant comeback victory in the first round before bowing out in the next round.
The four times Grand Slam champion rallied to win 4-6, 4-6, 7-6 (7/5), 7-6 (7/4), 6-4 against 49th-ranked Japan’s Yoshihito Nishioka before losing to 15th seed Canadian Felix Auger-Allassime.
World number one Novak Djokovic, on the other hand, will begin his French Open 2020 campaign against Swede Mikael Ymer. The 17-time Grand Slam champion has been awarded an easy draw than Nadal.
The French Open, which was originally scheduled to start in May but had to be moved back because of the outbreak of novel coronavirus, is slated to be played from September 27 to October 11.