Roland Garros draw reaction: Alcaraz vs. Djokovic, Rybakina vs. Swiatek possible semifinals
In first-round action, former champion Wawrinka faces a fellow veteran, while Pegula and Collins collide in an all-American match-up.
Rafael Nadal is nowhere to be found in the 2023 Roland Garros bracket—and, for that matter, neither is Serena Williams or Roger Federer—but that didn't diminish the anticipation of seeing the draws revealed.
On Thursday, the world's premier clay-court tournament and second Grand Slam took shape, name by name, further whetting our appetite for what's to come.
Here are the notable first-round match-ups, and possible collisions down the line:
Women's Singles
Where would Elena Rybakina land in the draw? The Wimbledon, Indian Wells and Rome champion is ranked No. 4 only because she didn't receive ranking points for her win at the All England Club. The Kazakh was drawn into Iga Swiatek's half—intriguing given that Rybakina has defeated the defending Roland Garros champion three times this year, including at the last major in Melbourne.
Should Swiatek do her absent idol Rafa proud and defend her title, she could face a former Roland Garros champion in the fourth round (Barbora Krejcikova) and play a rematch of last year's final in the quarters (against Coco Gauff). All before a possible showdown with Rybakina in the semis, of course.
Of note in the first round: third seed Jessica Pegula will face compatriot—and 2022 Australian Open runner-up—Danielle Collins; Azarenka gets former US Open champion Bianca Andreescu; Maria Sakkari faces Karolina Muchova.
Men's Singles
Like the women's draw, the greatest source of intrigue was a player seeded just outside the Top 2: Where would Novak Djokovic fall? Supplanted at No. 2 in the world rankings by Daniil Medvedev, who won Rome, the 22-time Grand Slam champion was drawn into Carlos Alcaraz's half. It sets up another tantalizing semifinal collision between two players who at times over the past 12 months have looked like the clear-cut best players in the world.
The first-round pairings were also closely monitored, with former stars like Dominic Thiem and Gael Monfils without a seed next to their names. Of the openers, one caught our eye, involving a former French Open champion, Stan Wawrinka: