French Open 2022: When does it start, odds, draw and preview with Novak Djokovic and Iga Swiatek top seeds

The second tennis Grand Slam of the season is upon us as attention turns to the clay courts of Roland Garros.

It’s many, many years since Rafael Nadal was not the favourite at the French Open but that’s exactly the case this time, with both Novak Djokovic and Carlos Alcaraz ahead of him in the betting market.

Along with those three, Alexander Zverev is also in a stacked top-half of the draw, which will delight Stefanos Tsitsipas and Daniil Medvedev in the bottom half as they avoid that treacherous section.

Nadal has 13 French Open titles to his name, and won his 20th Grand Slam with a shock win in Melbourne earlier this year, but injury concerns and defeats in Madrid and Rome have tempered expectations. Should he and Djokovic make it through the early rounds, they will meet in the quarter-finals.

Alcaraz was the man to beat his Spanish compatriot Nadal in the Madrid Open quarter-finals and the 19-year-old is increasingly being met with comparisons to his idol. Titles in Madrid and Miami ensure there is plenty of expectation on Alcaraz, in just his sixth appearance in the main draw of a Grand Slam.

(AFP via Getty Images)

On the women’s side of the draw, there’s no doubt who the star of the show is heading to Roland Garros. Iga Swiatek arrives in Paris on a 28-match winning streak, a run that has seen her win titles at the Qatar Open, Indian Wells, Miami Open, Stuttgart Open and Italian Open.

The 20-year-old is the one to beat over the next fortnight, at a tournament she won in 2020 when she stormed to her first Grand Slam without dropping a set. The signs are ominious for the rest of the field.

Emma Raducanu makes her first French Open appearance, seeded 12th, and will kick her campaign off against qualifier Linda Noskova.

Defending champion Barbora Krejcikova is the second seed, though she has not played since February, while 2018 winner Simona Halep will be hoping to find her best form and put any injury problems behind her as she continues work with Serena Williams’ coach Patrick Mouratoglou, who has teamed up with Halep while the American continues her absence from the court.

When is the 2022 French Open?

The 2022 French Open runs from 22 May to 5 June at Roland Garros in Paris.

How can I watch French Open 2022?

TV channel: The 2022 French Open will be shown on Eurosport.

Eurosport 1 HD is channel 410 on Sky, 435 on BT and 521 on Virgin Media.

Live stream: The tournament will be available online via discovery+, with a monthly pass costing £6.99. Every match across all courts will be shown both live and on-demand.

French Open 2022 seeds

Top 16 seeds, men’s draw:

1. Novak Djokovic
2. Daniil Medvedev
3. Alexander Zverev
4. Stefanos Tsitsipas
5. Rafael Nadal
6. Carlos Alcaraz
7. Andrey Rublev
8. Casper Ruud
9. Felix Auger-Aliassime
10. Cameron Norrie
11. Jannik Sinner
12. Hurbert Hurkacz
13. Taylor Fritz
14. Denis Shapovalov
15. Diego Schwartzman
16. Pablo Carreno Busta

Top 16 seeds, women’s draw:

1. Iga Swiatek
2. Barbora Krejcikova
3. Paula Badosa
4. Maria Sakkari
5. Anett Kontaveit
6. Ons Jabeur
7. Aryna Sabalenka
8. Karolina Pliskova
9. Danielle Collins
10. Garbine Muguruza
11. Jessica Pegula
12. Emma Raducanu
13. Jelena Ostapenko
14. Belinda Bencic
15. Victoria Azarenka
16. Elena Rybakina

(Getty Images)

French Open 2022 latest odds

Men’s champion:

Novak Djokovic 15/8

Carlos Alcaraz 2/1

Rafael Nadal 4/1

Stefanos Tsitsipas 5/1

Alexander Zverev 16/1

Casper Ruud 25/1

Women’s champion:

Iga Swiatek 5/6

Simona Halep 9/1

Ons Jabeur 12/1

Paula Badosa 16/1

Maria Sakkari 18/1

Aryna Sabalenka 18/1