All eyes in the tennis world turn to Roland Garros for the next fortnight as the French Open takes place, though there will be a familiar face missing.
Defending champion and 14-time winner Rafael Nadal has been forced to withdraw due to injury, with the Spaniard wanting to be fully fit for one final year on tour in 2024, and so it is Carlos Alcarez who arrives in Paris as favourite for the men’s title.
The 20-year-old won his first Grand Slam at the US Open last year and it is surely only a matter of time before that tally is doubled, with Alcaraz so impressive for much of the clay-court swing this season. Novak Djokovic will fancy his chances of a third French Open success though, one that would set the stage for a serious calendar Grand Slam bid.
On the women’s side of the draw, Iga Swiatek is as ever the one to beat, despite her recent thigh injury scare in Rome. The world number one has come out on top at Roland Garros in two of the past three years, but will face stiff competition from Elena Rybakina and Aryna Sabalenka.
The three have been the form players at the top of the women’s game in 2023, with Sabalenka getting the better of Rybakina in a thrilling Australian Open at the start of the year.
Dates and venue
The French Open gets underway on Sunday, May 28, 2023, and runs through to the men’s final a fortnight later, on Sunday June 11.
As ever, it is being played at Roland Garros in Paris.
How to watch the French Open
TV channel: The tournament will be broadcast in full on Eurosport, with a subscription costing £6.99-a-month or £59.99 for an annual pass.
Live stream: Those who have subscribed can stream every match through the discovery+ app and website.
Prize money
Men’s and women’s singles
- Champion - €2.3million
- Runner-up - €1.15m
- Semi-finalist - €630,000
- Quarter-finalist - €400,000
- Fourth round - €240,000
- Third round - €142,000
- Second round - €97,000
- First round - €69,000
Men’s and women’s doubles (per pair)
- Champion - €590,000
- Runner-up - €295,000
- Semi-finalist - €148,000
- Quarter-finalist - €80,000
- Third round - €43,000
- Second round - €27,000
- First round - €17,000
Full singles schedule
Play will begin for the morning sessions at 10am BST, with the action getting underway on Philipe-Chatrier an hour later. The 10 night sessions will begin at 7:30pm.
- Sunday, May 28 – men’s and women’s first round
- Monday, May 29 – men’s and women’s first round
- Tuesday, May 30 – men’s and women’s first round
- Wednesday, May 31 – men’s and women’s second round
- Thursday, June 1 – men’s and women’s second round
- Friday, June 2 – men’s and women’s third round
- Saturday, June 3 – men’s and women’s third round
- Sunday, June 4 – men’s and women’s fourth round
- Monday, June 5 – men’s and women’s fourth round
- Tuesday, June 6 – men’s and women’s quarter-finals
- Wednesday, June 7 – men’s and women’s quarter-finals
- Thursday, June 8 – women’s semi-finals
- Friday, June 9 – men’s semi-finals
- Saturday, June 10 - women’s final
- Sunday, June 11 - men’s final
British players in the main draw
Well, it’s not great news.
There will be no British players in the women’s singles draw, the first time that has happened at any Grand Slam for 14 years. Emma Raducanu is out with injury, and Katie Boulter, Harriet Dart and Fran Jones were among those unable to make it through qualifying.
Andy Murray has opted to prioritise Wimbledon and Kyle Edmund pulled out just hours before the draw due to injury, leaving Cameron Norrie, Jack Draper and Dan Evans as the players flying the British flag.
Norrie will face Frenchman Benoit Paire in the opening round, while Evans goes up against Thanasi Kokkinakis, who had that marathon match with Andy Murray in Melbourne back in January. Draper, featuring in the main draw at Roland Garros for the first time, takes on Tomas Etcheverry.
Seedings
Men’s
- 1 - Carlos Alcaraz
- 2 - Daniil Medvedev
- 3 - Novak Djokovic
- 4 - Casper Ruud
- 5 - Stefanos Tsitsipas
- 6 - Holger Rune
- 7 - Andrey Rublev
- 8 - Jannik Sinner
- 9 - Taylor Fritz
- 10 - Felix Auger-Aliassime
- 11 - Karen Khachanov
- 12 - Frances Tiafoe
- 13 - Hubert Hurkacz
- 14 - Cameron Norrie
- 15 - Borna Coric
- 16 - Tommy Paul
Women’s
- 1 - Iga Swiatek
- 2 - Aryna Sabalenka
- 3 - Jessica Pegula
- 4 - Elena Rybakina
- 5 - Caroline Garcia
- 6 - Coco Gauff
- 7 - Ons Jabeur
- 8 - Maria Sakkari
- 9 - Daria Kasatkina
- 10 - Petra Kvitova
- 11 - Veronika Kudermetova
- 12 - Belinda Bencic
- 13 - Barbora Krejcikova
- 14 - Beatriz Haddad Maia
- 15 - Liudmila Samsonova
- 16 - Karolina Pliskova
Latest odds for French Open
Men’s Singles:
Carlos Alcaraz 8/5
Novak Djokovic 23/10
Daniil Medvedev 17/2
Women’s Singles:
Iga Swiatek 8/11
Elena Rybakina 6/1
Aryna Sabalenka 13/2
