Rafael Nadal will begin his quest for a 12th Roland Garros title against a qualifier, but may need to beat 2009 winner Roger Federer or Stefanos Tsitsipas if he is to advance to his 26th Grand Slam championship final. World No. 1 Novak Djokovic, the 2016 champion, features in the top half of the draw with Alexander Zverev, last year’s finalist Dominic Thiem and two-time former semi-finalist Juan Martin del Potro.

View Singles Draw

Nadal, who has an incredible 86-2 match record at the clay-court major, arrives in the French capital on the back of lifting a record 34th ATP Masters 1000 crown and ninth Internazionali BNL d’Italia title. The Spanish superstar is projected to face former World No. 8 David Goffin in the third round, and No. 15 seed Nikoloz Basilashvili – who competes this week in the Open Parc Auvergne-Rhone-Alpes Lyon semi-finals – in the Last 16. Seventh seed Kei Nishikori, who opens against French wild card Quentin Halys, or Russian No. 12 seed Daniil Medvedev – with 25 match wins in 2019 – may then lie in wait in the quarter-finals. Nadal, a 17-time major champion, has suffered just two losses in 88 matches at the clay-court Grand Slam championship – to Sweden’s Robin Soderling in the 2009 fourth round and to Djokovic in the 2015 quarter-finals.

More On Nadal’s 11th Title
* Q&A: ‘I’m An Ordinary Guy Achieving Extraordinary Things’
* Rafa Rolls To ‘La Undecima’
* How Rafa Triumphed In The Final
* Social Media Reacts To Nadal’s 11th Title

Djokovic came into last year’s tournament at No. 22 in the ATP Rankings. Now, riding high in his 252nd week at No. 1, the 32-year-old Serbian faces Poland’s Hubert Hurkacz in the first round, with Croatian No. 13 seed Borna Coric or No. 20 seed Denis Shapovalov of Canada potential Last 16 foes. Djokovic, who also reached the 2012, 2014 and 2015 finals before lifting the 2016 title, may come up against fifth seed Alexander Zverev, in action this week at the Banque Eric Sturdza Geneva Open, in the quarter-finals. Zverev, who reached his first major championships quarter-final at Roland Garros in 2018, faces Australia’s John Millman in the first round, while Fabio Fognini, who faces fellow Italian Andreas Seppi first up, is a possible fourth-round opponent for the German.

Third seed and 20-time major winner Federer, who became the sixth of eight men in tennis history to complete the career Grand Slam in 2009 with the Roland Garros trophy, competes at the major for the first time since 2015. He plays Rolex Monte-Carlo Masters quarter-finalist Lorenzo Sonego in the first round, but sixth-seeded Greek Stefanos Tsitsipas, the recent Mutua Madrid Open finalist, 2015 champion and No. 24 seed Stan Wawrinka and Croatian No. 11 Marin Cilic all feature in the Swiss superstar’s quarter. Tsitsipas, with a 29-11 match record in 2019, opens against Germany’s Maximilian Marterer; Wawrinka faces Jozef Kovalik of Slovakia and 2017-18 quarter-finalist Cilic challenges Italy’s Thomas Fabbiano.

Fourth seed Thiem, who reached last year’s final after back-to-back semi-final exits (2016-17), competes in the second quarter with eighth-seeded Del Potro a possible quarter-final opponent. Thiem, who has captured ATP Tour titles this year at the BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells and the Barcelona Open Banc Sabadell, challenges American Tommy Paul in the first round, with France’s Gael Monfils, the 2008 semi-finalist, a potential fourth-round clash. Del Potro, 2009 and 2018 Roland Garros semi-finalist, takes on Chile’s Nicolas Jarry in his opener, with Canadian No. 25 Felix Auger-Aliassime – starting against Jordan Thompson of Australia – maybe a third-round tie.

The 2019 Roland Garros draw ceremony was held at L’Orangerie, located in the botanical gardens of the site, with Nadal and the women’s defending champion, Simona Halep, attending.

The ITF (International Tennis Federation) has today announced an agreement with the ATP (Association of Tennis Professionals) and the WTA (Women’s Tennis Association) to optimise the structure of men’s and women’s professional tennis. This will provide additional competitive opportunities and a clear and fair pathway for talented players.

The agreement includes the allocation of ATP and WTA ranking points at $15,000 ITF World Tennis Tour tournaments, additional ranking points at men’s $25,000 tournaments, as well as increased playing opportunities with 48-player qualifying singles draws. Players’ rankings will be updated with the new points allocations on 5 August 2019. These points will be applied retroactively to all tournaments played since August 2018.

Updated men’s and women’s ATP/WTA rankings will be used for acceptances into ITF World Tennis Tour events plus ATP Challengers and WTA 125K tournaments beginning the week of 26 August 2019.

ATP ranking points are to be awarded according to the following points table (singles and doubles):

WTA ranking points are to be awarded at $15,000 (W15) ITF World Tennis Tour events according to the following points table:

For tournaments to increase from 32-player to 48-player Qualifying Singles Draw sizes, the integrity implications of moving from seven to eight-day events were fully discussed with the Tennis Integrity Unit (TIU). The TIU recognise the benefits of a balanced calendar that provides additional playing opportunities, which along with other measures, will contribute to an improved integrity environment for players.

To provide continuity to players, ITF ranking points will be awarded in $15,000 and $25,000 qualifying rounds and a player’s ITF ranking will continue to be valid for acceptance purposes after ATP or WTA ranked players. Three reserved places in $15,000 tournaments for ITF top 100-ranked juniors will continue to facilitate entry into professional tennis for the best-performing players at junior level.

The ITF’s agreement with the ATP and WTA has been reached to achieve the key objectives of a clearly defined group of professional players and a structure that allows for smooth mobility.

Steve Simon, WTA CEO and Chairman said, “The WTA is pleased to work with the ITF in the shared goal of developing a clear structure and pathway to provide for the competitive opportunities and rewards needed for a Player to transition through the ITF World Tennis Tour in their quest to compete on the WTA Tour.”

David Haggerty, ITF President said, “Collaborating further with the ATP and WTA, our goal is to ensure the professional pathway from juniors to professional tennis is fit for purpose. It is vital that players have the opportunity to play and progress and nations can afford to host events in their countries at both professional and transitional levels. These additional reforms to the pathway will further strengthen the new structure introduced in 2019, that in turn will create a true professional group of players, increase playing opportunities at all levels of the game, and help widen the number of nations hosting professional tournaments so that tennis can remain a truly global sport.”

Chris Kermode, ATP Executive Chairman and President, said: “We are pleased to have reached this agreement with the ITF which we believe will lead to significant enhancements to the player pathway and the way in which the ITF World Tennis Tour links to the ATP Challenger Tour. Structural reform has been necessary as we look to increase opportunities and achieve a balanced calendar for the sport. We will continue to closely monitor the latest changes to ensure that they are working as designed for the players, and for the benefit of the sport as a whole.”

In summary:

• Allocation of ATP and WTA ranking points across the ITF World Tennis Tour will provide one ranking system for men’s and women’s professional tennis and a smoother transition for players who will move up the system due to their achievements on court
• There will be three reserved places in ITF $15,000 tournaments for ITF top 100-ranked juniors; no reserved places will be offered at any other level
• Doubles acceptance at $15,000 tournaments is amended, to be based on a player’s singles or doubles ranking, whichever is higher, with no requirement to have been accepted into the Singles competition, and therefore opening up opportunities to more players

Subject to consultation with National Associations and key stakeholders, a new more affordable level of development tournament is currently under review for introduction below the ITF World Tennis Tour, between $15,000 tournaments and the ITF Junior Circuit, to ensure players from as many countries as possible have the opportunity to join the player pathway. These tournaments will offer ITF ranking points and enable all players, including those from college tennis and other pathways, to progress to professional tournaments based on results.

The ITF World Tennis Tour is a long-term project to secure the future of professional tennis. The ITF, ATP and the WTA have worked closely to deliver a comparable model for both men and women and will continue to monitor and adjust to ensure the optimal structure is provided. The ITF Board has approved these measures following consultation with the ATP and WTA, Player Representatives, and acknowledging feedback from ITF National Associations, tournaments, coaches and players.

Fifth-seeded Moldovan Radu Albot recovered from 2-4 down in the second set to overcome qualifier Damir Dzumhur of Bosnia and Herzegovina 6-3, 7-5 on Thursday for a place in the Banque Eric Sturdza Geneva Open semi-finals. In a career-best season, Albot has recorded 19 match wins and won his first ATP Tour title in February at the Delray Beach Open by VITACOST.com (d. Evans).

Albot now plays Chile’s Nicolas Jarry, who advanced to his first ATP Tour semi-final since August 2018 at the Generali Open in Kitzbuhel (l. to Istomin). Jarry lost just four of his first-service points — and 10 in total — to beat Taro Daniel of Japan 6-1, 7-5 in 79 minutes.

Spain’s Albert Ramos-Vinolas isn’t ready to stand on a podium and shout, “I’m back!” But his play on Wednesday at the Banque Eric Sturdza Geneva Open has the 31-year-old encouraged that he can again find the level that took him to his biggest final to date, the 2017 Rolex Monte-Carlo Masters, where he fell to Rafael Nadal.

Ramos-Vinolas, No. 91 in the ATP Rankings, routed Portugal’s Joao Sousa 6-0, 6-3 to make the quarter-finals of the ATP 250 event.

“I played really good today. I’m really happy. I was really concentrating during all the match, and I think I played a great level, maybe I played the same level as two years ago, when I was playing really good,” Ramos-Vinolas told ATPTour.com. “Every match is different so [Thursday] is another chance to play good and I will try for sure.”

Ramos-Vinolas will meet Japan’s Taro Daniel for a place in the semi-finals. The Spaniard last reached a semi-final in February 2018 in Quito.

Before his semi-final, Ramos-Vinolas remembered the “First Time” he felt like he belonged on the ATP Tour, why he was glad he splurged for first class for the first time, and why he didn’t buy a new Peugeot with his first big prize money check.

First pinch-me moment on the ATP Tour
The first time I won an ATP match in Barcelona in 2010. It’s my home tournament… I passed the qualies and I won my first match and then I beat Fernando Gonzalez, who was No. 12 in the world.

I was No. 161. It was maybe one of the best moments of my career. It was on Court 1, which is not the centre court, but it’s quite big.

Everybody there was supporting me, and obviously my level was worse than Fernando Gonzalez, but I fought like crazy and I won… I still remember the feeling: I was really happy. Everybody was thinking that it was not possible.

So they were supporting me like crazy, like when a big football team is playing against maybe one from the second division, and the second division team wins. Everyone was supporting me like crazy. It was a great atmosphere.

First thing I bought with prize money
Ha, ha. I try to save as much as I can because after tennis, I don’t know what I’m going to do.

First autograph/photo I got
I don’t remember because I don’t like photos or autographs. I didn’t ask. When I went to the tournament in Barcelona, when I was really young, I was more trying to watch how they played more than wanting an autograph or a photo… I watched Bruguera, Corretja, Moya, Albert Costa.

First time I flew first class
In 2011, I was in Houston… I lost on Thursday night and I had to play qualies in Monte-Carlo on Saturday, and I had my flight Friday afternoon… I took business and I arrived the same day and I played really good, no pressure… I lost the last qualifying but the first match I played really good.

In southwest Switzerland, Chilean Nicolas Jarry feels almost as if he’s playing at home. The conditions – dry, with a bit of altitude – and the clay courts at the Banque Eric Sturdza Geneva Open remind the 23-year-old of growing up on the red dirt in his hometown of Santiago, Chile.

On sunny days, like Wednesday, the 6’6” Jarry especially enjoys the homey feeling as his forehand flies through the air even faster than usual and his serve kicks up a few inches more.

Jarry used the conditions to his favour against American Denis Kudla, winning 82 per cent of his service points and never facing a break point while advancing to quarter-finals of the ATP 250 event 6-3, 6-3. The Chilean also made the quarter-finals at the Barcelona Open Banc Sabadell last month.

Watch Uncovered: The Inspiration Behind Jarry’s Climb

“The best thing was my serve. It was a hot day, so the bounce was really high and the court is not so big, so my serve was really effective,” Jarry told ATPTour.com “If he hit a medium return, I was very quick to take my forehand and keep being aggressive and keep having the point on my side.”

Jarry, who faces Japan’s Taro Daniel next, also spoke with ATPTour.com about his life off the court, including why he’s lukcy his girlfriend isn’t mad at him, why he no longer strings his racquets and which Barcelona football player he got a selfie with in this latest edition of “The Last Time”.

I missed a flight?
This year, coming from… Munich-Madrid, Madrid-Santiago. It was snowing all night in Munich, so we got a delayed departure of two hours, and we arrived about 30 minutes before the departure of the [Madrid-Santiago] flight. We ran all over the Madrid airport. It’s gigantic. I arrived sweating, and they closed the door. We could still see the airplane. It had the [passenger arm] still in the airplane.

But they didn’t let us in. It was really bad. We were like seven, eight guys who missed that flight… I ended up changing that flight and buying a new one straight to Cordoba.

I lost something important?
I lost my girlfriend’s phone and wallet, all in one, this week. I left it in the hotel reception.

How’s she feeling about that?
Thank God, not so bad. She’s not a phone necessity person. So it was OK, she’s using my phone now… [About her wallet] I have to pay for everything, but that’s OK. The thing is that she has to do everything [with her wallet] when she returns home.

More ‘Last Time’ With… Federer | Tsitsipas | Kyrgios

Being famous helped me?
On flights, I can try to see the pilots’ seats, I can get extra meals… That happened this year coming from Australia… The flight attendants recognised me on a Chilean flight, Australia to Santiago… I asked for two meals, and they let me. They’re small portions, and I eat a lot.

I strung a tennis racquet?
I used to string all my tennis racquets throughout my childhood until last year. Last year, I started the year saying, ‘OK, now I’m going to start paying.’… I’m paying for it now, but I have more free time.

I asked someone famous for an autograph or selfie?
Carles Puyol, the Barcelona football player. I took a picture with him in Miami this year… I usually never ask for pictures and stuff, but the guy is an idol, he’s a great player and I saw him. I was in the gym, and I left my bike and went to straight to him and asked for a picture.

Three ATP Tour veterans — Viktor Troicki, Sergiy Stakhovsky and Steve Darcis — will all be bidding to qualify on Thursday to compete in the Roland Garros main draw for a 10th time.

Former World No. 12 Troicki overcame Australia’s Jason Kubler 6-1, 7-6(9) in 86 minutes, saving two set points at 7/8 and 8/9 in the second set tie-break, on Wednesday. The Serbian will now prepare to face France’s Alexandre Muller in the qualifying round.

Sixth-seeded Ukrainian Stakhovsky struck 43 winners to beat Uladzimir Ignatik of Belarus 7-5, 6-4, saving one set point at 5/6 in the second set tie-break for a match against Russia’s Alexey Vatutin.

Belgium’s Steve Darcis, 35, recorded a 3-6, 6-1, 6-4 victory over Corentin Denolly of France in one hour and 44 minutes to set up a clash against Italian No. 13 seed Stefano Travaglia, who was a 6-4, 6-4 victor over Nino Serdarusic of Croatia.

Top-seeded American Tennys Sandgren, who is aiming to play in the main draw for the third straight year, swept past Germany’s Mats Moraing 6-2, 6-2 in 60 minutes, winning 40 of 46 first-service points for a match against Mathias Bourgue of France.

Spanish 12th seed Guillermo Garcia-Lopez struck 38 winners, including 15 aces, in a hard-fought 4-6, 6-3, 6-4 win over Serbia’s Pedja Krstin in one hour and 46 minutes. Garcia-Lopez has played in the main draw ever since his debut in 2004, including a career-best run to the fourth round (l. to Monfils). He’ll play German No. 23 seed Oscar Otte on Thursday.

Elsewhere, Dustin Brown was solid on serve — winning 28 of 31 first-service points—and hitting 31 winners in a 6-2, 7-5 victory over Emilio Gomez of Ecuador in 69 minutes. The German next faces No. 31 seed Salvatore Caruso of Italy.

Lukas Rosol, the Czech No. 19 seed who has not played in the main draw since 2016, blasted past American Marcos Giron 6-4, 6-4 with 29 winners to play Yannick Hanfmann in the qualifying round. Swiss fourth seed Henri Laaksonen, who has been unlucky in qualifying on four occasions, grafted for a 4-6, 6-4, 6-3 win over Facundo Arguello of Argentina in one hour and 55 minutes.

Damir Dzumhur put a quick end to Stan Wawrinka’s hopes of winning a third title at the Banque Eric Sturdza Geneva Open, defeating the second-seeded Swiss 3-6, 6-3, 6-4 in his second-round opening match Wednesday. Wawrinka had won the Geneva title in 2016-17.

Wawrinka led 3-0 to start the decisive set, but Dzumhur countered to win the next five games. He closed out the victory on serve in just under two hours. The 57th-ranked Dzumhur, a qualifier at the ATP 250 clay-court event, also rallied from a set down to defeat Feliciano Lopez in the first round. 

“It looked good, but it didn’t finish well. It was a tough match out there for sure,” said Wawrinka. “Again, this is typical the match that I’m still losing, still missing. I know I’m playing well, I’m moving well, but maybe I think a bit too much with what I want to do, how I want to do it, and I don’t play simple enough. Those little moments in the second set and third set turned the match. That’s what I’m working forward to change up.

“Even if I lost today, in general I’m playing well, so I need to keep pushing myself, keep trying to find a way to win those tight match, and I know that things can change quickly.”

Dzumhur will next meet fifth-seeded Moldovan Radu Albot, who edged past Juan Ignacio Londero of Argentina 6-1, 6-7(3), 6-4 for a place in his third ATP Tour quarter-final of the year.

“There is no easy game in tennis,” said Albot, the Delray Beach finalist (d. Evans) in February. “It was a tough one. It was a good match to watch for spectators, with lots of rallies.”

Japan’s Taro Daniel knocked out third seed Cristian Garin, one of the most consistent clay-court performers of 2019, 6-2, 4-6, 6-4 in just over two hours. Daniel took a 3-0 lead in the first set and broke in the opening game of the decider against this season’s Houston and Munich champion, who is now 19-6 on red dirt.

Daniel will need to beat another Chilean, Nicolas Jarry, a 6-3, 6-3 winner over American Denis Kudla, if he wishes to reach his first ATP Tour semi-final since August 2018 in Winston-Salem (l. to Medvedev).

Elsewhere, Argentina’s Federico Delbonis proved to be too strong for fourth seed and defending champion Marton Fucsovics of Hungary 6-4, 6-2. He next meets Spain’s Albert Ramos-Vinolas, who reached the Geneva quarter-finals for the first time in four years by saving all four break points he faced to beat Joao Sousa of Portugal 6-0, 6-3 in 77 minutes.

“I played really good today,” said Ramos-Vinolas. “I’m really happy. I was really concentrating during all the match, and I think I played a great level, maybe I played the same level as two years ago, when I was playing really good.”

Jo-Wilfried Tsonga extended his perfect record at the Open Parc Auvergne-Rhone-Alpes Lyon on Wednesday with a comeback win over Canadian qualifier Steven Diez.

The 2017 champion, who improved to 6-0 at the ATP 250 tournament, came within two points of losing, but ultimately booked his place n the quarter-finals with a 3-6, 7-6(2), 6-3 win over two hours and 42 minutes. The penultimate game lasted 14 minutes, with Tsonga failing to convert five match points. He finally closed out with a forehand drop shot winner.

“It was good for me to play a long match like this,” said Tsonga. “I haven’t played a match this long for a while. I am not playing my best level, but I am giving everything mentally and that gives me confidence.”

Diez, who is No. 262 in the ATP Rankings, notched the biggest win of his career in the Lyon first round by beating No. 82-ranked Bernard Tomic. Former World No. 5 Tsonga, winner at the Open Sud de France (d. Herbert) in February, is currently World No. 85 – 14 months on from left knee surgery.

Tsonga will now prepare to face top-seeded Georgian Nikoloz Basilashvili, a semi-finalist in Lyon last year, who defeated French lucky loser Tristan Lamasine 7-5, 7-5 one hour and 36 minutes. Basilashvili led 4-1 in the second set before coming through a tense finale.