On Tuesday (April 16), Roland Garros released the list of players who will participate in the tournament, slated to start on 20th May with the final on 9th June. 14-time champion Rafael Nadal will enter the main draw through his projected ranking.
Through protected ranking, a player who has not competed for a long time due to injuries can use it to re-enter the competition. Apart from Nadal, four other players used their protected rankings to secure themselves a berth in the main draws. In men’s tennis, the list includes Marin Cilic, Denis Shapovalov, Kei Nishikori, and Kwon Soonwoo.
The top 99 players in the rankings got the ticket to directly qualify to play in the main draws. A total of 104 players have been directly accepted, while eight players received wild cards. 16 players will be playing the two Qualifiers to get a place in the main draw.
The players who will play in the main draws are Novak Djokovic, Jannik Sinner, Carlos Alcaraz , Daniil Medvedev, Alexander Zverev, Stefanos Tsitsipas, Andrey Rublev, Hubert Hurkacz, among others.
Emma Raducanu is not guaranteed direct entry into the Roland Garros main draw
In the women’s section, eight players will enter the main draw using their protected ranking. The list has players like Angelique Kerber, Naomi Osaka , Irina-Camelia Begu, Amanda Anisimova, Bianca Andreescu, Julia Grabher, Alison van Uytvanck, and Aleksandra Krunic.
World No. 1 Iga Swiatek, with three Roland Garros titles, is among the 13 other Grand Slam singles and one of three French Open champions set to feature in the main draws.
Last year’s French Open finalist Karolina Muchova won’t be participating as she is still recovering from injury. She last played at the 2023 US Open semifinals. Two players, Petra Kvitova and Belinda Bencic, are on maternity leave.
Unfortunately, 2021 US Open champion Emma Raducanu finds herself in a tough spot. Despite using her protected ranking of 103, the World No. 303 did not get a spot in the main draw list.
Placed in the alternates category, Raducanu will hope for the withdrawal of five players. If that doesn’t happen, she will need a wild card or have to enter the main draws through the two Qualifiers.
The Qualifiers will start on May 20, while the main draws will get underway on May 26. In women’s singles tennis last year, Swiatek defeated Muchova to lift her third title. In the men’s category, Novak Djokovic beat Casper Ruud to clinch his third French Open title.
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