French Open draw sets Novak Djokovic against the world on grand slam return

As if Novak Djokovic needed any more motivation ahead of the French Open. The talk of tennis right now is on the future and the seemingly indomitable pair of Iga Swiatek and Carlos Alcaraz, but there is also a grizzled and grittier tale to contest it. Djokovic’s return to the grand slam arena was never going to be a subtle one and Thursday’s draw has thrown up a line of targets directly in his path. The prospect of facing his great rival Rafael Nadal and then Alcaraz, the heir apparent, in order to reach the final ensures that once again, Djokovic should find himself centre stage once this all kicks off.

It is all there, clear to the eye and laid out for Djokovic in an unbalanced bracket grouping together three of the tournament favourites, to add another intriguing twist to a French Open already bursting with storylines. It is what we do when casting an eye over an upcoming tournament. Roland Garros and tennis is lucky to have a pair in Swiatek and Alcaraz arrive at such a stage in such confident form. Victory in Paris for either would be historic. Both would be pure romanticism.

But as we look for the narratives that will define the next two weeks, we also seek the stories of redemption, comeback, or a fight against adversity. It would be wrong to suggest Djokovic fits into any of those categories – he was not the victim of anything four months ago in Australia and has little, if anything, to prove – and yet Djokovic’s return to Roland Garros will be another fascinating examination of one of the sport’s greatest winners and an unrivalled mentality of steely determination that has continually set him apart. His story has a harder edge and has the potential to be divisive once again.

At least the focus will be on the