PARIS — Carlos Alcaraz will open his defense of the French Open title against veteran Kei Nishikori and said he's excited to be back in Paris on the back of an excellent clay-court season.
Alcaraz has been the dominant player in the weeks leading to Roland-Garros and is the clear-cut favorite after claiming trophies in Barcelona and Rome. Nishikori is a former top-five player who has been struggling on the dirt in recent years.
Alcaraz holds a 15-1 record on clay this season. Having moved back to No. 2 in the rankings, he can't play top-ranked Jannik Sinner before the final in Paris because they are on opposite sides of the draw.
«It's been a great clay season so far,» Alcaraz said after Thursday's draw in Paris. «I'm excited. The confidence is really high right now.»
Together, Alcaraz or Sinner have won the last five Grand Slam titles.
Back from his three-month doping suspension, Sinner pushed Alcaraz when they met in the Rome final this month, yet lost in straight sets. Sinner opens against local hope Arthur Rinderknech.
Alcaraz beat Sinner in five sets in the French Open semifinals last year. Alcaraz then successfully defended his Wimbledon title for his fourth Grand Slam trophy. Sinner has won only one of his 19 career titles on clay, in Umag, Croatia, in 2022, when he beat Alcaraz in the final.
Novak Djokovic, who finally won a match on clay this year at the Geneva Open on Wednesday, will face Mackenzie McDonald of the United States in the first round. The 24-time Grand Slam singles champion won the Paris Olympics gold medal last August at Roland-Garros but has struggled on clay since then.
Sinner could run into No. 5 seed Jack Draper in the quarterfinals, with other potential matchups featuring Alexander Zverev (3)
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