Rafael Nadal could face Novak Djokovic in French Open quarterfinals
PARIS — The tennis gods were not smiling down on Rafael Nadal on Friday at the French Open draw ceremony. Nadal, the nine-time champion here, is seeded No. 6, his lowest ever at Roland Garros, and could face top seed Novak Djokovic in the quarterfinals.
It was the match that everyone was waiting to see: Who Nadal would face in the quarterfinals. The Spaniard, lacking his usual form in 2015, is 17-5 on clay this year and without a major title on the surface.
Nadal will open against Frenchman Quentin Halys, then potentially gets Nicolas Almagro, the former world No. 9, in round two, No. 30 seed Adrian Mannarino in the third round and rising star Grigor Dimitrov, seeded 10th, in the fourth before he's slated to face Djokovic.
The men's draw served up plenty of drama before the tennis has even begun (the main draw starts Sunday), as Andy Murray, the No. 3 seed, is on the top half of the draw along with Djokovic and Nadal. Murray could face No. 7 seed David Ferrer in the quarterfinals should they both make it that far.
No. 2 seed Roger Federer, the 2009 French Open champion, anchors the bottom half of the draw, along with No. 4 Tomas Berdych. Federer could meet countryman Stan Wawrinka in the quarterfinals, while Berdych could play No. 5 Kei Nishikori should their seeds hold.
But the buzz about the grounds here is no doubt all about Nadal and Djokovic. The Serbian has had a standout year, even in top-level terms: He's gone 35-2, winning the Australian Open for his eighth major title and coming into Paris on a 23-match unbeaten streak.
He also won big warm-up events in Monte Carlo and Rome, the former where he beat Nadal in straight sets. He'll aim to complete his career Grand Slam in just over two weeks' time.
Nadal, on the other hand, is seeking an unprecedented 10th title at Roland Garros. He's 66-1 at the tournament in 10 appearances, and has won 35 consecutive matches here since 2010.
Top American John Isner, the No. 16 seed, will open against Andreas Seppi, an Italian ranked No. 39 in the world. They are 1-1 head-to-head, Seppi winning their only meeting on clay in 2012. Isner, should he make it that far, could face Murray in the fourth round, the British No. 1 having a stellar year on clay, going 10-0 and winning two titles.
No American man got an easy draw on Friday, in fact. Jack Sock, who won his debut title on the ATP World Tour on red clay in Houston last month, has a tough ask in Dimitrov, while Tim Smyczek faces No. 15 seed Kevin Anderson and Steve Johnson gets No. 29 seed Guillermo Garcia-Lopez.
Seventeen-year-old Frances Tiafoe, making his Grand Slam debut, will meet world No. 35 Martin Klizan, the first player not to be seeded here. Donald Young meets dirt baller Santiago Giraldo and Sam Querrey faces Borna Coric, an 18-year-old tapped as one of the stars to watch in men's tennis.
Australia's Nick Kyrgios, the No. 29 seed, will look to add to his Grand Slam shocker list, having beaten Nadal at Wimbledon last year and making the quarterfinals in Melbourne in January. The 20-year-old will face No. 3 seed Murray in the third round.
The men's first round match to watch could be No. 25 seed Ivo Karlovic, the big server, up against the dynamic talent of Marcos Baghdatis.
VIDEO: Rafael Nadal's slow start on clay ahead of the French Open
