WHEN IS THE FRENCH OPEN 2024? WHO CAN BATTLE NOVAK DJOKOVIC? WHERE CAN I WATCH IT? EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO KNOW
- Everything you need to know about tennis' second grand slam event of the year at Roland Garros
- King of clay Rafael Nadal, who has won tournament 14 times, is likely to be featuring for last time
With the tennis clay-court season in full flow, it's time for second grand slam of year with the French Open.
The tournament, organised by the French Tennis Federation, was first held in 1891 and is also referred to as Roland Garros, after the stadium which has hosted it since 1928.
On the men's side, Rafael Nadal is the all-time record holder with 14 triumphs - and is likely to be competing for the last time.
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While Chris Evert has the most victories on the women's side with seven from 1974 to 1986.
But ahead of the French Open 2024, here is what you need to know.
When is the French Open happening?
The tournament proper kicks off on Sunday May 26 and will run until June 9 with the men's final.
The women's final will take place the day before and all the action will be at the Stade Roland Garros in Paris as it is every year.
Where can I watch the French Open?
For Hong Kong, Singapore and Malaysia audiences, the tournament will be streamed live on beIN Sports, with the action kicking off at 6pm local time.
In the United States, you can follow it on NBC, Peacock and the Tennis Channel with the first matches of the day scheduled for 6am New York time.
Who will be at the French Open?
The main draw sees the top-ranked players entered automatically and seeded to ensure they will not meet in the early stages.
Seedings are based on world rankings, which are determined by points collected on tour.
Reigning champion Novak Djokovic is the men's no 1. He won his 23rd grand slam here last year to overtake Nadal's overall record - later adding a 24th at the US Open - after beating Casper Ruud in the final.
Iga Świątek is the top women's seed and will be looking to add to her four grand slam titles and claim a third win in a row in Paris. She overcame Karolina Muchova in the final 12 months ago.
Who are the main contenders for the French Open?
Serbian no 1 Djovokic will be the favourite in Paris on the men's side as he looks to win this tournament for a fourth time. But there are three other grand slam champion players in the top 10.
Daniil Medvedev won the US Open in 2021 before Carlos Alcaraz claimed it 12 months later. Jannik Sinner broke his duck with his triumph at the Australian Open earlier this year.
Caper Ruud (twice) and Stefanos Tsitsipas have both reached the final in Paris.
On the women's side, Jelena Ostapenko is a former French Open champion, with her victory in 2017, while Aryna Salabenka is a two-time Australian Open winner.
Coco Gauff, a beaten finalists in Paris in 2022, won her maiden Slam with the US Open last year.
Elena Rybakina, Marketa Vondrousova have both won Wimbledon.
Who are the top ranked players at the French Open?
Men
1 Novak Djokovic (Serbia), 2 Jannik Sinner (Italy), 3 Carlos Alcaraz (Spain), 4 Alexander Zverev (Germany), 5 Daniil Medvedev (Russia), 6 Andrey Rublev (Russia), 7 Casper Ruud (Norway), 8 Hubert Hurkacz (Poland), 9 Stefanos Tsitsipas (Greece), 10 Grigor Dimitrov (Bulgaria).
Women
1 Iga Świątek (Poland), 2 Aryna Sabalenka (Belarus), 3 Coco Gauff (United States), 4 Elena Rybakina (Kazakhstan), 5 Jessica Pegula (United States), 6 Marketa Vondrousova (Czech Republic), 7 Maria Sakkari (Greece), 8 Zheng Qinwen (China), 9 Ons Jabeur (Tunisia), 10 Jelena Ostapenko (Latvia).
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This article originally appeared on the South China Morning Post (www.scmp.com), the leading news media reporting on China and Asia.
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2024-05-22T07:30:18Z dg43tfdfdgfd
