French Open: Djokovic avoids Sinner, Raducanu faces tough first round

Novak Djokovic avoided Jannik Sinner’s half of the French Open draw but faces a challenging path as he seeks form and a deep run after an injury-plagued stretch before the year’s second Grand Slam.

Djokovic, a three-time champion at Roland Garros, returns aiming for a record 25th Grand Slam singles title and will begin against big-serving French wildcard Giovanni Mpetshi-Perricard.

By landing in the same half as second seed Alexander Zverev, Djokovic cannot meet Sinner before the final. He has played only two tournaments since the Australian Open, where he beat Sinner in a five-set semifinal before losing to Carlos Alcaraz in the final.

Sinner starts his bid for a career Grand Slam against French wildcard Clement Tabur, potentially facing a hostile crowd. He arrives as the dominant player and prohibitive favorite after Alcaraz withdrew due to injury.

Emma Raducanu will try to jumpstart her season against Argentine Solana Sierra in the first round, seeking rhythm after a two-month injury layoff caused by a post-viral illness.

Raducanu lost her opening match in Strasbourg this week to Diane Parry. Sierra, ranked a career-high No. 64 after a strong clay season, is a talented young player capable of an upset.

Unlike the men’s draw with a clear favorite, the women’s field is wide open. Defending champion Coco Gauff, the fourth seed, starts against Taylor Townsend.

Aryna Sabalenka has struggled by her high standards during the clay season but remains a favorite as world No. 1. Fifth seed Jessica Pegula and ninth seed Victoria Mboko also sit in the top half.

The bottom half features multiple contenders. Seventh seed Elina Svitolina, recent Italian Open winner, could face third seed Iga Swiatek, who hired Francisco Roig as coach in search of a fifth Roland Garros title.

Swiatek is seeded to meet 2017 champion Jelena Ostapenko in the third round; Ostapenko holds a 6-0 record against her. Second seed Elena Rybakina seeks a second straight Grand Slam title after winning Melbourne and is projected to face eighth seed Mirra Andreeva in the quarterfinals.