Novak Djokovic was drawn in the same half of the French Open men’s singles draw as Carlos Alcaraz, meaning the pair could meet in the semi-finals.
World number one Alcaraz, playing his first Grand Slam tournament as a Grand Slam champion, starts against a qualifier.
Djokovic is third in the fight for a record 23rd men’s world title and plays with American Aleksandar Kovacevic.
Cameron Norrie, one of only three British singles players, he starts with Frenchman Benoit Paire.
Former world number one Andy Murray retired last week to focus on the upcoming grass season.
Emma Raducanu, who would have taken place in the main draw, is also out of the game after surgery on both wrists and ankles.
As a result, no British women feature in women’s singles after six players lost in the qualifying rounds.
This is the first time a nation has not been represented in a Grand Slam main draw since the 2009 US Open.
The French Open, which is the second Grand Slam tournament of the season, kicks off on Sunday at Roland Garros clay.
What else happened in the men’s draw?
There is an unfamiliar atmosphere at this year’s event due to the absence of 14-time men’s singles champion Rafael Nadal due to a hip injury.
Spain’s Nadal, 36, announced last week he would miss Roland Garros for the first time in 19 years and was absent from Thursday’s draw, in keeping with tradition that the defending champion is usually present.
Instead, all eyes were on which half of the draw Djokovic would land.
The Serbian, who turned 36 last week, is in the same half as 20-year-old Alcaraz, who won the US Open last year but missed the season opener at the Australian Open due to injury.
Russia Daniil Medvedev he is seeded second after winning last week’s Italian Open and is starting his campaign against the qualifier.
Who plays whom in women’s singles?
The defending champion every Christmas, who is ranked No. 1 and fighting for her third French Open title, competes against Spain’s No. 67 Cristina Bucsa.
The 21-year-old from Poland is optimistic that a recent thigh injury will not prevent her from pursuing her fourth Grand Slam title.
The second place of Belarusians Aryna Sabalenka, who won the Australian Open in January, starts a back-to-back title fight with Ukraine’s Marta Kostyuk.
Kostyuk regularly spoke out about the Russian invasion of her country, supported by Belarus.
Wimbledon Champion Elena Rybakina he sits fourth after winning the Italian Open last week and was placed in the same half of the draw as Swiatek, meaning they could meet in the semi-finals.
Rybakina, whose ranking is lower than it should be because no ranking points were awarded at Wimbledon last year, will face an eliminator in the opening match.
Third Seed Jessica Pegula a difficult opening awaits with another American Danielle Collins, which reached the final of the Australian Open last year and is ranked 45th in the world.
Another eye-catching draw features a two-time major champion Victoria Azarenka against the winner of the US Open 2019 Bianca Andreescu.
Which other Brits are playing?
Norrie leads the British singles in Paris and will face hosts in unpredictable Paire, who were beaten by 14th seed in the first round of last year’s US Open.
Brit number two Dan Evans, seeded 24th, he plays Australian Thanasi Kokkinakis while the 21-year-old Jack Draper will face Argentine Tomas Martin Etcheverry in his main draw debut at Roland Garros.
Former UK number one Kyle Edmund, who was due to benefit from a protected ranking after protracted knee problems, withdrew from the tournament shortly before the draw.
None of the Brits who entered the qualifiers were able to secure a place in the draw, with Harriet Dart, Katie Swan, Katie Boulter, Heather Watson, Lily Miyazaki and Francesca Jones suffering defeats earlier this week.
In the men’s competition, Briton Ryan Peniston, Liam Broady and Jan Choinski were unable to make it past three qualifying rounds.
Men’s doubles is likely to feature a strong British contingent, including a trio of Grand Slam champions Jamie Murray, Joe Salisbury and Neal Skupski.
Wheelchair racing will also be of interest to the British via players such as Alfie Hewett, Gordon Reid and Lucy Shuker. These events will begin on June 6.
When does the French Open start?
The main draw of the French Open will start on Sunday, May 28 and will run until Sunday, June 11. Qualification for the tournament started on Monday, May 22.
Who takes first place in singles?
Seeds were determined based on the world ranking prior to the draw.
Spain’s Alcaraz arrives in Paris as the men’s world number one, replacing Djokovic at the top as this week’s latest rankings were released.
Cameron Norrie is the highest ranked player in the UK (14th) and Dan Evans is next at 24th.
In the women’s draw, defending champion Świątek is world number one, and the Polish woman is poised for an intriguing fight against world number two Sabalenka as the Belarusian seeks more Grand Slam titles after her Australian Open victory.
1. Carlos Alcaraz (Spain) | 6. Holger rune (Denmark) |
2. Daniil Medvedev (Russia*) | 7. Andrei Rublev (Russia*) |
3. Novak Djokovic (Serbia) | 8. Jannik Sinner (Italy) |
4. Casper Ruud (Norway) | 9. Taylor Fritz (United States) |
5. Stefanos Tsitsipas (Greece) | 10. Felix Auger-Aliassime (Canada) |
1. Every Świątek (Poland) | 6. Coco Gauff (United States) |
2. Aryna Sabalenka (Belarus*) | 7. Ons Jabeur (Tunisia) |
3. Jessica Pegula (United States) | 8. Maria Sakkari (Greece) |
4. Yelena Rybakina (Kazakhstan) | 9. Daria Kasatkina (Russia*) |
5. Caroline Garcia (France) | 10. Petra Kvitova (Czech Republic) |
*denotes playing under a neutral flag
What is the singles tournament schedule?
May 28 – Men’s and Women’s First Round (from 10am BST)
May 29 – Men’s and Women’s First Round (from 10am, night session from 7.30pm)
May 30 – Men’s and Women’s First Round (from 10:00 AM, night session from 7:30 PM)
May 31 – Men’s and Women’s second round (from 10:00, night session from 19:30)
June 1 – Women’s and Men’s second round (from 10:00, night session from 19:30)
June 2 – Women’s and Men’s 3rd round (from 10:00, night session from 19:30)
June 3 – Women’s and Men’s 3rd round (from 10:00, night session from 19:30)
June 4-5 – men’s and women’s round 4 (from 10:00, night session from 19:30)
June 6-7 – women’s and men’s quarterfinals (from 10:00, night session from 19:30)
June 8 – women’s semi-finals (from 14:00)
June 9 – men’s semi-finals (from 1:45 p.m.)
June 10 – women’s final (from 14:00)
June 11 – men’s final (from 14:00)