ATP projected French Open quarter-finals Men’s including Djokovic – Ruud and Alcaraz - Rublev

Thursday, 23 May 2024 at 20:00

The French Open main draw has been revealed, outlining the path for the world No. 1 to defend the title he claimed in 2023 and maintain his top ranking.

Meanwhile, Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz are poised as major contenders for the championship.

Djokovic leads the top half

Djokovic heads the draw as the top seed and could face 2023 finalist Casper Ruud in a potential quarterfinal. His journey includes potential challenges from Tommy Paul and Taylor Fritz, as well as Argentines Francisco Cerundolo and Tomas Martin Etcheverry, who aim to cause upsets.

The last encounter between Ruud and Djokovic was in the semifinals of the Monte-Carlo Masters in mid-April, where the Norwegian secured his first victory against Djokovic, having not won a set in their previous five matches.

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Further down the draw is Alexander Zverev (No. 4), who might clash with Daniil Medvedev (No. 5) if both progress through the early rounds. Zverev enters with confidence after winning a Masters 1000 in the Rome Open a week ago and is a strong contender for the trophy, though he faces a tough opening match against 14-time champion Rafael Nadal.

Medvedev, on the other hand, remains uncertain on clay, having only reached the quarterfinals in the Madrid Open during the clay swing, with all his losses coming against players outside the top 15. The head-to-head stands at 12-7 in favour of the Russian, including two matches on clay in 2023.

The 2023 Djokovic-Ruud final could be repeated, this time in the quarterfinals.

Sinner the favourite in the bottom half

On the opposite side of the draw, Jannik Sinner (No. 2) is expected to participate, having been seen training on court recently. The Italian could meet Hubert Hurkacz (No. 8) in the quarterfinals if the seeds hold. Sinner’s section also includes formidable opponents like recent Rome Open finalist Nicolas Jarry and Britain's Cameron Norrie.

Hurkacz, traditionally not strong on clay, has shown improvement this year, securing several victories even against clay specialists. The Pole won the Estoril Open recently and has performed well throughout the clay season. Players like Grigor Dimitrov and Alejandro Tabilo will be key contenders looking to block Hurkacz from reaching the quarterfinals.

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Another potential quarterfinal match-up could be Carlos Alcaraz (No. 3) versus Andrey Rublev (No. 6). The Spanish star arrives with some physical concerns, and it remains to be seen how he will hold up in the later stages of the tournament.

In the quarterfinals, Alcaraz could face a significant challenge from Andrey Rublev, who recently took over as Madrid Open champion. Rublev could pose a serious threat to Alcaraz. Currently, their head-to-head record stands at 1-1, with Rublev securing a victory at Caja Magica a few weeks ago en route to his Madrid title.