Thirteen-time champion Rafael Nadal, 20-time Grand Slam winner Roger Federer and world No. 1 Novak Djokovic were placed in the same half of the French Open draw on Thursday.
The three most successful players in the history of the men’s game have won 17 of the last 20 Grand Slam titles between them and Federer and Djokovic are on a quarter-final collision course.
Title holder Nadal, who starts against Australian Alexei Popyrin, could face Italian prospect Jannik Sinner, the 18th seed, in the fourth round a year after beating him in the quarter finals.
In the other half of the draw, two-time runner-up Dominic Thiem’s path leads to a potential quarter-final clash with German sixth seed Alexander Zverev.
In the women’s draw, defending champion Iga Swiatek will start her campaign against Kaja Juvan. Second seed Naomi Osaka will make her comeback against Maria Patricia Tig. She could take on Serena Williams in the semis.
Osaka to shun media
Osaka on Wednesday said she will not take questions from the media at the French Open, saying the nature of news conferences puts an undue burden on players’ mental health.
“I’m writing this to say I’m not going to do any press during Roland Garros,” the Japanese world No.2 wrote on Twitter. “I’ve often felt that people have no regard for athletes’ mental health, and this rings true whenever I see a press conference or partake in one.
Expecting players to answer questions after losses amounted to “kicking a person while they’re down,” she added.
