Djokovic, Nadal, Alcaraz in same half of draw

World No.1 Djokovic and Nadal, ranked five, are seeded to meet as early as the quarter-finals

Defending champion Novak Djokovic, 13-time winner Rafael Nadal and new teenage star Carlos Alcaraz were drawn in the same half of the French Open on Thursday.  World No.1 Djokovic and Nadal, ranked five, are seeded to meet as early as the quarter-finals. 

Alcaraz, 19, is bidding to become just the eighth teenager to win a Grand Slam men’s title. He could face either Djokovic or Nadal, who holds a record 21 majors, in the semi-finals in a top-heavy draw for the second Grand Slam of the season.  “I am very motivated to play my best tennis,” said two-time French Open champion and 20-time major winner Djokovic. “In Paris, I always play very strong. Last year, it was the toughest major that I had won.” 

Djokovic had to twice come from two sets down last year to beat Lorenzo Musetti in the last-16 and Stefanos Tsitspas in the final having also beaten Nadal from a set behind in a bruising semi-final. “Musetti, Rafa, Tsitsipas—every match lasted more than three hours. It was exhausting but I loved the outcome.” Djokovic, who celebrates his 35th birthday on Sunday, the opening day at Roland Garros, faces 94th-ranked Yoshihito Nishioka of Japan in the first round.

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