Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic on the same side of French Open draw

The big three of Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic are in the same half of the draw for the French Open.

Rafael Nadal, Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic are on the same side, so to speak

The big three of Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic are in the same half of the draw for the French Open — the first time this has happened at a grand-slam event.

With Djokovic seeded No 1 and Nadal No 3 for the tournament, which starts on Sunday, there was a 50-50 chance of both landing in the top section. It means they could face each other in the semi-finals, leaving the door open for Dominic Thiem, Daniil Medvedev or Stefanos Tsitsipas to reach the final from the opposite half.

Federer, 39, is also in the top half. The No 8 seed could meet Djokovic, 34, in the quarter-finals, although he was careful last week to play down his chances at Roland Garros after losing in his first match at the Geneva Open. He will open his campaign against a qualifier.

The seedings are determined by this week’s world rankings, meaning that Nadal is seeded outside the top two in Paris for the first time since he was No 4 in 2017. Regardless, the 34-year-old Spaniard remains the favourite as he bids to win what would be a remarkable 14th French Open title. He will play Australia’s Alexei Popyrin in the first round, while Djokovic faces Tennys Sandgren, of the US.

The in-form Cameron Norrie, who has finished runner-up twice on the ATP tour this month, at the Estoril Open and Lyon Open, is also in the top half of the draw. The British No 2 has been given a kind draw against a qualifier, but could go up against Nadal if he reaches the third round. Dan Evans takes on Serbia’s Miomir Kecmanovic.

In the women’s draw, Johanna Konta faces a tricky opener against Sorana Cirstea, the Romanian who won their previous meeting in the second round of the US Open last year. Heather Watson, who has won only one of her past seven matches, faces Kazakhstan’s Zarina Diyas. Harriet Dart failed in a bid to reach the main draw. The 24-year-old from London lost 6-2, 6-2 to Taiwan’s Liang En-Shuo, meaning that none of the six British entrants progressed through qualifying.

The Times