The main draw wild card entries for the 2016 Roland Garros were announced on Thursday, May 12th. Eight men who were not able to get a direct acceptance into the main draw will make first round appearances in Paris.
Six Frenchmen receive wild cards
Roland Garros is played in the exquisite French capital for the second major of the year. The rowdy French crowd is in for a treat with six Frenchman expected to appear in the prestigious main draw. Gregoire Barrere, Julien Benneteau, Stephane Robert, Mathias Bourque, Quentin Halys, and Constant Lestienne are set to suit up in front of their home crowd when first round action begins on Sunday. The pack of compatriots consists of experienced veterans and fresh, young blood which will make for interesting story lines.
Fratangelo and Thompson cap off men's wild card selections
An agreement between the tennis federations of France, the United States, and Australia grants two non-French wild cards on the men's side. Bjorn Fratangelo will represent the red, white, and blue in the French capital. The 22-year-old is playing his best tennis at the moment, and his performance against Novak Djokovic in March displayed his brilliance. The American narrowly missed the main draw acceptance which made him the obvious wild card choice for the Americans. Jordan Thompson concludes the list of men's wild cards, despite being ranked inside the top 100. The Australian joins Nick Kyrgios, Bernard Tomic, John Millman, and Sam Groth in the group of Aussies that will take apart in the first round next week.
First round action to begin Sunday
The eight wild card entries in the men’s singles draw will take the courts of Roland Garros for the opening round of the main draw. Main draw play commences on Sunday, and will be concluded on Monday and Tuesday. The hopeful wild cards have been granted a precious opportunity, but it is up to them to execute on the tennis court as serious ranking points and money are up for grabs.