The French Open has confirmed the 104 players that will receive direct entry, due to their rankings, in the main draw of the tournament this year.
The players currently in the draw will be joined by eight wild cards and 16 qualifiers, and the action will begin on May 22nd, with the men’s singles final on June 5th
Former champions and finalists in action
Three former champions are set to be in action at Roland Garros this year. Defending champion Stan Wawrinka returns, and will certainly be a contender as he looks for his third Grand Slam singles title.
Arguably the greatest clay court player of all time, Rafael Nadal, will also be in action. Nadal has only ever lost twice at the French Open and will be looking for an incredible 10th title at the tournament.
Furthermore, 2009 champion Roger Federer will be in action. The crowd at Roland Garros love Federer, and there is no doubt that he will once again be a popular figure.
Three-time runner-up Novak Djokovic will probably be the favorite for the title. The French Open is the only major to have eluded Djokovic, and he has a good chance of completing the Career Grand Slam this season.
Also in action will be 2013 finalist David Ferrer. The Spaniard hasn’t had his best season so far, though usually has a solid result in Paris and will be difficult to face on the clay.
Further big names in action
One of the most notable stars in action will be Andy Murray. The world number two has reached the semifinals in Paris the past two years, and believes he can win the title this year.
Kei Nishikori and Tomas Berdych will also be in action. Both have reached Grand Slam finals and have made the latter stages of majors, so could be dangers for the title in Paris.
Former US Open champions Marin Cilic and Juan Martin del Potro are in the draw. Cilic will be trying to at least match last season’s 4th round showing, whilst del Potro has used his Protected Ranking to enter the draw and will play at Roland Garros for the first time since 2013.
Furthermore, it will be interesting to see how the likes of Milos Raonic, Dominic Thiem and David Goffin perform at the second major of the year. All three have performed well so far in 2016 and could be dark horses for title.
Several French players to cheer on
The crowd in Paris love to support the French players and they will have several opportunities to do that this year, with an incredible 11 Frenchmen in action.
The most notable will be Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, Richard Gasquet and Gael Monfils. Those three have led French tennis over the past few seasons, and all three are capable of making a strong run at the tournament. Furthermore, another stalwart of French tennis, Gilles Simon, will also be in action.
Potentially tricky players to face will be Benoit Paire and Jeremy Chardy. Both are erratic, though have won big matches in the past and will certainly not provide an easy match for whoever they face. Also Adrian Mannarino is also capable of winning some big matches, and will be looking to pick up some form at Roland Garros
Two French veterans will also be in action, with Paul-Henri Mathieu and Nicolas Mahut automatically making the draw. Both will be looking for a strong run at their home Grand Slam as they head into the twilights of their careers, and will certainly have the crowd support to do so.
In contrast, two young French stars, Lucas Pouille and Pierre-Hugues Herbert, will also be in action. Neither of the two will have any fear coming into the tournament, which makes both of them dangerous.
Americans in action
As usual, America is well represented at a Grand Slam tournament, with nine men from the country set to be in action.
The most notable are John Isner and Jack Sock. Isner has never had too much success on clay though his big serve certainly makes him a threat, whilst clay may be Sock’s strongest surface and he could be a danger in Paris.
Also in action will be Steve Johnson and Sam Querrey. Both men have been in decent form this season and also both, especially Johnson, are close to being seeded and could be in the top 32 by the time the seedings are set.
Further Americans also set to be in action include Brian Baker, who has used his Protected Ranking to enter the draw, Rajeev Ram and Denis Kudla. Also Donald Young will be in action, whilst it will be interesting to see how Taylor Fritz performs in only his second Grand Slam tournament; it is also the first time he has automatically made the draw of a major.
Several Spaniards set to play
Spain is undoubtedly a strong tennis nation and they are going to be well-represented in Paris; an incredible 14 Spaniards have automatically made the main draw.
Behind Nadal and Ferrer, Roberto Bautista Agut is the third Spaniard in the draw. Bautista Agut has impressed this season, and could well make a strong run at Roland Garros.
Some experienced and strong clay court players are also in action for Spain. These include Nicolas Almagro, Tommy Robredo and Fernando Verdasco, who have a total of nine quarterfinal appearances at the French Open between them. Also, Guillermo Garcia-Lopez has had some strong results on clay and may be a danger.
Several other Spanish veterans will be in action. Feliciano Lopez will probably be seeded for the tournament, whilst Albert Ramos-Vinolas, Marcel Granollers and Pablo Andujar also all set to play. Late bloomer Daniel Munoz de la Nava will also be in action.
Furthermore the talented Pablo Carreno Busta will be in action, as will Inigo Cervantes.
South Americans in action
Some of the great French Open champions, such as Gustavo Kuerten and Guillermo Vilas, are from South America and the continent is set to be well represent in the French capital this May and June.
Perhaps the most dangerous South American in the draw will be Uruguayan Pablo Cuevas. He will probably be seeded in Paris this spring and will certainly be a threat on the surface, having won two titles this year on clay and nearly beating Gael Monfils at the tournament last year.
Alongside del Potro, several Argentinians will be in action. Two dangerous Argentines will be Federico Delbonis and Guido Pella, who have been in decent form so far in 2016. Also Juan Monaco won the title in Houston and could be dangerous, whilst Leonardo Mayer has the talent to cause an upset. Furthermore Diego Schwartzman, Facundo Bagnis and Horacio Zeballos will also represent Argentina at the French Open.
Two more South Americans will be in action in Paris. Brazilian Thomaz Bellucci is a dangerous player and is close to being seeded, whilst Colombian Santiago Giraldo is one of the last players to automatically make the draw.
Young stars in action
Some young stars have previously been mentioned in this article, though there are several more to look out for in Paris next month.
Perhaps two of the most interesting to watch will be Australia's Nick Kyrgios and Bernard Tomic. Both have played well this season, and it will be interesting to see how they play on a major held on a surface which may not be their strongest.
Borna Coric and Alexander Zverev will also be interesting to watch. Both have had relatively good seasons so far, and will be dangerous unseeded players when the draw is made. Furthermore, the likes of Kyle Edmund and Hyeon Chung may also be dangerous opponents early on.
Jiri Vesely beat Djokovic in Monte Carlo, and will be looking to build on that, especially at the French Open as a big opportunity to gain ranking points.
Dangerous clay court players
Several more dangerous clay court players are also in the draw.
Italy has produced many good clay courters in the past and Fabio Fognini, who is in a fight to be seeded, could well be dangerous, as could fellow Italians Andreas Seppi, Paolo Lorenzi and Simone Bolelli.
Martin Klizan and Joao Sousa could also be dangerous on clay, though neither has had a great season so far. The same could be said for Ernests Gulbis, a former French Open semifinalist, who has played some poor tennis since that incredible run to the last four back in 2014; however, all three are capable of big performances.
Veteran Victor Estrella Burgos is arguably most comfortable on clay and could provide a difficult match, whilst Philipp Kohlschreiber is still playing some good tennis on clay and could be seeded in Roland Garros; it could be interesting to see where he is put in the draw.
Other players in action
Several other recognizable names will be in action.
Kevin Anderson is set to be in action, though has struggled with injury this season and may not be too comfortable on clay. The same could be said for the likes of Viktor Troicki and Grigor Dimitrov, though neither of those two have had a bad 2016 and could potentially have a run in Paris. Similarly to Anderson, Ivo Karlovic has been struggling with injury and may not thrive on clay whilst other big servers such as Vasek Pospisil and Gilles Muller, will also probably not find the clay too comfortable.
There are some more tricky players in the draw. Marcos Baghdatis has had a pretty solid season and is playing some good tennis, whilst Andrey Kuznetsov has picked up some big wins and could well be dangerous. Also, the ever-tricky Alexandr Dolgopolov should be a test for anyone he plays.
Janko Tipsarevic uses his Protected Ranking to enter the main draw, whilst fellow veterans Mikhail Youzhny and Mikhail Kukushkin will also be in action. Lukas Rosol and Aljaz Bedene will also play in the tournament.
The full entry list and the order in which each player has entered can be found on the French Open’s official website.
