Rafael Nadal tied Roger Federer‘s men’s Grand Slam singles titles record at the 2020 French Open. He can break it this year.
Nadal, seeded third, goes for a record-extending 14th Roland Garros crown, and a 21st major title overall to overtake his longtime Swiss rival.
The 34-year-old Nadal didn’t catch a break in the draw, however. He’s seeded third and in the same half as top-ranked Novak Djokovic, meaning they would meet in the semifinals.
However, the biggest threat may be fifth seed Stefanos Tsitsipas, who is in the other half. The Greek Tsitsipas beat Nadal at the Australian Open, pushed the Spaniard to three sets in a clay-court final in Barcelona last month and won the Monte Carlo Masters before that.
Federer, seeded eighth, could get Djokovic in the quarterfinals. But the 39-year-old has played three total matches in the last 15 months and would surprise if he made a deep run.
Federer, Nadal and Djokovic are in the same half of a Grand Slam draw for the first time.
No. 4 Dominic Thiem, the 2018 and 2019 French Open runner-up, was upset in the first round.
FRENCH OPEN DRAWS: Men | Women | TV Schedule
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2021 French Open men’s singles draw, results originally appeared on NBCSports.com