Singles draw has been revealed for the second Grand Slam of the season, the Roland Garros, taking place in Paris, from May 26 to June 9, 2013.
The French Open first round matches will be played during the first three days of the competition. Main courts are Philippe Chatrier, Suzanne Lenglen and Court no.1.
World no.1 and top seed Novak Djokovic will open his campaign against 22-year-old Belgian David Goffin (57). It will be their first career encounter.
“He’s a dangerous opponent, a young player who is part of this group of youngsters that is coming up and that can eventually be a top player,” said Novak. “He has talent and knows how to play on clay. He showed that last year at Roland Garros. It’s the best of five, so I need to be prepared to give my best already from the first match.”
The six-time Major champion might face either Ivan Dodig (CRO) or Guido Pella (ARG) in the second round.
Novak’s potential opponents in the later stages of the tournament are:
3rd round: Grigor Dimitrov (BUL, 26)
4th round: Philipp Kohlschreiber (GER, 16), Alexandr Dolgopolov (UKR, 22)
Quarter-finals: Janko Tipsarevic (SRB, 8), Tommy Haas (GER, 12), John Isner (USA, 19), Fernando Verdasco (ESP)
Semi-finals: Rafael Nadal (ESP, 3), Richard Gasquet (FRA, 7), Stanislas Wawrinka (SUI, 9)
Finals: Roger Federer (SUI, 2), David Ferrer (ESP, 4), Tomas Berdych (CZE, 5), Jo-Wilfried Tsonga (FRA, 6)
Novak’s top priority this season is to win the Roland Garros trophy. Should he succeed, he would join an elite group of eight players in completing the career Grand Slam.
“This is the tournament that is the no.1 priority of my year, of my season,” said Novak. “This is where I want to win, and I’m going to go for it. I think my game is there, and I’m very, very motivated. I know that if I win this tournament it’s going to be a part of history. I would be very honoured to be part of that small, small group of players that managed to win all four Grand Slams.”
It will be Novak’s ninth appearance on Parisian clay (31-8 record). The 26-year-old Belgrade native reached finals for the first time last year, falling to eventual champion Rafael Nadal in four sets 4-6, 3-6, 6-2, 5-7.
Photo: Zdravko Stambolija
