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French Open 2021 Seeds: Novak Djokovic, Daniil Medvedev, Ashleigh Barty, and Naomi Osaka Lead the Power-Packed Field

After leaving us with Rafael Nadal and Iga Swiatek as the champions in October 2020, the revered clay court Grand Slam has returned in seven months for the French Open 2021.

The seeding system in tennis ensures that the top-ranked players meet only in the latter part of the tournament. And interestingly, we now have the 32 seeds for men and women for the much-anticipated 2021 Roland-Garros.

French Open
PARIS, FRANCE – JUNE 11: A general view inside Court Philippe Chatrier during the mens singles final between Rafael Nadal of Spain and Stan Wawrinka of Switzerland on day fifteen of the 2017 French Open at Roland Garros on June 11, 2017 in Paris, France. (Photo by Adam Pretty/Getty Images)

So, without further ado, let us look at the seeds for the second annual Grand Slam tournament this year.

The 32 seeds for men at French Open 2021

Serbian World No.1 Novak Djokovic will lead the male players’ field at Roland-Garros 2021. He is also the second-most favorite player to win the title.

After Djokovic, the Australian Open 2021 finalist Daniil Medvedev will take his place as the second seed. Given his poor record on the Parisian clay 0-4, the Russian hopes to win a match this year.

The record 13-time champion Rafael Nadal is the third seed. Undisputedly, he is the favorite to win his 14th French Open and 21st Grand Slam title this year.

Rafael Nadal
Rafael Nadal of Spain celebrates after winning championship point during his Men’s Singles Final against Novak Djokovic of Serbia on day fifteen of the 2020 French Open at Roland Garros in Paris, France. (Photo by Julian Finney/Getty Images)

Following the top three seeds, the next generation stars Dominic Thiem, Stefanos Tsitsipas, Alexander Zverev, and Andrey Rublev will fill the subsequent spots. They are all eager to overcome the Spaniard on his beloved turf.

Read More: Who Is the Favourite Amongst the Next-Gen To Win the French Open 2021?

Returning after the 2019 Roland-Garros semifinals, the Swiss maestro Roger Federer is the eighth seed. He is looking forward to gaining valuable match experience before his targeted goal, Wimbledon.

In the following eight top-ranked players, Canadian World No.14 Denis Shapovalov has withdrawn from the tournament. He shared this unfortunate news after picking up a shoulder injury in Geneva.

Then, in the 9-16 slot, we have Berrettini, Schwartzman, Bautista Agut, Carreno Busta, Goffin, Monfils, Casper Ruud, and Grigor Dimitrov. They all have the gun power to knock off higher seeds on clay.

The last 16 seeds are Milos Raonic, Jannik Sinner, Hubert Hurkacz, Felix Auger-Aliassime, Alex De Minaur, Cristian Garin, Karen Khachanov, Karatsev, Evans, Sonego, Fognini, Basilashvili, Humbert, Fritz, John Isner, and Reilly Opelka.

The 32 seeds for women at Roland-Garros 2021

In the women’s players field, World No.1 Ashleigh Barty and World No.2 Naomi Barty are the top two seeds. Notably, they both did not play last year and will mark their comeback this year.

Due to two-time champion, Simona Halep‘s withdrawal due to calf injury, Madrid Open winner Aryna Sabalenka will be the third seed. Following her, the last year’s finalist Sofia Kenin fills the spot.

Furthermore, the three-time French Open quarterfinalist Elina Svitolina is the fifth seed, whereas 2019 US Open champion Bianca Andreescu is sixth. Notably, the Canadian has raised concerns about her participation after withdrawing from her only clay-court tournament in 2021.

Iga Swiatek
PARIS, FRANCE – OCTOBER 11: Iga Swiatek of Poland poses on the rooftop of les Galeries Lafayettes Rue de la Chaussee d’Antin with the Suzanne Lenglen Cup following her victory in the Women’s Singles Final against Sofia Kenin of The United States of America on day fifteen of the 2020 French Open on October 11, 2020 in Paris, France. (Photo by Clive Brunskill/Getty Images)

The 23-time Grand Slam champion Serena Williams and the 2020 Roland-Garros winner Iga Swiatek are the seventh and eighth seed. Unquestionably, they both will have an equal amount of eyes on them.

After the top eight, Karolina Pliskova, Bencic, Kvitova, 2016 champion Muguruza, Brady, Mertens, Azarenka, and Bertens are the subsequent eight. Arguably, the next winner could also be one of them.

The final 16 seeds include Sakkari, Muchova, Konta, Vondrousova, Rybakina, Martic, Keys, Gauff, Jabeur, Kerber, Riske, Pegula, Kudermetova, Kontaveit, Pavlyuchenkova, and Alexandrova. The Spaniard Paula Badosa is next in the line to be seeded.

Ultimately, the power-packed field will come down to two men and two women players battling for the title. The main draw matches begin on May 30, and we will have both our winners on June 13. Who are you supporting this year?

Also Read: How Many Times Has Rafael Nadal Defended the French Open Title?

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