The draw for the Roland Garros main tournament tables is set to take place. Players will soon know their fate. A key element for the men is identifying which outsiders are not in Jannik Sinner’s half of the draw, increasing their chances of reaching the semi-finals or final.
How the Roland Garros Draw Works
The draw is based on seedings. The draw for a Grand Slam tournament is done electronically and then manually, always under the supervision of a court official.
Each table has 128 elements. These comprise 104 direct entrants via their ATP/WTA ranking as of 13 April or a protected ranking, 8 invitees and 16 qualifiers. There is also the possibility of lucky losers, which are players eliminated in the final qualifying round who are brought into the main draw due to a last-minute withdrawal. Non-seeded players are placed electronically in the table. The 32 seeded players are then placed manually.
The Seeding Pots Explained
There are 32 seeded players divided into pots. Pot 1 contains seeds 1 to 4. Pot 2 contains seeds 5 to 8. Pot 3 contains seeds 9 to 12. Pot 4 contains seeds 13 to 16. Pot 5 contains seeds 17 to 24. Pot 6 contains seeds 25 to 32. The first four pots are drawn in lots of 4 numbers, the last two in lots of 8.
Seed 1 is placed at the top of the table, and seed 2 at the bottom. Then, seeds 3 and 4 are drawn to be placed in each part of the table. In the third round, these four players face a seed between 25 and 32, in the round of 16 a player between 13 and 16 and in the quarter-finals a player between 5 and 8.
Being in Pot 2 (5-8) means being protected until the quarter-finals, avoiding a match against one of the top 8 seeds. Each player in this pot is drawn against a seed from 1 to 4 in the quarter-finals. A player between 25 and 32 is reserved for them in the third round, and a player between 9 and 12 in the round of 16.
Seeds 9 to 12 are in Pot 3. These seeds could potentially face a player from Pot 2 (5-8) in the round of 16. In the third round, they face a player seeded between 17 and 24.
Pot 4 contains seeds 13 to 16. These seeds will face one of the top four seeds in the round of 16, meaning a one in four chance of facing Jannik Sinner. In the third round, they face a seed from Pot 5, between 17 and 24.
Currently, Arthur Fils and Arthur Rinderknech are in Pot 5 (17-24). These seeds will face a seed between 9 and 16 in the third round. If they win, they will face a player from Pots 1 or 2 (seeds 1 to 8), giving them a one in eight chance of facing Jannik Sinner at this stage.
Currently, Corentin Moutet and Ugo Humbert are in Pot 6 (25-32). These seeds will face a seed between in the third round.
The draw will determine who might face Jannik Sinner, and which players will be in advantageous positions.