India's Sumit Nagal has been handed a tough opening at the French Open and will be facing a top-20 player even as record 14-time Roland Garros champion Rafael Nadal will face World No. 4 Alexander Zverev in a blockbuster first-round clash in the clay court major.
Nagal, who will be making his debut in the 123rd edition of the year's second Grand Slam, will take on World No. 18 Karen Khachanov in the first round of the main draw starting on 26 May.
Nagal, who turned pro in 2015, had a best-ever ranking of 80 on the ATP Tour on 15 April, 2024. He is currently ranked 94.
Nagal had made his Grand Slam debut in 2020 at the US Open and had also won his first match at that stage in New York. He is also scheduled to play in the Wimbledon Championship this year.
While Indian fans will be keeping an eye on Sumit Nagal, the spotlight will be on Nadal in what is likely to be the Spaniard's final appearance at the clay-court major.
The 37-year-old, who holds a 112-3 record in the French Open, arrives in Paris off the back of a second-round exit in Rome.
Nadal leads Zverev 7-3 in the pair's ATP head-to-head series, with their first-round clash a re-match of their semifinal in 2022 when Zverev was forced to retire with an ankle injury in the second set after nearly three hours and 13 minutes of gruelling play.
The winner will face former World No. 7 David Goffin or French wild card Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard in the second round. Two-time quarterfinalist Holger Rune is a potential fourth-round opponent for Nadal or Zverev, who lifted the trophy in Rome earlier this month.
(At The Quint, we are answerable only to our audience. Play an active role in shaping our journalism by becoming a member. Because the truth is worth it.)