French Open draw set for May 21

Roland-Garros will unveil the 2026 French Open singles draw on Thursday, May 21, with main-draw matches starting Sunday, May 24, and the tournament ending June 7, according to the event’s official schedule. The draw comes after opening-week qualifying in Paris and before a Friday media day and Saturday’s Yannick Noah Day activities, the tournament said. ATP Tour said the men’s field is headed by Jannik Sinner, Novak Djokovic and Alexander Zverev, while the women’s field is led by top seed Aryna Sabalenka and defending champion Coco Gauff. ### When exactly does the draw happen in the tournament calendar? Thursday is the key pre-tournament date because Roland-Garros said the singles draws will be made earlier that day during Opening Week. The official tournament schedule lists first-round main-draw action beginning on Sunday, May 24, after Friday media obligations and Saturday’s fan events in Paris. (rolandgarros.com) June 7 is the scheduled end of the clay-court major, which ATP Tour described as the second Grand Slam event of the 2026 season. The event is being played at Stade Roland-Garros in Paris. ### Why is Jannik Sinner the main men’s name before the bracket is set? Jannik Sinner is the top men’s seed entering Paris, and ATP Tour listed him alongside Novak Djokovic and Alexander Zverev as the headline names in the field. (rolandgarros.com) TennisUpToDate said its editors viewed Sinner as the clear pre-draw favorite, with Djokovic, Zverev and Casper Ruud among the main challengers. (atptour.com) Forbes said Sinner arrived at Roland-Garros as the leading men’s contender in a field missing defending champion Carlos Alcaraz. The same report framed Coco Gauff’s title defense and Sinner’s campaign as two of the tournament’s central storylines. ### Which women’s names define the draw before any balls are pulled? (atptour.com) Aryna Sabalenka will be the women’s top seed, Tennis365 reported, while Coco Gauff returns as the defending French Open champion. Tennis365 also said the top 32 players in the WTA rankings were set to compete, with no major withdrawals from the women’s entry list at this stage. (forbes.com) Coco Gauff remains one of the tournament’s marquee names because she is defending the title she won in Paris last year. Forbes listed Gauff, Sinner, Iga Swiatek and Sabalenka among the biggest attractions for the event. ### What can the draw still change before the first ball of the main event? (tennis365.com) Thursday’s bracket will determine when the leading seeds can meet and which unseeded players land in dangerous early-round positions. Roland-Garros highlighted that uncertainty in its draw buildup by publishing lists of unseeded men and women who could trouble seeded players once the pairings are set. (forbes.com) The official draws page had not yet posted the completed singles brackets as of Wednesday. That means the tournament’s biggest unanswered questions — including Sinner’s path, Gauff’s title-defense route and Sabalenka’s placement at the top of the women’s field — remain unresolved until Thursday’s ceremony. ### What happens immediately after the draw is released? (rolandgarros.com) Friday is scheduled as media day at Roland-Garros, according to the tournament’s Opening Week rundown, and Saturday will feature Yannick Noah Day before the main draw begins. Sunday, May 24, is the first day of men’s and women’s first-round singles matches in Paris. (rolandgarros.com) June 7 is the final day on the published 2026 schedule, with Sinner, Djokovic, Zverev, Sabalenka and Gauff among the leading names who will know their routes once Thursday’s draw is completed. (atptour.com) (rolandgarros.com)