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via Reuters

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.

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

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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.

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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In the following eight top-ranked players, Canadian World No.14 Denis Shapovalov has withdrawn from the tournament.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 Matteo Berrettini, Diego Schwartzman, Roberto Bautista Agut, Pablo Carreno Busta, David Goffin, Gael 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, Aslan Karatsev, Dan Evans, Lorenzo Sonego, Fabio Fognini, Nikoloz Basilashvili, Ugo Humbert, Taylor 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 Osaka 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.

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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, Belinda Bencic, Petra Kvitova, 2016 champion Garbine Muguruza, Jennifer Brady, Elise Mertens, Victoria Azarenka, and Kiki Bertens are the subsequent eight. Arguably, the next winner could also be one of them.

The final 16 seeds include Maria Sakkari, Karolina Muchova, Johanna Konta, Marketa Vondrousova, Elena Rybakina, Petra Martic, Madison Keys, Coco Gauff, Ons Jabeur, Angelique Kerber, Alison Riske, Jessica Pegula, Veronica Kudermetova, Anett Kontaveit, Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova, and Ekaterina Alexandrova. The Spaniard Paula Badosa is next in the line to be seeded.

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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?

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