How French Open draws for Novak Djokovic and Carlos Alcaraz have developed after Week 1

Mutua Madrid Open - Day Ten
Novak Djokovic and Carlos Alcaraz could lock horns in the semifinals of the French Open

Novak Djokovic and Carlos Alcaraz are the two heaviest favorites to win the French Open and both players have done pretty well so far.

Djokovic and Alcaraz are in the same half of the tournament and will face each other in the semifinals if they get that far.

The Serb started the tournament by beating Aleksandar Kovacevic 6-3, 6-2, 7-6(1) and followed it up by triumphing 7-6(2), 6-0, 6-3 over Marton Fucsovics. He faced 29th seed Alejandro Davidovich Fokina in the third round and defeated him 7-6(4), 7-6(5), 6-2 to enter the second week of the French Open.

Djokovic will next take on Peru's Juan Pablo Varillas, who beat 13th seed Hubert Hurkacz 3-6, 6-3, 7-6(3), 4-6, 6-2.

At the time when the draw was released, seventh seed Andrey Rublev looked to be the Serb's most likely opponent in the quarterfinals. However, the Russian lost 7-5, 6-0, 3-6, 6-7(5), 3-6 to Lorenzo Sonego.

Now, if Djokovic reaches the quarterfinals, he will take on either the Italian or 11th seed Karen Khachanov, although neither player is to be taken lightly. However, considering the eliminations of Hurkacz and Rublev, it's fair to say that the Serb's draw has fallen apart a little bit during the opening week.

As for Carlos Alcaraz, there haven't been too many changes in terms of his potential opponents. The Spaniard booked his place in the fourth round after wins over Flavio Cobolli, Taro Daniel and most recently, 26th seed Denis Shapovalov.

Seeding wise, Alcaraz should have faced 14th seed Cameron Norrie, who has been victorious in two out of their last three meetings. However, the Brit was defeated by 17th seed Lorenzo Musetti, who is quite a tricky opponent to face on clay.

Alcaraz faced Musetti on the surface during the final of last year's Hamburg European Open, and the Italian beat him 6-4, 6-7(6), 6-4. If the Spaniard comes out on top, he will face either fifth seed Stefanos Tsitsipas or Austrian qualifier Sebastian Ofner in the quarterfinals.

The draw is still very tight for both Alcaraz and Djokovic as they would have to go through the likes of Tsitsipas and Khachanov before reaching the semifinals. The other half of the draw still has players like Holger Rune and Casper Ruud despite the elimination of Daniil Medvedev.

Novak Djokovic and Carlos Alcaraz are both in contention for the No. 1 ranking

Carlos Alcaraz after his match against Denis Shapovalov at the French Open
Carlos Alcaraz after his match against Denis Shapovalov at the French Open

Novak Djokovic and Carlos Alcaraz are both competing for the No. 1 ranking at the French Open.

Alcaraz is currently the World No. 1 and will remain at the top if he at least reaches the final. The Spaniard can remain at the top of the ATP rankings even if he loses in the fourth round but Djokovic will have to be eliminated before the final for that to happen. If Alcaraz loses in the quarterfinals or semifinals, he can still remain the World No. 1 if the Serb does not win the French Open.

For Djokovic to become the World No. 1, he will have to win the clay-court Major. The Serb can also reclaim top spot in the ATP rankings even if he reaches the final but he'll have to hope for Alcaraz to be eliminated in the fourth round.

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Edited by Hari Priya CR
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