Novak Djokovic and Iga Swiatek remain the last former champions left in the French Open after a day of upsets

The only defending champions left in the fray at the 2023 French Open are Novak Djokovic and Iga Swiatek.

The Serb will look to win a record 23rd Grand Slam at this year’s Roland Garros in the absence of his long-time rival, Rafael Nadal. Meanwhile, Swiatek will aim to become the first woman to successfully defend her French Open title in sixteen years should she make it all the way. Belgium's Justine Henin won in Paris from 2005 to 2007.

With Nadal withdrawing from his favorite tournament due to an injury and 2015 winner Stan Wawrinka exiting in the second round after losing to Thanasi Kokkinakis, Djokovic remains the sole former champion in the men’s side of the draw. He could face a significant obstacle in his path to the crown in the form of Carlos Alcaraz in the semifinals.

The women’s side of the draw doesn’t have much of glad tidings to offer either. Simona Halep, the 2018 Roland Garros winner, is currently out with a doping ban for consuming a performance-enhancing drug. The 2021 winner, Barbora Krejcikova, was felled at the first hurdle by 66th-ranked Lesia Tsurenko.

Swiatek is also the only past winner still standing among women. The World No. 1 finds herself with last year’s runner-up Coco Gauff and 2022 Wimbledon champion Elena Rybakina on her side of the draw. Swiatek and Gauff could run into each other in the quarter-finals. Should the Pole prevail against Gauff, she is projected to meet Rybakina — the player against whom she is 0-3 in 2023 — in the semi-finals.

“The only former champions left in the men’s and women’s singles draw are Novak Djokovic and Iga Swiatek,” wrote Bastien Fachan, the author of the book ‘Big 3’ on Twitter.

Novak Djokovic and Iga Swiatek progress into the third and second rounds, respectively

2023 French Open

Novak Djokovic and Iga Swiatek have booked their spots in the third and second rounds of the 2023 French Open, respectively.

The Serb's first and second-round opponents were Aleksandar Kovacevic and Marton Fucsovics. The 36-year-old faced a degree of resistance from both players, each pushing him into a tiebreak, but he managed to wrap up both games in three sets.

Djokovic has an upcoming match with World No. 34 Alejandro Davidovich Fokina, who beat Frenchman Luca Van Assche in his second-round game.

Swiatek had an easier time in her first-round match against Cristina Bucsa, winning 6-4, 6-0. The defending champion, who celebrated her 22nd birthday on Wednesday, will now play her second-round match against Claire Liu on Court Philippe-Chatrier on June 1.