The battle for seedings at the French Open seeding is set to heat up over the next couple of weeks, with several big names on the cusps of missing out on a top 32 ranking for the second major of the tennis year at Roland Garros.
With defending champion Carlos Alcaraz out of the tournament due to a wrist injury, Germany’s Alexander Zverev look set to be the No 2 seed in Paris.
Meanwhile, in the women’s draw, Aryna Sabalenka will be the No 1 seed, with Elena Rybakina leading the bottom half of the draw.
The intrigue over seedings will focus on who will make the cut and 2021 US Open champion Emma Raducanu will be one of the players eager to ensure she stays in the top 30 of the rankings if she intends to play at Roland Garros.
Raducanu has not been seen on a tennis court since losing heavily against Amanda Anisimova at the beginning of March, with her continued absence put down to a virus she picked up back in February.
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The Brit was believed to be close to making a return at the Madrid Open, but was forced to pull out once again.
Now she will need to decide whether to compete at the Italian Open in Rome and if she is missing again, she could drop out of the top 32 and miss out on a seeding at Roland Garros.
There has been some concern over Raducanu’s health and fitness amid her long lay-off, with former British No 1 Greg Rusedski urging her to return when the time is right.
“If your preparation on the clay is really good, even if you’re not a natural clay quarter, your results really end up going well on the grass court season,” said Rusedski, on the latest edition of his podcast.
“I always felt that myself. I wasn’t the best clay court player on the planet, but I used that period to get myself stronger, move better, you know, get all those aspects in. So when I came to the grass, it was just so easy.
“So Emma needs to get back on court. You can’t just say, okay, let’s give up clay and let’s just get onto the grass courts. I think you’ve got to get the balance.
“The first thing is get healthy. Get rid of this virus, get to your nutritionist, get your diet right, get your vitamin intake, what you need to get rid of this virus. Because it’s such a shame she hasn’t been able to play it.
“It feels like forever she hasn’t played a tournament. I know she flew out to Madrid. So, you know, fingers crossed she’s ready to go in Rome.”
Another player chasing a seeding for Paris will be Alex Eala, with the Filipina looking to make a lead up the rankings after a slide in March.
Eala’s failure to match her run to the semi-finals of the 2025 Miami Open ensured she would take a dip in the rankings and she is currently at No 42 in the live list.
She would need a strong run in Rome to give herself a chance of a seeding at Roland Garros, with the cut-off date for the seeding positions to be finalised set for May 18.
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