Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner begin French Open campaigns amidst Iga Swiatek's title defense

Tennis stars Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner are set to begin their French Open campaigns on Monday at Roland Garros, while three-time defending champion Iga Swiatek seeks to overcome her recent performance slump. Sinner returns to compete following a three-month doping suspension, having recently faced Alcaraz in the Italian Open final.

Alcaraz, who defeated Sinner in the Italian Open final, will face Italian qualifier Giulio Zeppieri in his opening match after Kei Nishikori's withdrawal due to injury.

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Sinner's night session match pits him against French player Arthur Rinderknech on Court Philippe Chatrier, where he could potentially face retiring veteran Richard Gasquet in the second round.

"The level he has played in (Rome) is insane after three months without playing, without any tournament," said Alcaraz about Sinner. "I'm pretty sure he's going to be better and better. If he's winning in Roland Garros and he's going farther, I think much better he's going to feel. He's going to be a really dangerous player in Paris."



Sinner meanwhile tempered expectations for his French Open performance. "There are no miracles. I need some time. Matches are different than practice sessions. There is a lot of room to improve."

Sinner's previous suspension resulted from testing positive for traces of clostebol, a banned anabolic steroid, with doping authorities accepting it was due to accidental contamination involving his physio.


Swiatek, who holds an impressive 35-2 win-loss record at Roland Garros, starts her title defense against Slovakia's Rebecca Sramkova. The Polish player has struggled recently, going almost a year without a trophy and dropping to world number five.

"You know, right now, I felt like I had the most peaceful time to practice since the beginning of the season," Swiatek told AFP. "It has been going great. And on a practice court, I feel really good. We were working on some details in my serve and my forehand. But overall, you know, it looks great. I just need to implement that during the matches."



Alcaraz recently spoke on the rivalry that is brewing between himself and his Italian rival, although the Spaniard refrained from comparing it to the legendary rivalries that have unfolded and evolved over the years in the sport.

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