Novak Djokovic [1 SRB] – Yoshihito Nishioka [JPN]

Roland-Garros 2022 – Men’s Singles First Round

• This will be the third meeting between Novak Djokovic and Yoshihito Nishioka, after those in the Davis Cup Finals in 2019, and at the Australian Open in 2020 – overall, the Japanese only managed to win 10 games in those matches against the Serbian.
• This will be Novak Djokovic’s 18th participation at the French Open since his debut at Roland-Garros back in 2005 – he has won the title twice in Paris (2016 and 2021) and reached the final in five of the last eight editions.
• Only five players have won more than two French Open titles in the Open era: Rafael Nadal (13), Bjorn Borg (6), Mats Wilander (3), Ivan Lendl (3) and Gustavo Kuerten (3).
• With a triumph in this tournament, Novak Djokovic aims to equal Rafael Nadal’s record of 21 Grand-Slam wins in the Open era.
• Last year Novak Djokovic won the French Open despite losing the opening set in three of his last four matches, including coming back from two sets down in the Final against Stefanos Tsitsipas and in the Fourth Round against Lorenzo Musetti.
• Novak Djokovic has an 81-15 record at Roland-Garros and he is 323-46 in Grand Slam overall.
• Novak Djokovic is 10-3 on clay court this season, excluding walkovers.
• Novak Djokovic is the player with the best % of 1st serve return points won in the last year (36%).
• Yoshihito Nishioka lost in the First Round in the Munich and did not pass Madrid and Rome’s Qualifying First Round – his record on clay is 0-1 in main draw matches with no sets won so far in 2022.
• This will be Yoshihito Nishioka’s sixth appearance at the Roland-Garros main draw and his best performance was reaching the Second Round in 2019, 2020 and 2021.
• This will be Yoshihito Nishioka’s second match against a top-ten player this season – he already lost to #2 Daniil Medvedev in the Acapulco Quarter-finals.

Facundo Bagnis [ARG] – Daniil Medvedev [2 RUS]

Roland-Garros 2022 – Men’s Singles First Round

• This will be the first ever meeting between Daniil Medvedev and Facundo Bagnis.
• Daniil Medvedev returned to action for the first time after the Miami Open playing in Geneva – in fact, this was his first clay-court appearance since losing against Stefanos Tsitsipas in the French Open Quarter-finals last year. The Russian lost to Richard Gasquet in the Quarter-finals.
• Daniil Medvedev’s record at Roland Garros shows four consecutive First-Round losses between 2017 and 2020 before reaching the Quarter-finals in the last edition, and overall he has a 15-21 career record on clay.
• Daniil Medvedev has a career record of 51-19 in Grand Slams, and he has reached the final in three of his last five participations to a Major.
• Facundo Bagnis has lost his two previous matches against a top-10 opponent so far and has a 5-13 career record in Grand Slams, with three of those five wins coming in Paris.
• This will be Facundo Bagnis’ fourth appearance at the Roland-Garros main draw: he has gone through to the Second Round in three different editions (2021, 2016 and 2014), but never made it to the Third Round so far.
• Excluding ATP Challengers, Facundo Bagnis last managed to win consecutive matches back in February, in Santiago, on clay court, where he reached the Quarter-finals (lost to Albert Ramos-Vinolas).

Jordan Thompson [AUS] – Rafael Nadal [5 ESP]

Roland-Garros 2022 – Men’s Singles First Round

• The only previous meeting between Rafael Nadal and Jordan Thompson was also in Paris but indoor, in the Bercy Masters 1000, in 2020 (the Spaniard had the better in straight sets).
• All-time Grand Slam and Roland-Garros winner Rafael Nadal will take part to his 18^th French Open since his debut in 2005. He aims for his 14^th title there and his 22^nd
• Rafael Nadal has won 105 matches and only lost three times in Roland-Garros in his career, two of which against Novak Djokovic in 2015 and 2021 (the other one against Robin Soderling in 2009).
• For the first time in his career, Rafael Nadal’s way to the French Open was without winning a single clay tournament.
• Rafael Nadal is the player with the best % of 2^nd serve return points won in the last year (56%).
• Jordan Thompson has lost in the First Round in his last two tournaments on the ATP Tour, winning just one match on clay so far this season (in Houston). His career record on clay is 11-21.
• Jordan Thompson’s Grand Slam record is 14-26 – his best result so far in a Major was the Fourth Round in the 2020 US Open (lost to Borna Coric).
• In Roland-Garros, Jordan Thompson has a 3-6 career record in six previous main draw appearances – his best performance in Paris was in 2019, when he beat Alejandro Davidovich-Fokina and Ivo Karlovic before losing to Juan Martín del Potro in the Third Round.

Lorenzo Musetti [ITA] – Stefanos Tsitsipas [4 GRE]

Roland-Garros 2022 – Men’s Singles First Round

• This will be the third meeting between Stefanos Tsitsipas and Lorenzo Musetti – the Greek has won both previous matches so far.
• These meetings were both semi-finals last year: Stefanos Tsitsipas won the first in straight sets in Acapulco, while the second went to distance with the Greek coming back from a set down to win in three sets on clay in Lyon.
• Stefanos Tsitsipas has a 31-10 record in 2022 and leads the ATP Tour in victories so far this season, followed by Carlos Alcaraz (28-3).
• Stefanos Tsitsipas is 14-3 on clay-court play this year (74-24 overall in his career). His only title won in 2022 was at the Monte-Carlo Masters, where he successfully defended last year’s championship.
• Stefanos Tsitsipas’ best performance in a Grand Slam was in Paris last year, when he lost the Final against Novak Djokovic despite leading by two sets.
• Stefanos Tsitsipas has reached at least the Semi-finals in four of his last six participations to a Major tournament.
• Lorenzo Musetti has already beaten a top-10 opponent twice in his career (losing five times) – one of these wins came on clay earlier this season (vs Felix Auger-Aliassime in Monte-Carlo).
• Lorenzo Musetti’s best performance in a Major came right at the French Open last year, when he reached the Fourth Round (lost to Novak Djokovic after winning the first two sets on tie-breaks) – since then, he has only won one out of four matches in Grand Slams.
• Lorenzo Musetti has won 21 of the 31 tiebreaks he played so far in his professional career (6-5 in 2022).

Juan Ignacio Londero [Q ARG] – Carlos Alcaraz [6 ESP]

Roland-Garros 2022 – Men’s Singles First Round

• This will be the first meeting between Juan Ignacio Londero and Carlos Alcaraz.
• Carlos Alcaraz has become the second-youngest player to win two Masters 1000 titles (Miami and Madrid), at age 19, after Rafael Nadal won Monte-Carlo and Rome in 2005, at the age of 18.
• Rafael Nadal was 19 years and two days old when he won in Roland-Garros on his first participation, in 2005, while Carlos Alcaraz would be 19 years and one month old if he manages to win this year.
• In fact, in Madrid Carlos Alcaraz became the youngest player to win a match against the current World No. 1 since Rafael Nadal defeated Roger Federer in the 2005 Roland Garros semi-finals.
• No other player has won more titles than Carlos Alcaraz in 2022 (four): Miami and Madrid Masters 1000, Rio de Janeiro and Barcelona.
• Carlos Alcaraz has never lost in the First Round in a Major – his best performance in a Grand Slam tournament was at the US Open 2021 (Quarter-finals).
• Carlos Alcaraz reached the Third Round in Roland Garros last year, when he debuted in the tournament (lost to Jan-Lennard Struff),
• Only Casper Ruud (81.8%) and Federico Coria (78.6%) have a higher ratio of deciding sets won than Carlos Alcaraz (78.3%) in the last year.
• Juan Ignacio Londero has a 4-4 record on clay court in 2022 and 30-31 overall.
• This will be the first time Juan Ignacio Londero faces a top-ten player this season – he is 0-4 overall.
• Juan Ignacio Londero’s best result so far this season was on clay court, reaching the Second Round in Santiago (lost to Sebastian Baez).
• This is Juan Ignacio Londero’s fourth Roland-Garros main draw appearance. His best run was in 2019, when he reached the Fourth Round (lost to Rafael Nadal).