French Open facts
What: The 113th French Open, second leg of the tennis Grand Slam, starts Sunday.
Where: On the red clay courts at Roland Garros in Paris.
Men’s tournament: Defending champion is Rafael Nadal, the No. 1-seeded player and an eight-time French Open champion. He won in 2005-08 and again in 2010-13. Nadal is 59-1 in his career at the French Open. Novak Djokovic is the No. 2 seed. The Serb, a six-time major champion, needs a French Open title for a career Grand Slam. Djokovic is 0-5 against Nadal in Paris but beat Nadal on clay at Rome last weekend.
Women’s tournament: Defending champion is Serena Williams, the No. 1 seed, who also won the tournament in 2002. She has a 53-2 record on clay since the start of 2012. There could be an all-Williams matchup in the third round, with Serena meeting her sister Venus. If Serena advances, she could face 2012 French Open champion Maria Sharapova in the quarterfinals, in a rematch of last year’s final.
Forecast: Rain is expected throughout Week 1, which could play havoc with the heavy schedule of matches.
TV: ESPN2, NBC and Tennis Channel.
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