French Open 2023 start date, seedings, and how to watch on TV in the UK

The French Open is almost upon us (Picture: Clive Brunskill/Getty Images)

The second Grand Slam of the tennis season is just days away with the French Open 2023 set to take place in Paris once again.

A number of big names will be absent from the clay of Roland-Garros this time around, including 14-time winner Rafael Nadal who is recovering from a hip injury sustained at the start of the year.

Nick Kyrgios and Emma Raducanu will also miss the tournament through injury, whilst Andy Murray has elected to skip the French Open in order to prioritise his Wimbledon preparations on grass.

Here is everything you need to know about this year’s French Open.

When does the French Open start?

The French Open will start on Sunday, May 28 with the first round of the main draw.

Djokovic is tied with Nadal on 22 Grand Slam titles (Picture: Alex Pantling/Getty Images)

The tournament will conclude with the women’s final on Saturday, June 10 and the men’s final on Sunday, June 11.

Qualifying began on Monday, May 22 and will conclude on Friday, May 26.

When is the draw and what are the seedings?

The draw for the French Open will take place on Thursday, May 25 at 1pm BST.

Carlos Alcaraz, who has overtaken Novak Djokovic to become the world No. 1, is the top seed in the men’s draw ahead of Italian Open winner Daniil Medvedev, whilst Britain’s Cameron Norrie is seeded 14th.

In the women’s draw, Iga Swiatek is the top seed ahead of Australian Open champion Aryna Sabalenka.

Russian and Belarusian players have been allowed to play in the French capital but they will not compete under the name or flag of their country.

French Open schedule

Up until the end of the quarter-finals, play will start at 10am BST each day, with a night session scheduled for 7.30pm BST in the evenings.

From the semi-finals onwards, play will commence at 2pm BST, with the exception of men’s semi-final day which starts at 1.45pm BST.

Men’s and women’s first round – May 28, 29, 30

Men’s and women’s second round – May 31, June 1

Men’s and women’s third round – June 2, 3

Men’s and women’s fourth round – June 4, 5

Men’s and women’s quarter-finals – June 6, 7

Women’s semi-finals – June 8

Men’s semi-finals – June 9

Women’s final – June 10

Men’s final – June 11

Swiatek is gunning for her third title at Roland-Garros (Picture: Robert Prange/Getty Images)

How to watch on TV and live stream

The French Open will be shown live on Eurosport in the UK.

As well as the Eurosport TV channels, fans can live stream the action on the Eurosport website, app and on discovery+.

New customers can purchase a Eurosport pass with discovery+ for £6.99 a month or for £59.99 for the year.

Who won last year?

Nadal won his record-extending 14th French Open crown 12 months ago with victory over Casper Ruud 6-3, 6-3, 6-0.

Swiatek clinched her second French Open title last year with a 6-1, 6-3 win over Coco Gauff, losing just one set in the entirety of the tournament.

Not long to go now.