Men's Draw Review: All eyes on Novak Djokovic, and potential pitfalls

Rafael Nadal will kick off his 2018 French Open campaign against Alexandr Dolgopolov, a potentially tricky first-round opponent, but one the 10-time champion should be able to get past comfortably.

Many of his peers might not have that easy a go of it in the first round.

Danger lurks for a number of seeds in their opening matches. From Roberto Bautista Agut, seeded 13th drawing Denis Istomin, who beat Novak Djokovic at last year’s Australian Open, to the veteran Philipp Kohlshcreiber, the 22nd seed, facing young talent Borna Coric, potential battles abound throughout the draw.

As he prepares for another attempt at a Grand Slam breakthrough, number-two seed Alexander Zverev escaped the more dangerous floaters and drew Ricardas Berankis in the first round. The German is in the same quarter of the draw with Dominic Thiem, but the road to that potential blockbuster match won’t be easy with Kei Nishikori, Stefanos Tsitsipas and former champion Stan Wawrinka—who’s still trying to get his legs under him—presenting possible challenges to both players.

WATCH: Stories of the Open Era—the 1968 French Open

In the other quarter of the draw’s bottom half, Grigor Dimitrov and David Goffin are the top seeds at four and eight, respectively. However, all eyes on that section will surely be on the 20th seed, Novak Djokovic.

The last time Djokovic entered the French Open ranked outside the Top 4 was 2007, when he was No. 6 and reached the semifinals—his first appearance in the final four of a major.

Injuries and struggles with form have Djokovic at his current position in the standings, but his recent run in Rome indicates that he could be poised for a rebound. Facing a qualifier in the first round, fellow veteran David Ferrer looms as a second-round opponent for Djokovic, with Istomin or Bautista Agut a possibility in the round of 32.

Back to the top half of the draw, Nadal could see his 2017 US Open final foe Kevin Anderson, the No. 6 seed, in the quarterfinals. If that match were to happen, the pair would have to go through a section that includes dynamic shotmakers Denis Shapovalov and Richard Gasquet, clay-court grinders Diego Schwartzman and Pablo Cuevas, and serve-and-volleyers Mischa Zverev and Feliciano Lopez.

Marin Cilic, the No. 3 seed, is in the same section of the top half of the draw with Juan Martin del Potro, seeded fifth. Players like Tomas Berdych, John Isner and Kyle Edmund could stop a quarterfinal between the two US Open champions from occurring.

Here’s a look at some of the standout first-round matches on tap:

Sam Querrey (12) vs. Frances Tiafoe Querrey has struggled thus far in 2018, while his countryman Tiafoe has begun to live up to the hype surrounding him this year. He's coming off a runner-up finish on red clay in Estoril, only months after winning his first singles title.

Lucas Pouille (15) vs. Daniil Medvedev It never appears to be an easy task for a Frenchman to play in front of the Roland Garros crowd. Pressure—and strong play from the young Russian—could make things more difficult for Pouille.

Fabio Fognini (18) vs. Pablo Andujar The Italian will be coming into the tournament off deep runs in Geneva and Rome, where he took a set off Nadal. Andujar, who has made a successful return from career-threatening injury, has the ability to present a challenge to Fognini.

ROLAND GARROS QUALIFYING (5/21-5/25)

-Tennis Channel Plus features up to 10 courts of live action from Roland Garros Qualifying beginning Monday May 21 at 4:00am ET

ATP ROME

-Miss any of the action from Internazionali BNL d'Italia? Catch up and watch all your favorite ATP stars anytime and on-demand on Tennis Channel Plus

*Matches subject to change

To get Tennis Channel Plus, go to BuyTCPlus.com