Revealing and reacting to the 2020 Roland Garros men's & women's draws

2020 Roland Garros previews: Expert Picks | Men's Preview | Women's Preview | Top 5 First-Rounders | Men's Draw | Women's Draw | Quarter-by-quarter analysis | Make Your Picks

The 2020 Roland Garros men's and women's draws were be made on Thursday afternoon; the brackets can be seen below, along with our real-time reactions.

12:42 p.m. ET: Here are the complete men's draws for Roland Garros 2020:

Novak Djokovic's path to the semifinals seems pretty secure; Cristian Garin is a strong clay-courter, and No. 10 seed Roberto Bautista Agut may be the second-best player in this quarter. RBA is no slough, but I'd like his chances against Novak more on a hard court than on the terre battue.

You might call this the "Quarter of Life," with no sight of Djokovic, Nadal or Thiem. All of the seeds are capable on clay, so it's an exceedingly difficult section to predict. This is certain: if you like one-handed backhands, you're in the right place—Denis Shapovalov, Grigor Dimitrov and Stefanos Tsitsipas all reside in the same octet.

Thiem's reward for winning his first Grand Slam title, apparently, was an impossible follow-up. He opens against the always-dangerous Marin Cilic, he could face star server Reilly Opelka next, and he could face clay-adept Casper Ruud in round three...oh, there's more. Stan Wawrinka is a possible fourth-round opponent, followed by Rome finalist Diego Schwartzman—all before the likely presence of Rafa. And don't forget Djokovic in the final!

Kei Nishikori is unseeded, which is a strange sight. He didn't make the trip to New York, though, and his stay in Paris could also be brief, with Daniel Evans across the net from the onset. Regardless of who emerges to face Rafa in the third round, Nadal should take care of business. Then it gets a little more interesting, with John Isner (who's taken Nadal to a fifth at the French) and career tormentor Fabio Fognini looming. And as we saw in the first two sets of the US Open final, a pressure-free Alexander Zverev is a dangerous foe.

12:34 p.m. ET: Dominic Thiem is drawn into the third quarter, meaning he's in Rafael Nadal's half of the draw.

12:26 p.m. ET: Here are the complete women's draws for Roland Garros 2020:

Gauff will play ninth-seeded Johanna Konta in a section that includes last year's runner-up, Marketa Vondrousova. But the story here is Halep: is she the biggest women's favorite at a Slam since Serena's glory days? Based on her recent run, that case could be made. Her serve is always a concern when facing a big returner, but for now, pencil Halep into the semis.

Garcia and Anett Kontaveit in a first-rounder that, provided fans remain allowed, is hopefully staged in Court Phillipe Chatrier. Vika and Serena, opponents in a memorable US Open semifinal are in this quarter, and could meet in the fourth round. But Williams' form on clay is a major question mark, having skipped Rome and Strasbourg.

Sofia Kenin and Aryna Sabalenka are the top seeds in this section, but it's Jennifer Brady and Garbine Muguruza who should warrant the most attention. Brady looks like a Top 5 player, and anything worse than a third-round appearance would be a disappointment. I cap it at round three, though, because Muguruza could be waiting. If both players are peaking, that could a match-of-the-tournament candidate.

Until Pliskova proves it at a major, it's hard to back her. Ostapenko and Sloane Stephens are certainly capable of beating her, but the Czech's rebound in Rome was encouraging. Meanwhile, Petra Kvitova and Angelique Kerber are on the other half of this quarter. I'd be more comfortable picking one of those two to emerge than the No. 2 seed.

12:21 p.m. ET: The third and fourth quarters of the draw, each have a bit of French flair. Karolina Pliskova could face former champion Jelena Ostapenko in the second round.

12:17 p.m. ET: The unseeded players' positions have been revealed. Coco Gauff will be in top seed Simona Halep's quarter of the draw.

Watch out for Caroline Garcia—who beat top-seeded Karolina Pliskova at the US Open in the second quarter. In first-round play, Venus Williams will face Anna Karolina Schmiedlova.

12:13 p.m. ET: This draw is different, but it's still quintessentially French. Each speaker is welcomed with a jazz number, and even the Lacoste-tagged masks look stylish.

12:05 p.m. ET: "The tennis world, and the world planet, has been affected by an uncertainty affecting all human existence," says French Tennis Federation president Bernard Giudicelli in a stunning visual.

12:01 p.m. ET: The draw ceremony has begun.

11:39 a.m. ET: There will be much less pomp and circumstance for this year's Roland Garros draws than usual, but they will be no less important.

Simona Halep enters the clay-court major on a 14-match, three-tournament win streak; who could she be pitted against when the stakes are at their highest? On the men's side, there's no Roger Federer, but with Dominic Thiem's US Open win and terre battue bonafides, there's something of a Big Three nonetheless. That makes it all the more intriguing where the third-ranked Austrian gets placed.

The above video stream will be live once the draw begins, at roughly 11:45 a.m ET. Continue to refresh this page for updates and analysis throughout the reveal.