<p>Defending champion Novak Djokovic, 13-time winner Rafael Nadal and new teenage star Carlos Alcaraz were drawn in the same half of the French Open on Thursday.</p>.<p>World number one Djokovic and Nadal, ranked five, are seeded to meet as early as the quarter-finals.</p>.<p>Alcaraz, 19, is bidding to become just the eighth teenager to win a Grand Slam men's title.</p>.<p>He could face either Djokovic or Nadal, who holds a record 21 majors, in the semi-finals in a top-heavy draw for the second Grand Slam of the season.</p>.<p>"I am very motivated to play my best tennis," said two-time French Open champion and 20-time major winner Djokovic.</p>.<p>"In Paris, I always play very strong. Last year, it was the toughest major that I had won."</p>.<p>Djokovic had to twice come from two sets down last year to beat Lorenzo Musetti in the last-16 and Stefanos Tsitspas in the final having also beaten Nadal from a set behind in a bruising semi-final.</p>.<p>"Musetti, Rafa, Tsitsipas -- every match lasted more than three hours, a lot of sets. It was exhausting but I loved the outcome."</p>.<p>Djokovic, who celebrates his 35th birthday on Sunday, the opening day at Roland Garros, faces 94th-ranked Yoshihito Nishioka of Japan in the first round.</p>.<p>Nadal starts against Australia's Jordan Thompson as he looks to extend his French Open record of only three defeats in 108 matches at the tournament since his title-winning debut in 2005.</p>.<p>Alcaraz, who has a season-leading four titles in 2022 including Masters crowns in Miami and Madrid as well as Rio and Barcelona, begins against a qualifier.</p>.<p>The teenager knocked out Djokovic and Nadal on his way to victory in the Spanish capital.</p>.<p>Second seed Daniil Medvedev, the US Open champion, faces Argentina's Facundo Bagnis in his first round.</p>.<p>Third-ranked Alexander Zverev meets a qualifier while Tsitsipas has a tough opener against Musetti.</p>.<p>In the women's draw, world number one Iga Swiatek, the 2020 champion, is on a 28-match win streak and has pocketed five successive titles this season.</p>.<p>The 20-year-old Pole begins against a qualifier while second seed and defending champion Barbora Krejcikova faces France's Diane Parry.</p>.<p>Four-time major winner Naomi Osaka, a former world number one but now down at 38, returns to Paris 12 months after she pulled out ahead of the second round, citing mental health issues.</p>.<p>She had also been threatened with expulsion and fined by organisers over her refusal to attend press conferences.</p>.<p>The 24-year-old, the world's highest-earning sportswoman, faces American 27th seed Amanda Anisimova, a semi-finalist in Paris in 2019.</p>.<p>Anisimova knocked Osaka out of the Australian Open in the third round this year.</p>.<p>Third seed Paula Badosa of Spain begins against France's Fiona Ferro while fourth-seeded Maria Sakkari also has a French opponent in Clara Burel.</p>.<p>Tunisia's Ons Jabeur, seeded six and the champion on clay in Madrid last month, takes on Magda Linette of Poland in her first round clash.</p>
<p>Defending champion Novak Djokovic, 13-time winner Rafael Nadal and new teenage star Carlos Alcaraz were drawn in the same half of the French Open on Thursday.</p>.<p>World number one Djokovic and Nadal, ranked five, are seeded to meet as early as the quarter-finals.</p>.<p>Alcaraz, 19, is bidding to become just the eighth teenager to win a Grand Slam men's title.</p>.<p>He could face either Djokovic or Nadal, who holds a record 21 majors, in the semi-finals in a top-heavy draw for the second Grand Slam of the season.</p>.<p>"I am very motivated to play my best tennis," said two-time French Open champion and 20-time major winner Djokovic.</p>.<p>"In Paris, I always play very strong. Last year, it was the toughest major that I had won."</p>.<p>Djokovic had to twice come from two sets down last year to beat Lorenzo Musetti in the last-16 and Stefanos Tsitspas in the final having also beaten Nadal from a set behind in a bruising semi-final.</p>.<p>"Musetti, Rafa, Tsitsipas -- every match lasted more than three hours, a lot of sets. It was exhausting but I loved the outcome."</p>.<p>Djokovic, who celebrates his 35th birthday on Sunday, the opening day at Roland Garros, faces 94th-ranked Yoshihito Nishioka of Japan in the first round.</p>.<p>Nadal starts against Australia's Jordan Thompson as he looks to extend his French Open record of only three defeats in 108 matches at the tournament since his title-winning debut in 2005.</p>.<p>Alcaraz, who has a season-leading four titles in 2022 including Masters crowns in Miami and Madrid as well as Rio and Barcelona, begins against a qualifier.</p>.<p>The teenager knocked out Djokovic and Nadal on his way to victory in the Spanish capital.</p>.<p>Second seed Daniil Medvedev, the US Open champion, faces Argentina's Facundo Bagnis in his first round.</p>.<p>Third-ranked Alexander Zverev meets a qualifier while Tsitsipas has a tough opener against Musetti.</p>.<p>In the women's draw, world number one Iga Swiatek, the 2020 champion, is on a 28-match win streak and has pocketed five successive titles this season.</p>.<p>The 20-year-old Pole begins against a qualifier while second seed and defending champion Barbora Krejcikova faces France's Diane Parry.</p>.<p>Four-time major winner Naomi Osaka, a former world number one but now down at 38, returns to Paris 12 months after she pulled out ahead of the second round, citing mental health issues.</p>.<p>She had also been threatened with expulsion and fined by organisers over her refusal to attend press conferences.</p>.<p>The 24-year-old, the world's highest-earning sportswoman, faces American 27th seed Amanda Anisimova, a semi-finalist in Paris in 2019.</p>.<p>Anisimova knocked Osaka out of the Australian Open in the third round this year.</p>.<p>Third seed Paula Badosa of Spain begins against France's Fiona Ferro while fourth-seeded Maria Sakkari also has a French opponent in Clara Burel.</p>.<p>Tunisia's Ons Jabeur, seeded six and the champion on clay in Madrid last month, takes on Magda Linette of Poland in her first round clash.</p>