French Open 2023: Dates, schedule, prize money, top stars and how to watch

The second Grand Slam of the tennis calendar, the French Open, or Roland Garros as the brand guidelines suggest, gets underway on Sunday (28 May). Without 14-time champion Rafael Nadal, the tournament wears a look that has not been seen since 2004. Before the main stadium got a retractable roof, before night sessions were added to the schedule and before the players got equal prize money. Here’s a look at the important things you need to know ahead of 2023 French Open. When is the 2023 French Open? The main draw for the French Open begins on 28 May (Sunday) and concludes on 11 June (Sunday). The women’s final will take place a day earlier on 10th June. The draw for the main event takes place on 25 May at 2 PM CET after most of the qualifying matches would have concluded. Day sessions for the tournament are scheduled to begin at 11 AM Paris time (11 AM CET/2:30 PM IST) with the one night session match scheduled for 8:30 PM local time (8:30 PM CET/12 AM IST). Who are the top stars at 2023 French Open? Nadal is the big one missing in the men’s field. With his psoas injury not healing in time, Rafa was forced to announce his withdrawal from the tournament. However, fellow Spaniard Carlos Alcaraz will lead the men’s field after dethroning Novak Djokovic at the top of the rankings following the Italian Open in Rome. Djokovic is looking to edge Nadal with a 23rd major title but comes in with patchy form and questionable physical fitness. Another player in the men’s singles mix, surprisingly, is Daniil Medvedev. The Italian Open champion has said clay is not one of his preferred surfaces but has improved significantly on it over the years. He made the quarter-finals in Monte Carlo and Round of 16 in Madrid followed by going all the way in Rome. Over on the women’s draw, defending champion and two-time winner Iga Swiatek is the top seed. She suffered a thigh injury during the Italian Open and was forced to retire against Elena Rybakina. The Russia-born Kazakhstan player clinched the title in Rome and improved to a career-high World No 4. Also in the mix for the title will be Australian Open champion Aryna Sabalenka. The Belarus player was beaten by Swiatek in Stuttgart but earned revenge in Madrid. Who is missing? This is the first French Open in a quarter of a century without either Nadal or Roger Federer. Federer made his tournament debut in 1998 and Nadal in 2005. The Swiss retired last year and Nadal will miss for the first time since 2005. The Spaniard also said the next year could be his last. Other big names missing are 2018 champion Simona Halep (provisionally suspended for doping), 2016 champion Garbine Muguruza (taking a break), four-time major winner Naomi Osaka (pregnant), three-time Grand Slam winner Andy Murray (focusing on grass court season), 2022 Wimbledon runner-up Nick Kyrgios (injured) and 2021 US Open champion Emma Raducanu (injury). What is the prize money for the 2023 French Open? The singles winners — male and female — will earn €2.3 million prize cheque with the finalist getting €1.15 million. The biggest rise is in the first-round losers in the men’s and women’s singles draws, in qualifying, in wheelchair tennis and quad competitions. The tournament’s overall prize money has risen to a record €49.6 million, up 12.3 per cent from 2022. The prize money for losers in the first three rounds has increased between 11-13 per cent. Who are the defending champions? On the men’s singles draw, Nadal is the defending champion. He won his 14th title in Paris when he beat Casper Ruud 6-3, 6-3, 6-0 on the Philippe Chatrier. At 36, Nadal became the oldest title winner in the history of the clay-court tournament. He will not be defending the title this time around. Swiatek had triumphed in the women’s singles competition. She beat USA’s Coco Gauff 6-1, 6-3 and continued her staggering 37-match winning streak. The title made her the youngest woman to win multiple majors since Maria Sharapova. How to watch the 2023 French Open in India? Tennis fans in India can watch the 2023 French Open on Sony Ten Network. It can be live streamed on SonyLiv app and website. Read all the Latest News , Trending News ,  Cricket News , Bollywood News ,  India News and Entertainment News here. Follow us on Facebook , Twitter and Instagram .