Djokovic, Nadal lined up for Roland Garros semis

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Djokovic, Nadal lined up for Roland Garros semis
Rafael Nadal of Spain rests during a training session ahead of the French Open.

Paris - Serb needs a Roland Garros title to complete a career Grand Slam

By AFP

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Published: Fri 20 May 2016, 5:21 PM

Last updated: Fri 20 May 2016, 11:17 PM

World number one Novak Djokovic and nine-time champion Rafael Nadal have been seeded to meet in the French Open semifinals after the draw was made on Friday.
Djokovic needs a Roland Garros title to complete a career Grand Slam after losing three finals in four years including last season to Stan Wawrinka.
Fourth seed Wawrinka is scheduled to take on second seed Andy Murray in the other semifinal.
Top seed Djokovic, bidding for a 12th career major, starts his campaign against Taiwan's Lu Yen-Hsun, the world number 110 who made the Wimbledon quarterfinals in 2010. Djokovic is seeded to face Tomas Berdych in the last-eight.
Nadal, who lost to Djokovic in the quarterfinals in 2015, had originally been set to be seeded at five until 2009 champion Roger Federer withdrew through injury on Thursday.
Fourth seed Nadal starts his French Open against big-serving Sam Groth of Australia with a potential quarterfinal against home hope Jo-Wilfried Tsonga.
Murray, fresh from beating Djokovic in the Rome Masters final last weekend, will meet a qualifier in the first round with a potential quarterfinal against Japan's Kei Nishikori. Wawrinka opens against Lukas Rosol, the Czech player who shocked Nadal at Wimbledon in 2012, while his potential last-eight rival would be Canada's Milos Raonic.
In the women's draw, defending champion and top seed Serena Williams, bidding for a fourth Paris title and 22nd Grand Slam crown, starts against Slovakia's Magdalena Rybarikova, the world number 76.
The 27-year-old Slovak has never made it beyond the second round in Paris.
Williams could face 2010 champion Francesca Schiavone of Italy in the third round.


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