PARIS, MAY 27 (V7N) – Novak Djokovic will embark on his latest quest for a record-breaking 25th Grand Slam title at the French Open on Tuesday, while leading women's contenders Coco Gauff and Mirra Andreeva are set to commence their campaigns.

The 38-year-old Djokovic will face the 98th-ranked American Mackenzie McDonald. This match comes three days after Djokovic became only the third man in history to win 100 ATP titles, following his victory in Geneva.

"Obviously winning 100th title, that is a nice milestone, of course, definitely much needed for my game and confidence level coming into Roland Garros," said Djokovic. "I needed to win matches, and particularly on this surface. I'm the type of player that needs to get some matches under his belt before the big tournaments."

Three-time Roland Garros champion Djokovic is in the same half of the draw as world number one Jannik Sinner and last year's runner-up Alexander Zverev. Seeded sixth, Djokovic returns to Paris for the first time since defeating Carlos Alcaraz to secure a coveted Olympic gold medal last August.

"After the Geneva title, I feel more confident. I feel more positive about my level," Djokovic added. "I feel better, I still have a lot of ambitions, I still have high objectives."

World number three Zverev is hoping to improve on his performance 12 months ago when he lost the final to Carlos Alcaraz in five sets, marking his third defeat in as many Grand Slam finals. His preparation has been less than ideal, having lost in the round of 16 in Hamburg due to illness and experiencing a lightning strike that forced an emergency landing of his plane en route to Paris. Zverev will face US teenager Learner Tien, who surprisingly defeated the German in straight sets in Acapulco in February.

Fifth seed Jack Draper, who won at Indian Wells and reached the Madrid final, will play Mattia Bellucci in the first round, while 11th seed Daniil Medvedev is set to meet Cameron Norrie. Alex de Minaur, a quarter-finalist at each of the past four majors, will square off against Laslo Djere. Czech teenager and Miami champion Jakub Mensik faces home hope Alexandre Muller.

In the women's draw, 2022 French Open runner-up Coco Gauff will play Australia's Olivia Gadecki, who has only one Grand Slam main draw match win to her credit. Gauff, the 2023 US Open winner, has not won a tournament since last year's WTA Finals but reached the finals at both Madrid and Rome this month.

"It definitely gives me a lot of confidence, but I think I'm just putting those results in the past and focusing on the next two weeks here," said Gauff. The 21-year-old American has consistently reached the quarter-finals or better in her last four appearances at Roland Garros.

Rising Russian star Mirra Andreeva is aiming for her maiden Grand Slam crown after securing WTA 1000 titles in Dubai and Indian Wells earlier this year. She also won a silver medal in doubles at last year's Olympics, two months after an impressive run to the semifinals at Roland Garros, where she fell to eventual runner-up Jasmine Paolini. Andreeva will face Spanish world number 98 Cristina Bucsa in the first round.

"I'm super excited to be back. The practices and everything is going good so far. I just can't wait to start the tournament," said the sixth-seeded Andreeva.

Ons Jabeur, a three-time Grand Slam runner-up, will also be in action. The Tunisian, unseeded due to a recent injury battle, will meet Poland's Magdalena French. The day will also feature a clash of mothers, as two-time former Australian Open champion Victoria Azarenka plays Belgium's Yanina Wickmayer, a surprise 2009 US Open semi-finalist who plans to retire after Wimbledon.

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