Taking on Swiatek is not quite so daunting as before her recent struggles for consistency. The 23-year-old has not won a title since her triumph here in Paris last year and did not reach a final during this year’s European clay-court swing after being knocked out in the quarter-finals in Stuttgart, the semi-finals in Madrid and the second round in Rome.

“I am working hard to be ready and play as good tennis as possible,” Swiatek said during Thursday’s draw ceremony. “For sure this season has more ups and downs than years before but I know my game is there. I just need to figure out how to use it in the most important moments and in the best way during the matches.

“Tennis is sometimes a complicated sport but we should make it easy in our heads. I shall try and do this step by step.”

Still, the world’s best players have a habit of finding their best tennis again at the biggest tournaments, and Swiatek would likely still pose a considerable challenge for Raducanu if they are to meet here. In their four previous meetings, Swiatek has not dropped a set.

Swiatek has paid the price, though, for her lack of form. She has dropped to fifth in the world rankings so is the fifth seed at Roland Garros this year and has been given a tough route through the draw as a result. A fourth-round match against her nemesis Jelena Ostapenko is possible — the Latvian leads their head-to-head 6-0 — while the Italian Open champion Jasmine Paolini and the world No1 Aryna Sabalenka are potential back-to-back opponents in the quarter-finals and semi-finals.

Raducanu travelled to Paris on Thursday with no major concerns over the back spasm she suffered during a second-round exit at the Strasbourg Open 24 hours previously. A spokesperson confirmed that she is now in good condition with no doubts over her participation.

Katie Boulter also faces a tricky second-round test against the reigning Australian Open champion Madison Keys if she can get past a qualifier first up. Sonay Kartal takes on Erika Andreeva, while Jodie Burrage meets Danielle Collins. Francesca Jones will join her British compatriots in the main draw if she gets through the final round of qualifying on Friday.

In the men’s singles, Jack Draper is reaping the rewards from his seeding of No5 with a first-round match against Mattia Bellucci, the world No68 from Italy. The 23-year-old Briton cannot face a higher-ranked opponent until the quarter-finals at the earliest, in which he is projected to face the world No1 Jannik Sinner.

Jacob Fearnley has been pitted against the Swiss veteran Stan Wawrinka, while Cameron Norrie faces a tough task against Daniil Medvedev. There is also a notable first-round tie between the reigning champion Carlos Alcaraz and the former world No4 Kei Nishikori.

Players meet with grand-slam chiefs over prize money demands

Top-ten players will meet with representatives from the four grand-slam tournaments at Roland Garros on Thursday to discuss demands for more prize money.

Officials from Wimbledon have travelled to Paris to join counterparts from the French Open, Australian Open and US Open in a meeting with some of those who came together to sign a joint letter in March calling for a greater share of tournament revenue.

Also on the table is a request from the players for more consultation on decisions taken by the organisers of the grand-slams, such as scheduling and rule changes. There is also a belief that the sport’s four majors should join the ATP and WTA tours in making separate financial contributions to welfare programmes, such as pensions and healthcare.

Soon after the letter was received, grand-slam officials made it clear that they were willing to sit down and discuss these issues. The first meeting was scheduled for Thursday but is expected to only include a small group of the 20 players — the top ten in the ATP and WTA rankings at the time — who put their names to the letter. Novak Djokovic, for example, cannot attend as he is competing at the Geneva Open.

The stand-out complaint in the letter, which is co-signed by the likes of Carlos Alcaraz and Iga Swiatek, is that “prize money at the grand-slams should represent a fairer share of revenue”. Generally the prize money sits at about 12 to 18 per cent of the income at the four majors, which the players believe to be unreasonable compared to other sports. The approximate ratio of 50-50 in sports including baseball and basketball is cited.

Privately, the grand-slams have always contested this by pointing out that it is too simplistic to make direct comparisons with American domestic sports leagues involving teams. There has also been significant increases above inflation in the amount of prize money paid over the past 15 years or so. For example, a first-round loser at Wimbledon in 2024 earned £60,000, close to five times the £11,500 that was paid out in 2011. The singles champions at this month’s French Open will receive £2.2million.

It is difficult to see the grand-slams ceding much ground in this particular debate, but officials may be open to more movement on the calls for welfare contributions and greater consultation. The players cited the recent introduction of Sunday starts at the Australian Open and US Open and late-night scheduling as decisions taken “unilaterally” without any formal discussions on the impact.