French Open draw: Heather Watson to face doubles partner Nicole Gibbs first

The clay-court tournament begins on Sunday

Heather Watson warms up for the French Open (Getty)

Heather Watson will meet a familiar face when the French Open gets under way here next week. The draw for the year’s second Grand Slam tournament today paired the British No 2 with Nicole Gibbs, who will also be her doubles partner here.

Watson and Gibbs have got to know each other well on the European circuit this year. It was the 23-year-old American who suggested they play doubles together and Watson took her up on the invitation.

Gibbs, who is ranked No 72 in the world, is making only her second appearance here, having lost in the first round 12 months ago. She won her only previous meeting with Watson in Seoul two years ago. “She’s more of a counter-puncher,” Watson said. “She’s a good mover. She's not going to blow me away with big shots, but it should be interesting.

“I’ll be doing my homework because I haven't played her in a long time. I've seen her play a bit, but it’s different when you play against someone. I’ve just got to get the feel of it when I’m out on the court.”

Nicole Gibbs will take on Heather Watson (Getty ) (Getty)

She added: “I have an analysis guy I work with who has lots of videos of different players. I just get the stats from the most recent matches on this surface and I look through them. It shows me all things, from where players serve more, where they serve more on bigger points, where they return more, which side they make more errors from, which side they make more winners from.”

Watson or Gibbs could face Svetlana Kuznetsova, a former French Open champion, in the second round, but for the moment the Briton’s focus is wholly on her opening contest. Watson, the world No 54, thinks she may need to win one match here to ensure that she plays in the Olympics this summer, which is her main goal for the year.

The field for Rio is decided by the world rankings as they stand at the end of the French Open. A place in the world’s top 60 should be enough to secure a place on the flight to Brazil, but Watson is defending points here, having reached the second round last year.

“It’s getting so close,” Watson said. “It’s stressful. I still feel I need to win at least one round here, definitely. It is a big motivation for me. I loved the Olympics the first time four years ago. It was the best experience ever for me. That’s why I’m so desperate to play it again this time.”

Watson said she could not understand why some players had pulled out of the Rio Olympics. “I would do anything to play,” she said.

Asked what she liked so much about the Olympics, Watson said: “It’s everything that comes with it: meeting the other British athletes, the foreign athletes, the village, being part of the biggest sporting event in the world, competing for your country, getting lets of cool kit, trading badges, meeting new people.”

What had she liked most about the 2012 Games? “My No 1 highlight is a secret. My second highlight was everything. It being in London made it extra special. I didn’t get to see many events. I went to the velodrome and we won three gold medals. I went with Annie Keothavong. There was a great atmosphere.”

Having dropped out of the world’s top 80 earlier this year, Watson is happy with her season so far. She won the title in Monterrey in March, reached the fourth round in Miami and has won four matches in her last two tournaments on clay.

Watson said she felt “loads better” about her game than she had a year ago. “I’m feeling really good about my game at the moment,” she said. “The first few weeks on the clay, I wasn’t moving well. I felt a bit like Bambi on ice. But in the last couple of weeks, it has really clicked and gelled.”

Watson is now the British No 2 behind Johanna Konta, who is seeded at a Grand Slam tournament for the first time. The world No 22 was ranked No 143 at this time last year and had to qualify to play in the main draw, in which she was beaten by the Czech Republic’s Denisa Allertova.

This time Konta has been drawn in the first round against the 27-year-old German, Julia Goerges, who is the world No 60. Goerges, who has never played Konta before, reached the last 16 here last year and is a former winner of the Stuttgart clay-court tournament. She reached a career-high position of No 15 in the world rankings four years ago.

If Konta wins she would face Monica Puig or Olga Govortsova in the second round. The Briton is seeded to meet Madison Keys in the third round, with Angelique Kerber, the Australian Open champion, a potential opponent in the fourth.

Watson has not been surprised by Konta’s progress. “I’ve always said that Jo’s an unbelievable player,” Watson said. “She’s got everything. I didn’t know how she wasn’t winning before. I guess it was that mental thing, and as soon as she’s got it, she’s just sky-rocketed.”

Laura Robson, who is playing with a “protected” world ranking after her long absence following wrist surgery, has a tough first-round draw against Germany’s Andrea Petkovic, the world No 31, who was a semi-finalist here two years ago. Robson, who stands at No 329 in the world rankings, has never won a match in the main draw at Roland Garros.

Naomi Broady, who is in the main draw of a Grand Slam tournament by dint of her world ranking for the first time, meets Coco Vandeweghe, the world No 40, who reached the quarter-finals at Wimbledon last summer. The 24-year-old American, who has never played the Briton before, has won only one match in her four previous appearances in the main draw here. The winner will face Bethanie Mattek-Sands or Irina-Camelia Begu in the second round.

Serena Williams begins the defence of her title against Magdalena Rybarikova. The world No 1 is seeded to meet Victoria Azarenka, one of the form players of the year, in the quarter-finals.