French Open 2022: When is the second tennis major of the year, how can I watch it on television in the UK, how much is the prize money and is Andy Murray playing?

The world’s best tennis players will travel to Paris later this month to take part in a tournament that could see history made.

The singles tournaments at Roland Garros will see 128 men and 128 battling to join Australian Open champions Rafael Nadal and Ashleigh Barty as 2022 major winners.

To do so they’ll have to win seven matches in a row in front of capacity crowds in Paris.

In the men’s tournament Rafael Nadal will be looking to extend his incredible record of both most French Open titles (13) and most major wins (21) after overtaking rivals Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic by winning this year’s Australian Open.

Federer is absent from this year’s tournament, but Djokovic will be hoping to defend the trophy he lifted last year to equal Nadal’s overall total major wins.

Here’s everything you need to know about the tournament.

When is the 2022 French Open?

The tournament will run from Sunday, May 22, to Sunday, June 5, with the key dates in the singles tournaments as follows:

First round: May 22, 23, 24.

Second round: May 25, 26.

Third round: May 27, 28.

Fourth round: May 29, 30.

Quarter-finals: May 31, June 1.

Semi-finals: June 2, 3.

Women's final: June 4.

Men's final: June 5.

When is the draw?

It’s not officially been confirmed when the draw for the tournamnet wilol be made, but it’s usually three days before the first round, so is likely to be on May 19 in France.

There will be a total of 32 players seeded in each of the singles draws, meaning the world’s best players will not meet each other until later in the tournament.

Who are the favourites to win?

Rafael Nadal is favourite to take the men’s title at 13/8, followed by Carlos Alcaraz (2/1), Novak Djokovic (11/4), Stefanos Tsitsipas (11/2) and Alexander Zverev (14/1).

In the women’s tournament Iga Swiatek is favourite at 15/8, followed by Simona Halep (6/1), Paula Badosa (11/1), Barbora Krejcikova (12/1) and Garbine Muguruza (14/1).

Is Andy Murray playing?

Andy Murray will not be playing in this year’s French Open, having opted to sit out the entire clay court season.

The Scot has been battling injury since having hip surgery in 2019, but still hopes to compete on grass in Wimbledon later this year.

He explained: “The past couple of years, the clay has made issues worse; last year I had some issues at the beginning of the year, the clay didn't help, so I've spoken to my team about that and this year while I feel good and healthy, I don't want to take that risk.

"It's not that I wouldn't potentially play on clay in the future. Last year I almost missed Wimbledon, was close to not playing the grass season, I'm not planning on playing the clay. I will still try to compete a bit during that period, I won't do nothing, that's my plan just now.

"I had a busy end of last year and the next couple of months I won't take any risks and hopefully get a good build up to the grass season."

How much is the prize money?

The champion of both the men’s and women’s singles will receive a hefty €1,400,000, with the runner-up getting €750,000, the semi-finalists €375,000 and the quarter-finalists €255,000.

Even players who lose their first round games will be handed cheques for €60,000.

How can I watch the French Open on UK television?

Full live coverage of the French Open will be available exclusively on Eurosport in the UK.

Many television packages include the channel but otherwise it costs £6.99-a-month or £39.99 for a year.

You can also watch the French Open by adding Eurosport to your Sky or BT subscription.

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