The British hopefuls aiming to make the right impression at Roland Garros

Emma Raducanu is sitting out the French Open but seven British players are direct entrants into the main singles draws.

Andy Murray is set to play in the year’s second grand slam, which begins on Sunday, for the final time before retirement, while Katie Boulter is the highest-ranked British player.

Here, the PA news agency looks at the home contenders.

Andy Murray

Murray is set to play in the Parisian capital for the first time in four years as he prepares to bid farewell to professional tennis. The Scot’s only French Open match since his hip problems began seven years ago was a one-sided loss to Stan Wawrinka in 2020. The 37-year-old’s hopes will not be high on his least favourite surface and having only just returned from an ankle injury but he will hope to at least get a feel for the clay ahead of the Olympics this summer.

Katie Boulter

What a season it has been so far for Boulter, who has climbed into the top 30 on the back of a second WTA Tour title in San Diego in March. She will therefore be seeded at Roland Garros despite this being her first main draw appearance – an indication both of her rapid rise and her previous aversion to clay. The 27-year-old is still much more at home on faster surfaces but has shown some encouraging signs on the red stuff.

Cameron Norrie

Norrie has slipped outside the world’s top 30 after a largely disappointing last 12 months but showcased a more aggressive approach at the Australian Open that should translate well to the grass. He has reached the third round at Roland Garros the last two years but is yet to go further.

Jack Draper

The 22-year-old is inching closer to the world’s top 30 after a season of promising moments but also tough losses. The major positive is that Draper has managed to stay fit, and he has no ranking points to defend until August after last year’s shoulder problem.

Dan Evans

It has been a tough year so far for Evans, who turns 34 on Thursday. He began the season short on fitness after a calf injury and has won just five matches in 2024, dropping outside the top 50. He has always found clay difficult and will hope to find some form on the British grass.

Harriet Dart

Dart is another British player for whom clay is something to be endured rather than enjoyed. Her only wins at Roland Garros so far have come in qualifying but the 27-year-old has bypassed that stage this year thanks to a strong start, including a run to the semi-finals of the WTA event in Cluj-Napoca that lifted her back into the top 100.

Jodie Burrage

Burrage will be happy if she can take her place in the first round after suffering a left wrist injury in February that required surgery. She has been back training for the past few weeks and will hope to be back to full fitness in time for the grass-court season, where she has a lot of ranking points to defend.