PARIS, May 24 -- Spanish tennis ace Rafael Nadal could expect a smooth route to defending his title at the 2018 French Open without being drawn into the same half with several potential threats on Thursday.

Nadal, who claimed his 10th title one year ago, kicked off his title defense against Alexandr Dolgopolov. The first seeded player waiting ahead may be local favorite Richard Gasquet in the third round, while the 14th-seeded Jack Sock or Canadian promising star Denis Shapovalov looms in next.

South African Kevin Anderson is expected to be the final obstacle for Nadal in the quarter.

The third seed Marin Cilic awaits Nadal in the semi-finals, but the Croatian has to get past Juan Martin del Potro, a clay court specialist.

"It's the most important place in my career," Nadal said at the drawing ceremony.

"Having success in the last couple of weeks helps me to come here with more confidence. I'm excited to be back here," added the winner in Monte-Carlo, Barcelona and Rome this year.

Several players handing Nadal rare losses on clay court throughout his career, including Novak Djokovic and Dominic Thiem, were stacked in the bottom half where No. 2 seed Alexander Zverev stayed.

Djokovic had relished memories about Roland Garros, where he achieved a sweep of four Grand Slam tournament titles in 2016. Having recovered from an elbow injury haunting him from last year, the Serbian showed a sign of comeback with his semi-final appearance in Rome.

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