As May is within our peripheral, that only means one thing for the tennis world: the French Open. The second grand slam of the year is around the corner and there are some important dates to keep in mind as the tournament is set to take off.

First up, on May 24, the draws will be available online for the Men's and Women's Singles. This information will allow you to study the bracket and allow you to follow your favorite player's path to the finals of the tournament. As the tradition has it, for both Men's and Women's Singles, the unseeded 96 players in the tournament will be placed on a bracket and the winner of the opposite sex will then hand pick the remaining 32 seeded players as he or she will hand draw these selections. 

Another important date to keep in mind, Sunday, May 26. This date marks the beginning of the 112th French Championship and 80th time played in Roland Garros. The tournament will then proceed to run until Sunday, June 9. 

The defending champions of the tournament should be healthy and ready to go in the 2013 French Open. 

Rafael Nadal, the soon to be 27-year-old Spaniard, has been recuperating from a knee injury. He was eliminated infamously in the second round of 2012 Wimbledon. He proceeded to miss the U.S. Open, which clearly opened the door for Andy Murray's entrance deep into the tournament. Nadal has played the tournament eight times and has completely dominated Roland Garros winning the French Open seven times in his career. He won his first grand slam title at the age of 19 and then powered his way year after year in this clay tennis court. If he can win it in 2013, Nadal will tie Max Decugis for the most French Open titles won in Men's Singles. 

In the Women's Singles, Maria Sharapova will defend her title as she won the grand slam tournament in 2012. It was her first French Open victory and her first grand slam in general since winning the 2008 Australian Open. Sharapova complete winning all four grand slam titles with a victory over Sara Errani. 

Join us here at Sports World Report as we will bring you coverage of these games allowing you to keep up with your favorite tennis players and as always, we will await any upsets and keep you informed with the latest occurrences in the 2013 French Open.