PARIS: World number one Novak Djokovic, record nine-time champion Rafael Nadal and women's title-holder Serena Williams begin their French Open campaigns on Tuesday with the forecast far more promising after a rain-hit first two days at Roland Garros.
Three-time Roland Garros finalist Djokovic will embark on another quest to complete a career Grand Slam with Taiwan's Lu Yen-Hsun, the world number 95, his first-round opponent on Court Philippe Chatrier.
The Serb has won four of the last five majors with his only failure in that timeframe a four-set defeat to an inspired Stan Wawrinka in last year's Paris final.
"I got ten matches out of two weeks, which is maximum I could get out of Madrid and Rome, and it was a perfect way of getting the match play that I needed before French Open," said Djokovic, who warmed up for the tournament by winning a record 29th Masters title in Spain a fortnight ago.
"Of course the expectations are big not just from my side but from people around knowing that this is the only Grand Slam I never won.
"I still feel like I have plenty of more years ahead of me, which gives me more comfort in terms of opportunities I'm going to have at the title of Roland Garros, which releases more pressure for me this year."
Nadal suffered just a second ever defeat in Paris when he lost to Djokovic in the 2015 quarter-finals, but the Spanish fourth seed remains as committed as ever in the hunt for a 10th French Open crown.
His first round encounter against Sam Groth on Court Suzanne Lenglen appears a total mismatch, with the 100th-ranked Australian still looking for his first main draw win at Roland Garros.
However, the Australian boasts one of the game's most powerful serves and Nadal is wary of facing Groth for the first time.
"Well, he has a huge serve. He's uncomfortable first round. He's a difficult one," said Nadal.
"You need to be ready to suffer a little bit during the match, because I know it's going to be difficult to have breaks."
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