The world's best tennis players are back on the red clay of Roland Garros on the eve of the year's second grand slam.
Here, Press Association Sport discusses the tournament's main talking points.
CAN DJOKOVIC BREAK HIS DUCK?
Perceived wisdom goes that at some point Djokovic will lift the Coupe des Mousquetaires because he is too good not to. The Serbian first reached the quarter-finals 10 years ago and has since managed four semi-finals and three finals. Twice he was beaten at the last by Rafael Nadal and then 12 months ago, when he finally defeated the Spaniard at Roland Garros, he ran into Stan Wawrinka in the form of his life. This year Djokovic is a bigger favourite then ever and, should he win, he would become the first man since Rod Laver in 1969 to hold all four slam titles at once. But, much as he might deny it, pressure has weighed heavily on his shoulders in Paris and that is only going to increase with every year that passes.
MURRAY THE CONTENDER
Andy Murray's 2015 clay season was spectacular and made him a genuine contender at Roland Garros arguably for the first time. But he had never beaten Djokovic on clay and a win over Nadal came with an asterisk because of the Spaniard's struggles. This year there is no question Murray goes in with a great chance of adding a third slam title to his collection. He has won his most recent meetings with both Nadal and Djokokic and is on a five-match winning streak following victory in Rome. Murray is now winning matches not despite the clay but because of it, with his movement and his game plan at one with the surface. Throw in a beefed up second serve and the Scot's prospects are rosy indeed.
A NEW GENERATION AT LAST
With Nadal turning 30 during the tournament and Murray and Djokovic both only a year from joining him, it appears finally some younger challengers for slam titles are emerging. Nick Kyrgios is no new face but he has added consistency to his power and panache, while Dominic Thiem and Alexander Zverev are two names to watch in Paris. Thiem, 22, can boast two titles this year and wins over Nadal and Roger Federer while 19-year-old German Zverev has been making quite a splash in 2016. It is a shame the pair are in the same section and are likely to do battle in the third round, with the winner a probable fourth-round foe for Nadal.
UNPREDICTABLE WOMEN
Who is going to win the women's title? Pick a name out of a hat. Okay, Serena Williams goes in as defending champion and favourite, and winning her first title in nine months in Rome last weekend answered many questions about her form. But the American has been unusually vulnerable since her US Open loss to Roberta Vinci when the Grand Slam seemed hers for the taking. As for the rest of the leading women, they have been consistent only in their inconsistency. It is not a new situation - Madison Keys, Ekaterina Makarova, Timea Bacsinszky, Flavia Pennetta, Vinci and Johanna Konta have all made slam semi-finals since the start of last year. Look out for the likes of Bacsinszky, Keys, Daria Gavrilova, Laura Siegemund and Irina-Camelia Begu to potentially have good runs here.
Source: PA
