Rafael Nadal goes into another Roland Garros as the overwhelming favourite, and with the Spaniard on everyone's list to clinch his tenth French Open title, a serene start will be the plan when the No.4 seed faces Benoit Paire in the opening round in Paris.
Nadal, after overcoming injury problems over the last couple of years, has looked in rude health this season, with the left-hander reaching the Australian Open final, where he lost to Roger Federer, before clinching three titles in the clay court season.
Due to that form, naturally, Nadal is seen as the man to beat in this French Open.
The 30-year-old also wants to move on from last year's disappointment, when he was forced to withdraw before the start of the third round due to a wrist injury, which pretty much put a full stop to the rest of his season.
"When I have been here last year, I arrived with very positive feelings. Then what happened with my wrist, I hope that the story doesn't repeat," Nadal said, referring to that unfortunate exit. "It's true that since the beginning of the season I am happy the way that I played.
"I think I played well in almost every event that I was in. I played well on hard, then played great on clay. I'm happy about the events that I won – three events I have won have been very important for me."
Paire won't be an easy first round opponent. The Frenchman, currently ranked 45 in the world, is an experienced customer, and while he hasn't gone past the third round at Roland Garros, he will have the backing of the home crowd for this one – well, at least for a while maybe, because Nadal is as popular as any Frenchman on the red clay of Paris.
Where and when to watch live
Nadal vs Paire is the second match on the Suzanne-Lenglen court, with the first match Caroline Wozniack vs Jaimee Fourlis starting at 11am local time, 10am BST, 2.30pm IST, 5am ET. TV and live streaming information is below.
India: TV: Star Sports Select HD1 and Star Sports Select HD2. Live Streaming: Hotstar.
UK: TV: ITV. Live Streaming: ITV Hub.
USA: TV: Tennis TV and NBC Sports. Live Streaming: NBC Sports Live Extra.
Europe: TV: EuroSport. Live Streaming: EuroSport Player.
Australia: TV: Fox Sports. Live Streaming: Foxtel.
Middle East: TV: Bein Sports Arabia. Live Streaming: Bein Sports Connect.
Canada: TV: TSN1, TSN3, TSN4, TSN5. Live Streaming: TSN TV.
