Day 2: Three things to look out for

The comeback of Roger Federer, Serena Williams under the lights and the title defence of Iga Swiatek -- Day 2 at Roland-Garros promises to be a star-studded event with some of the sport’s biggest stars in action, in the day and at night.

The return of the Swiss maestro

Guess who’s back!

Having missed most of last year after he underwent two knee operations, Federer will play his first Grand Slam match in 16 months against qualifier Denis Istomin of Uzbekistan.

After an early loss on clay in Geneva, Federer admitted his expectations for Paris are low but the 2009 champion will still be looking forward to his return.

“I’m just realistic that I know I will not win the French and whoever thought I would or could win it is wrong,” Federer said in Geneva, after losing in three sets to Pablo Andujar . “Of course crazier things might have happened, but I’m not so sure in the past 50 years at the French Open somebody just rocked up at 40 years old being out for a year and a half and [went] on to just win.”

Now ranked 203rd in the world, Istomin was as high as No 33 in 2012. The 34-year-old is no stranger to the big occasion, having beaten Novak Djokovic at the Australian Open in 2017.

Federer may be 39 years of age and short on matches, but the 20-time major singles winner is well capable of raising his level on the Parisian clay, as he did two years ago, when he reached the semi-finals.

RG champs back for more glory

Opening nights in the theatre are usually full of stars. And when you need a superstar, there are few better than Serena Williams.

The American, chasing a fourth Paris crown and a record-equalling 24th Grand Slam title, will meet world No.74 Irina-Camelia Begu of Romania in the first-ever official Roland-Garros night session on Monday.

>> ORDER OF PLAY: Monday May 31

The match, which will begin at 9pm local time, will be played behind closed doors due to the ongoing coronavirus curfew in Paris, something that is set to be lifted in time for the last of 10 night sessions, on Wednesday June 9.

The pair have met just the once, in Rome in 2016, when Williams won easily, but Begu reached the last 16 in Paris that year.

Just like Federer, the 39-year-old Williams comes into Paris searching for form, having lost early in Rome and Parma, but as a three-time champion, the American knows how to get the job done.

As Wim Fissette, the coach of No.2 seed Naomi Osaka, said on the eve of the event. “Obviously we never, ever forget about Serena.”

Swiatek took Roland-Garros by storm last year, winning her first major singles title without dropping a set at the age of just 19. It was the first senior title of any kind for the former junior Wimbledon champion but since then, the Pole has gone from strength to strength and comes into Paris as one of the favourites.

On Monday, Swiatek opens play on the main Court Philippe-Chatrier against her best friend Kaja Juvan of Slovenia as she tries to become the first player since Williams at the 2016 Wimbledon Championships to successfully defend a Grand Slam title.

Swiatek comes to Paris brimming with confidence, having won the Italian Open earlier this month without the loss of a single game in the final against the big-serving Czech Karolina Pliskova.

Over on the Court Suzanne-Lenglen, another popcorn match awaits, with 2017 Roland-Garros winner Jelena Ostapenko of Latvia taking on Sofia Kenin, last year’s runner-up from the US.

The pair have played each other once, with Ostapenko beating the 2020 Australian Open winner in three sets during a Fed Cup qualifier match last year.

Garbine Muguruza, the 2016 champion in Paris, closes play on Court Simonne-Mathieu with a tricky encounter with Ukrainian teenager Marta Kostyuk.

Medvedev chases first win at Roland-Garros

Daniil Medevedev may be the world No.2 and a two-time Grand Slam runner-up but the Russian is still trying to figure out how to translate his success on hard courts to the clay.

Medvedev, who faces the talented Kazakh Alexander Bublik in his opening match on Monday, has not won a match in four visits to Roland-Garros and earlier in the clay-court season, he admitted he simply does not like red dirt.

But the Russian has had a smile on his face ever since he arrived in Paris and believes the warm weather could help him this time.

“So far I have been playing amazing,” he said. “I didn't feel that it was clay. I was playing like on hard courts. I really like the conditions here so far, and (I’m) looking forward to make a great tournament, to be honest."