The 20-time Grand Slam champion, who will play in the third match on the revamped Court Philippe Chatrier, returns as the third seed behind world number one Novak Djokovic and 11-times champion Rafael Nadal, neither of whom are in action on Sunday.
Federer reached the Madrid Open quarter-finals earlier in May in what was his first clay-court event in three years, but was forced out of the Italian Open quarterfinals with a leg injury. Nor could Andy Murray, who played Nadal...
On his condition, he added: "Being healthy is really key at this stage of my career, and the last time I have been really badly injured has been basically Montreal two years ago nearly". After beginning against Anna Karolina Schmiedlova of Slovakia, she could play former world No. 1 Victoria Azarenka or former French Open champion Jelena Ostapenko in the second round.
After making a bad start to the clay season by losing his openers at the Monte Carlo Masters and Barcelona respectively, the Frenchman's form appeared to be on the rise after making it all the way at the Bordeaux Challenger.
The Russian then broke twice more to take control of the second set and then broke a third time to secure victory, her second ever at a Grand Slam.
'First, I'm happy to be here, ' she said before the tournament. But it's evident that his participation at Roland Garros has more to do with getting match practice before Wimbledon, where he will be going full tilt.
"I know Kateryna for a long time", said Svitolina.
American star Serena Williams won her most recent major at the Australian Open in 2017 while pregnant.
"The first thing she told me is this is totally normal! I have the attitude of, 'I've only been playing 10 months, but I expect to win, and if I don't, it's disappointing'". He sat out the 2016 French Open, ending a streak of 65 straight major appearances, then missed the U.S. Open and Rio Olympics that year, too. The serve-and-volley putaway. The sprint for an up-the-line victor off a delicate drop shot by Sonego that was so good, and so apparently hard to reach, that an Italian fan gushed, "Bravo!"
A combination of injuries, a lack of confidence and poor results mean there is a little chance of a French player shining at Roland Garros this year let alone claiming a title that has eluded the country's men since 1983 and the women since 2000.
"It is wide open and I think it's been like that for the past few years where we got surprises", she said.
Bulgaria's Grigor Dimitrov needed over three hours to beat Serbian veteran Janko Tipsarevic 6-3 6-0 3-6 6-7 (4) 6-4 to advance to the second round.
Organizers said the No. 25-seeded player has pain in his left abductor muscle and will be replaced in the main draw by Spanish lucky loser Alejandro Davidovich Fokina.
