The second Grand Slam event of the year is upon us, and, as ever, intrigue abounds before a competitive ball has been struck.

How will Roger Federer, the 2009 champion, fare in his first appearance in Paris in four years? Can Rafael Nadal become the first player to win 12 singles titles at any Grand Slam event?

Will Novak Djokovic complete a second ‘Nole Slam’and hold all four major titles for the second time in his career? Could Dominic Thiem, last year’s runner-up, or rising Greek star Stefanos Tsitsipas defy the odds to become a first-time Grand Slam champion?

Will Serena Williams tie Margaret Court’s all-time record of 24 Grand Slam singles titles? Can US and Australian Open winner Naomi Osaka translate her success on hard court to the clay and make it three Grand Slam titles in a row?

Will French Open champion Simona Halep back up her breakthrough win, could Madrid champion Kiki Bertens make Holland's "Oranje" army proud by winning a first slam or will the big-serving Czechs Petra Kvitova or Karolina Pliskova conquer the Parisian clay?

Roger vs Rafa?

Federer says he just wants to have a good time as he returns for the first time since 2015.

Having skipped the clay in previous years to rest his body and focus on the grass, a strategy that helped him win Wimbledon in 2017, Federer recently told French newspaper L'Equipe: ”I'm going to play freely...I will really try to approach this Roland-Garros with less pressure.”

But if the 37-year-old Swiss wants to have a shot at reaching his fifth Roland-Garros final, he will probably have to beat first the young pretender, and the man who beat him in the fourth round of the Australian Open, world No.6 Tsitsipas, in the quarter-final and then the “King of Clay” Nadal in the semi-final.

The prospect of a 49th Federer-Nadal meeting is surely one of the most mouthwatering matches to come out of Thursday’s draw ceremony, which was held in the adjacent Jardin des Serres d'Auteuil and attended by defending champions Nadal and Halep.

The third-ranked Swiss will play his first Roland-Garros match since a defeat to countryman Stan Wawrinka in the 2015 quarter-final. On the other side of the net for Federer's return will be world No.73 Lorenzo Sonego, an Italian who came through qualifying to reach the quarter-finals in Monte Carlo last month.

Once again, Nadal goes into Roland-Garros as the favourite, having shrugged off an uncharacteristically slow start to the clay court season by beating Djokovic to win his first title of the season in Rome last week, playing the sort of powerful tennis that has earned him 17 Grand Slam titles.

“It was an important title for me," said the No.2 seed Nadal, who will face qualifiers in his first two rounds. “I played very well throughout the tournament, I’m very happy to find myself in this situation.”

Djokovic and Serena to make history?

What a difference a year makes for Djokovic.

Ranked 22nd in the world, the Serbian was beaten in the quarter-finals last year in a tempestuous match by the unseeded Italian Marco Cecchinato.

He has been literally unstoppable in Grand Slam events since, winning Wimbledon, the US Open and the Australian Open, where he defeated Nadal in the final.

The top-seeded Djokovic was drawn in the top half, with Austria’s Thiem a likely semi-final opponent and Germany’s Alexander Zverev and Juan Martin del Potro of Argentina lurking in his path.

The Serb starts his quest for a second ‘Nole Slam’ - four straight major titles - against Poland’s Hubert Hurkacz, ranked 43rd in the world.

Having left Paris last year with a shoulder injury, which robbed tennis fans of a hugely anticipated fourth round clash against her old foe, Maria Sharapova, Serena Willliams will be keen to set the record straight.

But after an injury-marred season, which saw her clay court preparation reduced to just one match in Rome, will the 37-year-old American be able to clinch a fourth Roland-Garros title, and record-tying 24th Grand Slam singles title?

Williams, who lost back-to-back finals at Wimbledon and the US Open, finds herself in the upper half of the draw with the top-seeded Osaka of Japan and Romania’s Halep. Williams plays Russia's Vitalia Diatchenko in the first round, while a third round clash looms against either No.22 seed Bianca Andreescu of Canada, the surprise Indian Wells winner, or fellow American Sofia Kenin.

Osaka seeking Nadal magic

Naomi Osaka is the top seed in Paris for the first time and is chasing a third straight Grand Slam singles title.

Less at home on clay than a hard court, Osaka spent a couple of days training at the Rafael Nadal academy on the Spanish island of Mallorca last month.

Meeting Nadal left her starstruck, Osaka told reporters in Madrid: “Yesterday he went on the court after me and he was talking to me again so I was like “woah."

Osaka may need some of Nadal’s magic in Paris after being handed a tough draw.

The Japanese superstar begins against Anna Karolina Schmiedlova of Slovakia, ranked 92nd in the world, but could have to beat former world No.1 Victoria Azarenka or former champion Jelena Ostapenko of Latvia, Maria Sakkari, Madison Keys, Serena Williams and Halep just to make the final.

Halep’s title defence

After a slow start to the season, Halep found her form in Madrid, reaching the final and despite a few niggling injuries, will be confident and relatively pressure-free, having won her first Grand Slam title in Paris 12 months ago in her fourth Grand Slam final.

However, others will also fancy their chances.

Take Bertens, who at world No.4 became the highest-ranked Dutchwoman in WTA history after winning the Madrid title. No other woman has won more matches on clay since the start of 2016, and a victory in Paris would make her the first champion from the Netherlands since Kea Bouman in 1927.

Pliskova will take the confidence of her win in Rome last week, while last year’s runner-up Sloane Stephens will surely believe she can go one better.

Two-time Wimbledon champion Kvitova won the title in Stuttgart to emphasise her clay court credentials while Elina Svitolina of Ukraine, former champion Garbine Muguruza of Spain and risking Greek star Sakkari could all be threats for the title.

Roland-Garros begins on Sunday.