Day 2 - Under the lights: The entertainer

Arguably the greatest on-court showman this century will certainly have the crowd on his side on the terre battue at home on Monday evening

 - Alex Sharp & Kate Clark

Expect Gael Monfils to give us his full repertoire of shots over the net from Thiago Seyboth Wild. This will be their second meeting - Monfils edged their only previous encounter 7-5, 6-4 on the Geneva clay in 2021.

The 37-year-old has long been a fan favourite and his matches always carry the promise of a fevered atmosphere of excitement and entertainment more akin to a football stadium than a tennis court.

Gaël Monfils, 1er tour, Roland-Garros 2023©Philippe Montigny / FFT

Last year's first-round encounter against Sebastien Baez was arguably one of the most thrilling night sessions on the Parisian clay, with the Frenchman escaping from a deficit of 0-4 and two breaks in the fifth set, prompting the packed crowd on Court Philippe-Chatrier to break into the national anthem, La Marseillaise.

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Before the start of this year's campaign, Monfils acknowledged the support of the crowd here at his home Slam.

"The public was always fabulous whatever happened," he said. "I always felt good. There were always completely crazy stories going on, and I had disastrous matches. That's why I was saying that there were ups and downs.

"But I was so lucky every time, because the public was defending me, was supporting me. And they understood every time. They understood me and they would support me. I never lied to them. I would tell them, you know, I'm not going on well or I'm going well and then I'm going to party if I lose or if I win. I'll try to do my utmost, and we all try to have a great time."

Gael Monfils, pre-tournament, Roland-Garros 2024©️Pauline Ballet / FFT

On the flip side, Seyboth Wild qualified for the Roland-Garros main draw last summer and beat second seed Daniil Medvedev in five sets to reach the third round. 

But Monfils is philosophical. "I want us to have fun, and if I manage to win, then it would be good for me, and if I lose, well, it will be less cool and I will wait for the Olympic Games to take place."

Expect plenty of rallies and attempts at off-the-charts shot-making.