Australia’s biggest French Open contingent in 16 years will be spearheaded by our brightest hopes for the future, and a seemingly born-again veteran.

Nick Kyrgios, the 29th seed, and Thanasi Kokkinakis loom as potential giant-killers at Roland Garros, with the former coming off the best clay-court win of his career against Roger Federer in Madrid.

But Kokkinakis could be the more dangerous of the two, after a strong run on clay in Bordeaux last week to lift his first Challenger title.

Click the owl to see who the Aussie contingent play in the first round.  

• Andy Murray’s rules for tennis success 
• ‘No one likes you … everybody hates you’ 
• Video: kid’s lob stuns Roger Federer

He then surprised world No.3 Andy Murray in a spirited practice session at Roland Garros, beating the Scot in a one-set shootout.

Nick Kyrgios’ win over Roger Federer was one of the best of his career. Photo: Getty

Kokkinakis and Murray have forged a friendship and regularly hit together.

“It’s a tough practice for me,” Murray said. “He has a big forehand. For a big guy, he moves well.

“Every time I practice with him, he’s better than the time before. He’s always improving.”

Kyrgios, meanwhile, has set his sights high in Paris.

“I’ve got pretty high expectations of myself,” he said ahead of his first-round clash on Monday with Denis Istomin.

“Obviously I’ve had some pretty good results the last couple of weeks and I feel confident.

“I have belief in my body. I feel I have the metres in my legs. I’ve played a lot of five-set matches now, so I feel confident in the grand slams.

“I know it’s an emotional two weeks so you’ve got to try to keep those emotions in check for the first couple of matches if you happen to get through.”

Bernard Tomic is Australia’s highest-ranked man, seeded 27th, but has only one win on clay this season. Most recently he withdrew from a tournament in Nice after losing the first set against Gianni Mina 6-2.

Sam’s slam?

Australia’s best hope for success perhaps comes in the shape of veteran Samantha Stosur, who was heartbreakingly beaten in the 2010 final by Francesca Schiavone.

Can Samantha Stosur reproduce her run to the 2010 final? Photo: Getty

A year after almost quitting tennis in despair, a revitalised Stosur has emerged from the darkness to be a challenger once more.

Unlike last year when she arrived at Roland Garros fighting mental demons and a desperate urge to give the game away, Stosur “couldn’t be happier” entering the year’s second major.

A reunion with former long-time coach David Taylor last month has yielded instant success.

In her first match in 20 months back under Taylor’s wing, the 2010 French Open runner-up returned from a calf injury to snap the 11-match, two-title clay-court winning streak of German Angelique Kerber in Madrid.

Stosur was back in the game again and, a month on, the one-time US Open champion and world No.4 crowned her comeback on Saturday (Sunday AEST) with a first WTA title since last October.

“I couldn’t be happier,” Stosur said following her Strasbourg International triumph.

“I’m doing all the things I want to be doing heading into a grand slam.”

Nadal not feeling ten-sion

All eyes will be on Rafael Nadal, who is bidding to rewrite his own history book by winning the same grand slam title 10 times.

Only Margaret Court’s 11 Australian Open titles, straddling the amateur and Open Eras, is a better return at a single slam.

But if he were to pull it off, it would be a remarkable achievement – Nadal enters the tournament more vulnerable on clay than ever before.

Rafael Nadal has plenty on his mind. But at least Robin Soderling’s retired… Photo: Getty

The 28-year-old Spaniard, who made his debut in Paris back in 2005 sweeping all before him on the way to the first of nine titles in the French capital, is only seeded sixth this year, a legacy of a relatively poor clay-court season.

But the defending champion believes the low expectations may count in his favour when the tournament gets underway on Sunday.

“I don’t need to lie to create better expectation or to let you or the people know that I am in one way or I am in the other way,” said Nadal whose record at Roland Garros reads 66 wins and just one loss.

“I am being honest. When I say I don’t know what’s gonna happen, I really don’t know what’s gonna happen.

“That doesn’t mean that I don’t have confidence in myself to try to be ready for it. I have to think that I am ready. My last couple of weeks have been much more positive than what the results said.

“I am going to try to put my game in a position that’s going to give me the chance. If I am able to do it, I have enough experience here.”

After winning a ninth French Open in 2014, Nadal was hit by a series of injuries as well as a bout of appendicitis.

He has just one title in 2015 and enters Paris without a European clay-court trophy for the first time in 10 years having lost to Andy Murray in the Madrid final, being beaten in the semi-finals in Monte Carlo by Novak Djokovic and losing to Fabio Fognini in Barcelona.

On the eve of Paris, he was defeated by Stan Wawrinka in the Rome quarter-finals.

Novak’s not Djoking

Novak knows this is no Mickey Mouse tournament. Photo: Getty

World No.1 Novak Djokovic, meanwhile, looks better placed than ever to become just the eighth man to complete a career grand slam.

But the Serb, who turned 28 on Friday, has had his heart broken on the clay before.

He lost the 2012 and 2014 finals to Rafael Nadal as well as twice coming up short in the semi-finals.

He has a season record of 35 wins and just two losses and is currently on a 22-match win streak.

Back in 2011, however, he had a 43-win streak snapped by Federer in the semi-finals in Paris.

“I have had this particular situation before, and especially in the last two years where I was coming into Roland Garros and people speculating, is this the year or not?” he said.

“Thinking about how far I can go. Can I win the title or not? I was a few times very close. Didn’t manage to do it, but that doesn’t discourage me to not keep on going.

“I’m here once again with a purpose, with a reason, and I will try to get myself in a position to win a trophy.”

To get a trophy, he will likely need to overcome Murray in the quarter-finals.

And the Scot is enjoying the best clay-court season of his life, winning his first title on the surface in Munich before beating Rafael Nadal in the final of the Madrid Open.

– with AAP