As the 2024 French Open begins at Roland Garros on Sunday, defending champions Novak Djokovic and Iga Swiatek are set to protect their singles titles. AFP Sport highlights three key storylines ahead of the second Grand Slam of the season:

Rafael Nadal may not add to his record 14 French Open titles, but he remains a significant figure at the tournament. The 22-time major winner, plagued by injuries since January last year, will play his final French Open. Currently ranked 305, Nadal, who won on his debut in 2005 as a teenager, will turn 38 during this year's event. His remarkable legacy includes only three defeats in 115 matches at Roland Garros.

Other notable players making their last appearance include Dominic Thiem, runner-up in 2018 and 2019, and Andy Murray, who reached the final in 2016. Stan Wawrinka, the 2015 champion, has not confirmed his future plans but would be 40 by the 2025 French Open.

World number one Novak Djokovic aims for a fourth French Open title to surpass three-time winners Mats Wilander, Gustavo Kuerten, and Ivan Lendl. However, the 24-time Grand Slam champion enters Paris without a season title for the first time since 2018 unless he wins the Geneva trophy, having accepted a last-minute wild card for the Swiss event. Djokovic's best performances this year include semi-final runs at the Australian Open and Monte Carlo Masters.

World number two Jannik Sinner, who won the Australian Open, has struggled with a hip injury, leading to his withdrawal from Madrid. Third-ranked Carlos Alcaraz also missed the Rome Open due to an arm injury.

Former world number one players and Grand Slam winners Naomi Osaka and Angelique Kerber return to the French Open after taking breaks to start families. Osaka, 26, a four-time major champion, has had a tumultuous relationship with Roland Garros, withdrawing in 2021 after opting out of media commitments to protect her mental health. She missed the 2023 event due to pregnancy, giving birth to a baby girl in July.

Kerber, a three-time Grand Slam champion, returned to the tour this year after 18 months away following the birth of her daughter. At 36, Kerber, currently ranked 331, has twice reached the quarter-finals in Paris.

Meanwhile, two other top five players, two-time Wimbledon winner Petra Kvitova and Olympic champion Belinda Bencic, are absent from the 2024 French Open due to maternity leave.