For two years, Thanasi Kokkinakis has been manifesting his return to Roland Garros while he has recovered from shoulder surgery. After all, he has played some of his biggest matches at the claycourt major.
Encounters against the likes of former champions Stan Wawrinka and Novak Djokovic, and highly-ranked players Taylor Fritz, Karen Khachanov and Kei Nishikori have left a lasting imprint on the 30-year-old.
Kokkinakis is one of 13 Australians who will compete in first-round singles action at Roland Garros over the next three days.
James Duckworth and Ajla Tomljanovic will be the first Australians in action, both opening play on their respective courts on Day 1 on Sunday night (AEST).
> ROLAND GARROS 2026 ORDER OF PLAY
Kokkinakis, No.8 seed Alex de Minaur and Rinky Hijikata are expected to contest their first-round matches on Day 2, as is Emerson Jones, when the Aussie teen wildcard takes on claycourt queen Iga Swiatek.
Although Kokkinakis has reached the third round in Paris three times, his memories extend beyond the outcomes of his matches.
“That’s the one thing I’ve always through about when I’m going through those injuries or those dark rehab times. It’s not always remembering the wins or losses, but just the atmosphere and the energy that you feel on court,” he told Stan Sport.
“I’ve had some absolute wars, especially on that Simonne-Mathieu court. And these are things you can't replicate when you're done with tennis. So as long as I can milk it as much as I can, you can't replicate those energies - not just at the French Open, but all the Slams.”
From an atmosphere perspective, Kokkinakis’ first Grand Slam match since Australian Open 2025 could provide the same or greater energy as his previous Parisian battles. For the first time in his 10 trips to Roland Garros – qualifying or main draw – Kokkinakis will face a Frenchman, taking on Terrence Atmane.
> ROLAND GARROS 2026 MEN'S SINGLES DRAW
With the crowd expected to favour his opponent, Kokkinakis hopes he can feed off that same energy.
“He's obviously going to have the crowd support, and I'll look forward to that. It's going to be fun,” he said. “Whether the crowd's for me, against me, I know they're going to be backing a Frenchman, and so they should.
“But it's going to be a lot of atmosphere. He plays with a lot of energy, and he's really improved the last couple of years. So it's going to be a tough match.”
Duckworth, meanwhile, battles world No.49 Gabriel Diallo, against whom he shares a 1-1 head-to-head record. The New South Welshman was the victor in their most recent match, defeating the Canadian en route to the semifinals of the ATP 250 tournament in Almaty, Kazakhstan last October.
“He’s got a big game, he’s a big guy, massive serve. Last time we played, it came down to one or two points, whoever was able to make that extra ball,” Duckworth said. “It’s going to be enjoyable.”
Tomljanovic, too, faces a familiar opponent in American Caty McNally. Yet to defeat McNally in all three attempts -- with two of those ending in retirement -- experience in on the Australian’s side with McNally featuring in her Roland Garros main-draw debut.
> ROLAND GARROS 2026 WOMEN'S SINGLES DRAW
Some intriguing rematches headline the first round, with Adam Walton aiming for another boilover against sixth seed Daniil Medvedev.
The 27-year-old is drawing on the confidence of defeating Medvedev at the Cincinnati Masters in August 2025, as well his opponent’s struggles at Roland Garros, where Medvedev has lost in the first round in six of his nine campaigns.
“Once I saw that I was playing him. I was in some ways happy that I’d played him before and it’s actually a person who I’ve beaten,” Walton said.
“It’s not going to be an easy task, especially in the five-set format and on clay, but clay is his least favourite surface so anything can happen.”
> READ: Contrasting draws for Aussie charge at Roland Garros
Other enticing encounters include a Davis Cup rematch between Aleksandar Vukic and Raphael Collignon, where Vukic was one set away from securing Davis Cup Finals qualification last September.
However, he has the edge on clay, defeating Collignon in their only encounter on the red dirt in Roland Garros qualifying in 2023.
You can watch Roland Garros 2026 live in Australia on the Nine Network and Stan Sport from 7pm AEST.
AUSSIES IN ACTION: ROLAND GARROS
COMING UP
Women’s singles, first round
Ajla Tomljanvoic (AUS) v Caty McNally (USA) – First match, Court 7 (from 7PM AEST)
Maya Joint (AUS) v [28] Anastasia Potapova (AUT)
Talia Gibson (AUS) v Yulia Putintseva (KAZ)
Daria Kasatkina (AUS) v Zeynep Sonmez (TUR)
Kimberly Birrell (AUS) v [5] Jessica Pegula (USA)
[WC] Emerson Jones (AUS) v [3] Iga Swiatek (POL)
Men’s singles, first round
James Duckworth (AUS) v Gabriel Diallo – First match, Court 12
[8] Alex de Minaur (AUS) v [Q] Toby Samuel (GBR)
Alexei Popyrin (AUS) v Zachary Svajda (USA)
Aleksandar Vukic (AUS) v Raphael Collignon (BEL)
[WC] Adam Walton (AUS) v [6] Daniil Medvedev
Rinky Hijikata (AUS) v [24] Tommy Paul (USA)
Thanasi Kokkinakis (AUS) v Terence Atmane (FRA)