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Two of the game's most watchable players launch their Roland-Garros campaigns on Day 3 after clay-court seasons beset by injury woes.

Coaches must purr while watching Kei Nishikori and Simona Halep strike a tennis ball. The balance, technique, and ability to hit the full repertoire of strokes so cleanly in both attack and defence, baseline to net – their games in full flow are a sight to behold. But both have struggled with injuries ahead of Roland-Garros 2017, and face tricky opening assignments in the first round against opponents with a history of springing Grand Slam upsets.

All eyes are on 2014 finalist Halep after a sterling clay-court campaign that ended on a worrisome note. The Romanian, seeded No.3, reached the semi-finals or better at the three big clay-court events in the lead-up to Paris, reaching the last four in Stuttgart, defending her title in Madrid, and making the final in Rome. But it was the nasty rolled ankle suffered against Elina Svitolina in Italy that has left a question-mark against her prospects in Paris. Scans revealed a torn ligament, and Halep rated her chances of playing at just 50-50 last week.

With each passing day, however, Halep has added more movement to her training sessions and looks set to nurse the injury through the next couple of weeks if necessary – but first, she must survive a rematch with Jana Cepelova, who stunned her at the same stage at Wimbledon in 2015. It will no doubt be a test, but one that the 25-year-old is well-equipped to pass.

“I cannot change an injury," Halep told the WTA. "I’ve had problems with the ankles, like, six, seven times, so I know how it is. It is not so dangerous that you cannot play anymore, but still you have to be careful. I don't want to think about the negatives. I changed my mind after Miami, so I keep staying positive every day and to see what can I do here. It's going to be tough. But I'm ready.”

image: http://www.rolandgarros.com/images/pics ... IRORI2.jpg

Kei Nishikori
Will Nishikori’s decision to accept a wildcard in Geneva prove to be a masterstroke? Struggling with a right wrist injury, the Japanese No.8 seed pulled out of the Barcelona Open and withdrew ahead of his quarter-final clash with Novak Djokovic in Madrid in a bid to be healthy by the time he reached Paris.

“Clay suits my tennis – I can use many different shots," Nishikori said en route to the semi-finals in Switzerland, where he was undone by an inspired Mischa Zverev. "When I turned pro I knew how tough it was to play on clay with the top level guys. Now I have more confidence playing on clay and I think I can play really good on clay with my tennis. I really like to play on this surface now.”

Awaiting Nishikori in the first round is Thanasi Kokkinakis, whose fledgling career has been beset by injuries of his own - a frustrating shoulder problem, necessitating surgery, restricted him to just one match in 2016. But the firebrand Aussie is no stranger to Grand Slam victories, winning his first ever main-draw match at the Australian Open at the age of 17 before beating No.13 seed Ernests Gulbis at the same stage a year later. On his main-draw debut at Roland-Garros he ousted compatriot Bernard Tomic in five sets to reach the third round, where he put up a good fight against Novak Djokovic.

Nishikori should be a class above the 21-year-old who is playing just his second singles match this season, but don’t bet against Kokkinakis making it interesting...