Simona Halep will channel her inner child when she begins her French Open title defence against Ajla Tomljanovic on Tuesday having vowed to enjoy herself in the absence of the stifling pressure of previous campaigns in Paris. Halep, twice runner-up at Roland Garros before lifting the Suzanne Lenglen Cup last year for her first Grand Slam title, said being a champion had made it easier to cope with the challenge of repeating the feat. I wanted this badly, and I wanted so much that now having it, I just want to be happy and to smile." World number one Naomi Osaka, another player dealing with the burden of expectation, takes on Slovakia's Anna Karolina Schmiedlova on Court Philippe-Chatrier. Fresh from his victory at the Geneva Open, men's fifth seed Alexander Zverev meets Australian John Millman in the opening match of the day.

Source: dna May 28, 2019 02:26 UTC