Defending champion Rafael Nadal begins his bid for a ninth French Open title on Monday out on the secondary Suzanne Lenglen Court after a controversial scheduling snub.
Nadal, who has a phenomenal record of 59 wins and just one loss in Paris, comes into the tournament suffering his worst claycourt sequence in a decade.
The top seed and world No.1 tackles US wildcard Robby Ginepri, the world No.279, who he beat in straight sets in the semi-finals in Madrid nine years ago in their only other previous meeting.
But it is the location of the clash which has caused consternation.
Roland Garros's showpiece Philippe Chatrier court will stage title rival Novak Djokovic's match against Joao Sousa and Stan Wawrinka's clash with Guillermo Garcia-Lopez.
The main court will also host opening women's matches featuring Maria Sharapova and home player Alize Cornet.
"That's really bizarre," said American 10th seed John Isner.
"I mean, how many times does the guy have to win the tournament to be able to have his first match on Chatrier? I think, no offense to Stan, but, you know, if you look at it, you figured they'd be flip-flopped."
The decision caused outrage on social media from fans stunned that the French Open does not follow the same protocol as Wimbledon where the defending champion always opens proceedings on Centre Court.
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