Bernard Tomic has raised the prospect of a Davis Cup reunion with Nick Kyrgios after the pair engaged in a spirited Roland Garros practice session ahead of tough first-round French Open assignments.
In the latest twist in the one-time grand slam doubles duo's on-off relationship, there was standing room only on the intimate Court Four as Tomic and Kyrgios entertained fans with a lively half-hour work-out on tournament eve.
Tomic's decision to sit out Davis Cup in 2017 has left Kyrgios and Australian captain Lleyton Hewitt "disappointed and frustrated", with Kyrgios saying "there's no reason why he should not be here" during February's tie against the Czech Republic.
Tomic told AAP last month he was "not motivated" for the prestigious team event as he instead focused on rebuilding his world ranking.
But whispers around Roland Garros have Tomic reconsidering his position, despite Australia managing to reach a September semi-final against Belgium in his absence.
Having preserved a culture that representing Australia is the ultimate honour, it's unlikely Hewitt would welcome Tomic back into the fold without serious reassurances from the 24-year-old that he was fully committed to the team cause.
Regardless, Hewitt and Australian tennis fans would be heartened to see Kyrgios and Tomic - the nation's stand-out men's talents and grand slam prospects - back in union in Paris.
Both have copped rough draws for the claycourt major, Tomic's particularly brutal.
The world No.39 faces Austrian sixth seed Dominic Thiem on Sunday in what, on paper, appears a total mismatch.
Tomic has won only three matches in seven years at Roland Garros, while Thiem has proven his run to last year's semi-finals no fluke this year with another impressive claycourt campaign.
The 23-year-old is the only man in 2017 to have beaten the great Rafael Nadal on the red dirt and shapes as a genuine Open title threat.
Kyrgios doesn't open his campaign until Tuesday, when the 18th seed is up against experienced German Philipp Kohlschreiber, one the toughest unseeded customers in the 128-strong draw.
Battling hip and shoulder niggles, Kyrgios rates his draw as "alright', despite possibly needing to beat Kohlschreiber, big-serving Kevin Anderson, France's top hope Jo-Wilfried Tsonga and former US Open champion Marin Cilic merely to survive the first week.
"Obviously he (Kohlschreiber) is a pretty good player in general," Kyrgios said.
"He's been around on tour for a long time, so I'm expecting him to be pretty tough.
"But I think my game matches up well with him, but I think he's capable of playing pretty good tennis."
Along with Tomic, Alex Di Minaur is the only other Australian in first-day action.
The teenage wildcard plays Dutchman Robin Haase on his Roland Garros debut, almost certainly for the right to take on Nadal in the second round.
AUSSIES IN ACTION ON DAY ONE OF THE FRENCH OPEN ON SUNDAY (PREFIX DENOTES SEEDING):
Men's singles, first round
Bernard Tomic v 6-Dominic Thiem (AUT)
Alex Di Minaur v Robin Haase (NED)
MONDAY
Women's singles, first round
23-Samantha Stosur v Kristina Kukova (SVK)
24-Daria Gavrilova v Elise Mertens (BEL)
Jaimee Fourlis v 11-Caroline Wozniacki (DEN)
Ajla Tomljanovic v 18-Kiki Bertens
Men's singles, first round
John Millman v 17-Roberto Bautista-Agut (ESP)
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