For the first time in four years the big three in men’s tennis will all be present at the French Open, all striving to etch another remarkable storyline in the red Parisian dirt.

That Spain’s undisputed king of clay Rafael Nadal is hunting a record-extending and almost unbelievable 12th Roland Garros title is remarkable in itself.

But then world No. 1 Novak Djokovic arrives on the cusp of becoming the first man in the professional era to twice hold all four Grand Slam titles simultaneously.

And then there is Roger Federer, back from his self-imposed French Open exile since 2015, aiming to reclaim the title for a second time, a decade after the first.

As befitting this old city steeped in stories for the ages, the plotlines at this year’s tournament run far deeper than the ambitions of the central characters.

A new order has emerged with fearless Greek Stefanos Tsistipas jumping to the head of a queue of hungry young talents seeking to barge the establishment to one side. The 20-year-old Athenian has wins over both Federer and Nadal this year and will arrive without any of the mental baggage collected by so many others who have tried and failed to knock Nadal off his throne.

Austrian Dominic Thiem, who Nadal beat to win an 11th title last year, is knocking loudly on the door, while Germany’s Alexander Zverev, Russian duo Daniil Medvedev and Karen Khachanov and exciting Canadians Denis Shapovalov and Felix Auger Aliassime will add to the rich mixture.

Throw in rejuvenated former champion Stan Wawrinka and the mercurial Italian Fabio Fognini and the next fortnight is unmissable.