Intro:

Reigning French Open champions, Rafael Nadal and Serena Williams attended a photo opportunity beneath the Eiffel Tower in Paris (22nd May), ahead of the start of the this year's championship at Roland Garros (24th May).

Script:

The French Open is due to start on Monday and the defending champions have arrived in Paris ahead of the tournament to pose for a final time with their trophies.

Rafa Nadal has won eight of the last nine French Open titles and is once again the favourite to retain his Roland Garros crown.

The world number one is chasing down Roger Federer's grand slam record of 17 titles - - the Spaniard currently has 13.

He arrived in Paris on the back of a defeat against Novak Djokovic in the final of the Rome Masters a week ago.

Serena Williams on the other hand won only her second Roland Garros title last year.

The American has always had a tough time on clay, and last year's win was her first title in Paris since 2002.

She prepared for the French Open in perfect fashion as she cruised past all her opponent in Rome.

Williams dropped just one set and 22 games during the week at the Italian Open and will be looking to repeat herself across the border in France.