Former champion Simona Halep arrives at the rescheduled French Open as the player to beat in a women's draw missing title holder Ashleigh Barty and recent U.S. Open winner Naomi Osaka, two of the world's top three.

Serena Williams can never be discounted as she launches another bid for a record-equaling 24th Grand Slam singles crown, but Roland Garros is the American's least successful major despite her wins in 2002, 2013 and 2015.

Garbine Muguruza, who defeated Williams in the 2016 final, is another contender while fellow former world number one Victoria Azarenka is hoping to take the momentum from her run to the U.S. Open final into the clay swing.

"I'm honored to hear that I am the favorite, people thinking that I'm the favorite. But I don't look in that direction," said Halep, who plays Spain's Sara Sorribes Tormo in round one.

"It's not extra pressure. I'm used to this kind of pressure because I've been number one seeded in the past. I've been in this position."

"To play Roland Garros in September, end of September, it's a little bit weird," she added. "But it's nice that we have the chance to play at this tournament."

No woman has successfully defended the French Open title since Justine Henin won three times in a row between 2005 and 2007, a trend set to continue with Barty pulling out over the coronavirus fears that also prompted her to skip the U.S. Open.

As for Williams, who turns 39 on Saturday, she has not added to her Grand Slam haul since winning the 2017 Australian Open while pregnant.

Williams withdrew from last week's Rome event with an Achilles strain, meaning she will arrive in the French capital without having played on clay this year.

On men's side, Novak Djokovic said he will not let the ball incident that caused his U.S. Open disqualification affect the way he manages his emotions on court as he makes his return at Roland Garros.

The Serbian, disqualified in New York after accidentally hitting a line judge with a ball, bounced back by winning the title at the Italian Open, where his temper got the better of him as he smashed a racket in his quarter-final match.

While he said he would be more careful and that the U.S. incident had left a scar, Djokovic added that he will not rein himself in when it comes to showing his emotions on court.

"Of course, it was a shock for me and a lot of people. But that's life, that's sport. These things can happen," Djokovic, who is chasing an 18th Grand Slam singles title at the French Open, told a news conference on Saturday.

"But I don't think that this will have any significant negative impact on how I feel on the tennis court."

(With input from agencies)