French Open: Serena’s third shot at graf mark

Serena Williams will have a third go at winning a 22nd Grand Slam singles title at the French Open, which would draw her level with Steffi Graf as the most successful female player in the Open era.

But to do so, the 34-year-old American will have to achieve something she has so far failed to manage — defend her crown in Paris.

Just three of Serena’s 21 Grand Slam titles have come in France — the first in 2002 and then a long gap until 2013 and 2015.

With two-time winner Maria Sharapova out of the picture under a doping cloud, the opposition to Serena is expected to come from Europeans in the shape of Germany’s Angelique Kerber, who upset her in Melbourne, two-time Wimbledon champion Petra Kvitova of the Czech Republic, 2014 finalist Simona Halep, Agnieszka Radwanska, as well as Victoria Azarenka.