FRENCH OPEN '18: From Serena and Rafa to rain, what to know

As usual, all eyes are on Serena Williams, no matter what whether she's attending the most talked-about wedding of the year or practising at Roland Garros.

That she recently engaged in those two activities on consecutive days, in different countries, highlighted what a star she is, in and out of tennis, and added to the buzz that Williams will, indeed, return to play at the French Open, which is what her coach has vowed.

Main-draw action begins Sunday in what would be Williams' first Grand Slam tournament in more than a year.

The owner of 23 major singles titles, a record for the 50-year Open era, Williams hasn't played on one of her sport's most prestigious stages since winning the Australian Open in January 2017, while pregnant.

She gave birth to a daughter on Sept. 1, then dealt with medical complications, and while she originally had hoped to be back on tour by the Australian Open this January, that did not work out.

Williams, a 36-year-old American, has played only four official singles matches in the early portion of her comeback and pulled out of clay-court warm-up events in Madrid and Rome in May. She is ranked 453rd this week.

"It's going to be great to see if she's back," defending French Open champion Jelena Ostapenko said.

Everyone surely will be watching.

Here is what else to know about before play starts on the red clay courts of the year's second Grand Slam tournament:
DOES IT GO TO 11?
NO FEDERER, NO MURRAY
MORE RETURNS
DJOKOVIC'S FORM
"I don't think that there was too much of a difference," Djokovic said after that setback, "which is great for me, great news for me."
RAINING ON THE PARADE