Dimitrov tackles tricky Troicki in Roland Garros first round

Fourth seed Grigor Dimitrov opens his Roland Garros campaign against Victor Troicki, the man who beat him at the same stage in 2016.

Grigor Dimitrov has never been past the third round at Roland Garros. Reuters/Matthew Childs

It will be the sixth confrontation between the two and though Troicki is ranked 89^th in the world and unseeded, he boasts a better record at the French Open than his feted Bulgarian adversary.

The 32-year-old Serb has progressed to the last 16 on three occasions while Dimitrov has been eliminated in the first round in four of his seven visits to Paris.

It is a return that belies his talents. Dimitrov, once dubbed ‘Baby Federer’ due to his technical similarities to the illustrious Swiss, should, with his dynamic all court game, have travelled further into the tournament.

His one-handed backhand is one of the most beautiful sights in the game and his forehand is an effective bludgeon. His mental resilience might have been a weak point but he proved that he can amalgamate all his attributes in London late last year where he won the ATP World Tour Finals.

That triumph in November at the 02 Arena over David Goffin propelled him to a career high ranking of three in the world. But the 27-year-old has yielded to inconsistency since then and his form on this season’s clay court stretch has been far from convincing.

He reached the last four at the Monte Carlo Masters and the last eight in Barcelona. But those respectable returns were followed by opening round defeats at the Madrid Masters and Italian Open. “I haven't found my game right now," conceded the world number five in the prelude to the tournament.

However the omens favour Dimitrov. He has won three of the five encounters with Troicki who has not defeated a player in the top five at a Grand Slam event.