PARIS, May 24 (AFP) - French Open diary for Monday: Rocket Rod's new Roland Garros date He's the only man to have done the Grand Slam in the Open era and he found winning at Roland Garros the toughest of them all. Tennis legend Rod Laver had to win an even more important fight last year after suffering a stroke last July. The 60-year-old Australian, now based at Newport Beach, California, expects to get his hands on the famous trophy he twice won here again on June 6, when he is scheduled to present it to this year's winner. Laver says the lure of Paris remains as strong as ever. "The place has always fascinated me. Roland Garros is the most extraordinary and difficult tournament there is. The place is charged with history - always drama in the air," said the Queenslander. "And there's this strange red dust on the courts...." (AFP) Dress for success Russian starlet Anna Kournikova has a double mission at this year's Roland Garros. Not only must the Florida-based 17-year-old with the pin-up looks try to land her first career singles title, she has also been chosen to market new hi-tech clothing for her sponsor Adidas. The predominantly golden dress affords Kournikova greater comfort as its fabric is designed to deflect the heat from the sun's rays. Asked about the new design, Moscow-born Kournikova first feigned ignorance. "What dress?" she asked when accosted by reporters eager to catch a glimpse. And when asked if she had been chosen to model the clothing because she was a player - or because of her good looks, she impishly replied: "Both." (AFP) History on his side? Yevgeny Kafelnikov of Russia made a perfect start to the Grand Slam year, pocketing the Australian Open title. But history is not on his side as the 1996 champion targets a second French Open success. To date, only Rod Laver, in 1969, and Jim Courier, in 1992, have managed to take the French title after lifting the trophy in Melbourne. Also weighing against world number one Kafelnikov is the fact that only 10 times in the Open era - stretching back to 1968 - has the top seed lifted the trophy. The last to do so was Courier in 1992, when he defended his French title. (AFP) Lenglen centenary remembered The memory of French heroine Suzanne Lenglen looms large over the Roland Garros courts where she made her name and where one of the main courts is named after her. Lenglen, nicknamed "the divine", dominated the opening quarter of the century of women's tennis and was born exactly 100 years ago, on May 24, 1899. After picking up her first racket at the age of 11, she became world champion at the age of 15 and lost the French Open final of 1914. After World War I she returned to triumph six times on the Parisian clay, in 1920, 1921, 1922, 1923, 1925 and 1926 as well as winning Wimbledon six times. She died of leukaemia in 1938. A sculptured stone statue of her was erected in 1994 in front of the Roland Garros stadium court named in her honour. (AFP) Women out in force The women's field at this year's French Open is one of the strongest ever, with 49 of the top 50 ranked players in the draw. Only 1997 champion Iva Majoli, who is currently ranked 36th, has missed the tournament with a shoulder injury. The increasing appeal of women's tennis is underlined by the fact that players from 36 countries made the main draw direct. France and the United States are the best-represented countries with 19 women each. (AFP) Practice partners and potential rivals Two former winners of the French Open have been training together at Roland Garros. Thomas Muster, the winner in 1995, and top seed Yevgeny Kafelnikov, who was successful a year later, traded shots in practice. The two players could meet in the semi-finals this year and Muster would be confident. He holds a 4-1 career record over the world number one.  