Scouting Report: Djokovic among stars in Geneva, Humbert leads three French seeds in Lyon

The ATP Tour's European clay swing wraps up with a pair of ATP 250 events before Roland Garros. There's no shortage of star power at the Gonet Geneva Open and Open Parc, with Novak Djokovic headlining the Swiss event and Frenchmen Ugo Humbert, Adrian Mannarino and Gael Monfils all seeded in Lyon.

Djokovic, the No. 1 in the PIF ATP Rankings, is joined by Casper Ruud and Americans Taylor Fritz and Ben Shelton in Geneva, where Andy Murray will also compete. The French contingent in Lyon will play alongside second seed Alexander Bublik, fifth seed Frances Tiafoe and two seeded Argentines: Francisco Cerundolo and Tomas Martin Etcheverry.

ATPTour.com breaks down five things to watch at each event.

FIVE THINGS TO WATCH IN GENEVA
1) Can Djokovic Get Back On Track?: Just 4-2 on the clay after competing in Monte-Carlo and Rome, the World No. 1 will hope to find his footing on the dirt in Geneva. Making his tournament debut, the Serbian will open against Andy Murray or Yannick Hanfmann in the second round. If he faces Murray, it would be the pair's 37th Lexus ATP Head2Head meeting (Djokovic leads 25-11).

2) Ruud On The Rebound: After a stellar start to the clay season when he followed a Monte-Carlo final run with the Barcelona title, Ruud made early exits in Madrid (l. to Auger-Aliassime) and Rome (l. to Kecmanovic). He will bid to snap a two-match losing streak with a strong display in Geneva, where he will face Rinky Hijikata or a qualifier in his opening match.

3) Fritz, Shelton Bid To Continue Clay Connections: Both Americans have found success on the dirt this season. Fritz backed up a Munich final appearance with ATP Masters 1000 runs to the Madrid semis and the Rome quarters. Shelton won his first clay title in Houston in April and reached the Rome doubles semis with Bublik. While both players prefer hard courts, can they continue to show their versatility on the slower surface?

4) Murray On The Mend: The Briton tore ligaments in his left ankle in Miami but returned to action on the ATP Challenger Tour last week, picking up a win in Bordeaux. Now making his ATP Tour return, Murray will meet Germany's Hanfmann in the first round. He will hope to repeat the result from their lone pevious Lexus ATP Head2Head meeting last October, a 7-5, 6-4 win in Basel.

5) Nys/Zielinski Lead Doubles Field: Hugo Nys and Jan Zielinski are the top seeds in the doubles draw, followed by Jamie Murray and Michael Venus, Rome semi-finalists Marcelo Arevalo and Mate Pavic will bid to build on that success as the third seeds, while two all-Swiss pairs will compete as wild cards.

FIVE THINGS TO WATCH IN LYON
1) Humbert Leads Home Hopes: Top seed Humbert makes his third appearance in Lyon, with the Metz native bidding to improve upon a 2-3 record at the ATP 250 on his home soil. Champion in Marseille and Dubai this season, the Frenchman's best clay result of 2024 is a quarter-final showing in Monte-Carlo. He will meet Dominik Koepfer or Brandon Nakashima in his opening match.

2) Mannarino, Monfils, Gasquet Add To French Flair: Seven Frenchmen dot the Lyon singles draw, not including potential qualifiers. Third seed Adrian Mannarino is in the same half as Humbert, while Gael Monfils and Richard Gasquet are in the bottom half. Gasquet will meet fellow wild card Alexandre Muller in an all-French first round matchup, while Monfils takes on Japan's Yoshihito Nishioka.

3) Can Bublik Build On Doubles Success?: Bublik competed exclusively at the ATP Masters 1000 level this clay swing, with a run to the Madrid last 16 bookended by opening defeats in Monte-Carlo and Rome. But he reached the Rome doubles semis with Ben Shelton, thrilling the Italian fans as part of the fan-favourite duo. Can he translate that success onto the singles court?

4) Cerundolo Among Pair Of Seeded Argentines: After two Chileans reached the Rome semi-finals (Nicolas Jarry, Alejandro Tabilo), is it Argentina's turn to dominate in Lyon? The fourth-seeded Cerundolo will lead the way for the South American nation and will meet a qualifier in the second round. Etcheverry, seeded sixth, will play a qualifier in the first round.

5) Gonzalez/Roger-Vasselin Meet French Wild Cards In Doubles Opener: Three French players are among the four seeded doubles teams, including Edouard Roger-Vasselin, who pairs with Mexico's Santiago Gonzalez to form the top-seeded duo. They will meet French wild cards Tristan Lamasine and Tom Paris in the first round, while French fourth seeds Sadio Doumbia and Fabien Reboul face India's Yuki Bhambri and France's Albano Olivetti in their opener.

Editor's note: This story has been amended to reflect the withdrawal of Mariano Navone from the Open Parc.