IT is de rigueur to begin a meditation on matters French with a lazily ascribed Gallic utterance.

Plus ca change plus c’est la meme chose is, however, highly inappropriate for what Roland Garros promises in the next two weeks.

The men’s game may be in a state of revolution. The Four Musketeers who have dominated the head of the ATP rankings for more than three years arrive in Paris with a series of questions hanging over their heads. The guillotine, of course, must fall on three of them in the most fascinating of tournaments.

The drama of who emerges victorious in the second major has enough plot lines to enliven a generation of tennis rather than one slam.

Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic, Roger Federer and Andy Murray occupy the first four places of the men’s game. This is a state of affairs that has become almost normal over the past three years, interrupted only by brief incursions from Robin Soderling and Juan Martin del Potro, the Argentine who has been cursed by injury.

All four arrive in a Paris in nervous apprehension. The situation for Djokovic, of course, is the most promising, even exciting. His concern is all about making personal and tennis history. He can surpass John McEnroe’s 42-match winning streak in 1984 en route to his first grand slam title on clay after winning two Australian Opens.

The Serb, 24 tomorrow, is in irrepressible form. He has been one of the top four in the world since June 2007 but was labelled an underachiever after he failed to capitalise on his first grand slam victory at the Australian Open in 2008. Djokovic was written off by many of the cognoscenti as recently as last summer when he was beaten in straight sets by Tomas Berdych at Wimbledon.

“He’s toast,” said one Serbian commentator. “He will make plenty of money, plenty of noise but can you see him beating Nadal or Federer on a regular basis?” Djokovic limped away with his coaching regime in tatters, with Todd Martin hired and fired, his form suspect and his will questioned.

A fine display in the US Open final and his subsequent invincible charge this year has transformed Djokovic from the pretender to the throne into the king of 2011.

But what of the erstwhile King Of Clay? The French Open story has been simple: if Rafa is fit, he wins. Indeed, the claycourt season seems to have been constructed for the express purpose of enriching the Spaniard.

Nadal, though, now faces the biggest question of his career. His dominance on clay has been shattered. Djokovic has beaten him in straight sets in both Madrid and Rome. The most recent was the most signficant. Nadal could watch the Murray-Djokovic semi-final with his feet up having defeated Richard Gasquet comfortably. Yet it was the Serb who seemed fresher, fitter in the final.

The man from Manacor reacts well to a challenge and he will have to if he is to win his sixth French Open title in seven years. Nadal has profited by being thought of as unbeatable and the merest hint of vulnerability has become a shock for both the player and his fans. It is difficult to see the 24-year-old Spaniard faltering in the early rounds, but a meeting with Djokovic cannot be approached with overwhelming confidence. With two victories on clay, the Serb cannot be hailed as the conqueror of a dynasty but he has asked the question of Nadal. The tennis world awaits the answer with some relish.

The other two in the quartet may be destined to be supporting acts at Roland Garros. It is difficult to make a case for Murray since his best showing here is a quarter-final in 2009. Yet the 24-year-old Scot has the attributes to be a success on the surface. He was coached on clay in Barcelona, has the shots to work players and is adept at finding angles.

One of the mysteries of modern tennis is why people have accepted the theory that Murrray simply was unsuited to the surface. His performance in Rome when he should have beaten Djokovic was an indication that the Scot should demand a place in the last four at Roland Garros.

The most intriguing figure, perhaps, is Federer. He has won only one tournament this season and has been beaten up so many times by Djokovic that he should seek a restraining order. The Swiss player’s only victory at Roland Garros was his defeat of Soderling after an ailing Nadal had been beaten by the Swede.

The sporting obituary on Federer has been written many times only to be retracted as he conjures up another marvellous win in a grand slam final. However, the early summer in Paris should not be a time of promise for him.

At his wondrous best, he was still a diminished figure on clay, never able to impose his game on Nadal. He now has slipped to third in the world and his defeat to Soderling in France and Berdych at Wimbledon suggests he is vulnerable to power.

Like Murray, he will hope to ask questions in a semi-final. The answer to who will be the French Open champion will surely be supplied after a Djokovic-Nadal final.

hugh macdonald

chief sportswriter

in paris

hugh.macdonald@heraldandtimes.co.uk