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Monaco star Kylian Mbappe picks his French Open favourite

The teenaged sensation clearly knows his tennis!

Monaco star Kylian Mbappe picks his French Open favourite

French forward Kylian Mbappe arrives at the national team's training camp in Clairefontaine-en-Yvelines (Photo: AFP)

Fresh from announcing himself with some barnstorming displays on the football pitch for Monaco, teenaged sensation Kylian Mbappe stopped by Roland Garros to witness some first-round action a the 2017 French Open.

“Rafael Nadal is my favourite, because he's incredible on clay,” said Mbappe in an interview with the tournament’s website

The 19-year-old followed up his opening statement with one that would appease many French fans by adding, “And I'm backing Jo-Wilfried Tsonga too – though I'm biased, because I've got a soft spot for him!”

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At his first-ever French Open, Mbappe admitted to being impressed by the whole experience at the only Grand Slam to be played on clay. 

“I went to the Masters 1000 event at Monte-Carlo a few weeks ago, but this is my first time at Roland Garros. Like most people, I knew the courts from seeing them on TV, but I didn't appreciate what the venue is like as a whole. I've been really blown away by the grounds,” gushed Mbappe.

In Didier Deschamps’ France squad to play England in a friendly on June 4, the Monaco forward felt that the sheer physical demands of tennis at times, outstrip those of football. 

“I'm astounded by the endurance that the sport demands, because the matches can easily last much longer than football games. But what amazes me most is how tennis players deal with being lone rangers. It's a far cry from football, where if you make a mistake, a teammate can save your blushes. If you make a mistake in tennis, on the other hand, no one else can bail you out. All credit to the players for the way they dig deep and entertain us at every tournament,” he added.

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