Greg Rusedski found a nine-month lay-off too much to overcome as he was dumped out of the French Open in the first round by 21-year-old Russian Nikolai Davydenko.

The British number two had not played since he was defeated by Pete Sampras in the US Open last September, having undergone surgery on an ankle and a knee as well as suffering a disc problem.

It had seen him contemplate retirement but, even though he was comprehensively beaten in straight sets 6-3 7-5 6-2, he showed enough signs of serve-and-volley aggression to suggest he should not be ruled out completely with the grass court season less than a fortnight away.

A lack of concentration at crucial times eventually cost him, particularly in the first set when he lost his service in the sixth and eighth games and again in the last game of the second set when a lame volley into the net handed the Russian the initiative.

The old gutsy Greg would have dug in but, in truth, that was when the serve lost its snap and the rhythm began to desert him - and immediately he lost his serve at the start of the third set the outcome was inevitable.

So it was, Davydenko's more consistent game proving too solid for a man who has always hated the red clay of Roland Garros.

At least, however, Rusedski has a competitive match under his belt and something on which to build as he heads for Wimbledon.

Meanwhile, Tim Henman swept away nine months of Grand Slam rust to make a perfect start to his challenge. The British number one was in aggressive form as he bludgeoned his way to a 6-2 6-3 6-1 victory against Vladimir Voltchkov in the first round at Roland Garros.

Henman's serve, under pressure in recent weeks, was working well - and his groundstrokes were impressive as he showed no sign of the shoulder injury which required surgery late last year and kept him sidelined for four months. But his fans should not get carried away because Voltchkov, whose claim to fame is having reached the semi-finals of Wimbledon in 2000, had not won a match on clay since 1998.

His discomfort on the surface was apparent throughout as he struggled to move with any fluidity and sprayed unforced errors, especially on his wild forehand, all around Court Three.