Jonas Bjorkman and Max Mirnyi headline a strong field at the Masters Series Monte-Carlo presented by ROLEX, looking to repeat the kind of form that took them to the NASDAQ-100 Open title in Miami last month.

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Bjorkman and Mirnyi both have experience of winning at the Monte-Carlo Country Club.

Bjorkman triumphed in 2001 and 2002 with former partner Todd Woodbridge of Australia. Mirnyi, meanwhile, captured the clay-court Masters Series title with Mahesh Bhupathi in 2003.

With Stanford ATP Doubles Race leaders Bob and Mike Bryan absent from the field, Bjorkman and Mirnyi are installed as top seeds.

The pair have been awarded a first round bye, and await the winner of either Argentine duo Guillermo Coria and Martin Garcia or Chris Haggard and Dmitry Tursunov.

ZIMONJIC EYES THREE-PEAT

Nenad Zimonjic returns to familiar surrounds as two-times defending doubles champion, attempts to win his third straight title with as many partners. This week he teams with Frenchman Fabrice Santoro, as No. 3 seeds.

Zimonjic won the title two years ago with Tim Henman and last year with Leander Paes.

Santoro and Zimonjic will play either Tomas Berdych and Jarkko Nieminen or British duo Henman and Andy Murray in the second round.

STRONG FIELD

Second-seeded Mark Knowles and Daniel Nestor, winners of Delray Beach and last month’s ATP Masters Series event in Indian Wells, come to Monte-Carlo boasting a 15-6 match record this season.

Australian Open finalists Leander Paes, of India, and Czech Martin Damm are seeded fourth, while Israeli pair Jonathan Erlich and Andy Ram, the Adelaide champions, are No. 5 seeds.

Simon Aspelin and Todd Perry (No. 6), Leos Friedl and Julian Knowle (No. 7) and Stephen Huss and Pavel Vizner (No. 8) round out the seeded teams.