Second-seeded Rafael Nadal will begin the defense of his Masters Series Monte-Carlo title against Arnaud Clement, following the main draw at the Monte-Carlo Country Club on Saturday.

Tournament director Zeljko Franulovic and Mme Elizabeth-Ann De Massy, the President of the Monaco Tennis Federation and tournament committee member, presided over the main draw ceremony with a handful of famous names from the world of sport.

World marathon record-holder Paula Radcliffe, Olympic triple jump champion Christian Olsson and tennis stars past and present Ivan Ljubicic and Guillermo Vilas were also present.

ATP World No. 1 Roger Federer, winner of ATP Masters Series events in Indian Wells and Miami last month, begins his clay-court season against a qualifier.

Federer has reached the quarterfinals of Masters Series Monte-Carlo on two occasions in 2001 and 2005.

Nadal, who captured 11 titles including four Masters Series shields last season, will look for revenge over Frenchman Clement in their third career meeting. Clement beat Nadal 2-6, 6-3, 5-7 at the Open 13 in Marseille two months ago en route to the title.

The winner will meet either 18-year-old Scot Andy Murray or wild card Jean-Rene Lisnard.

Reigning Tennis Masters Cup champion David Nalbandian will play Xavier Malisse of Belgium in the first round. The No. 3 seed will look to improve upon his 13-4 match record in 2006, following his run to the semifinals in Miami.

Monte-Carlo resident Ivan Ljubicic, currently ranked No. 5 in the INDESIT ATP Rankings, meets Russian Igor Andreev.

Ljubicic, winner of ATP titles in Chennai and Zagreb this year, will hope to replicate his straight-sets triumph over Andreev in Marseille and add to his 27-4 match record.

Fifth-seeded Nikolay Davydenko will play Sweden’s Robin Soderling in the first round, while 2004 winner and last year’s beaten finalist Guillermo Coria – No. 6 seed – faces Mikhail Youzhny.

Two-times former champion Juan Carlo Ferrero, seeded 11th for the third ATP Masters Series event of 2006, starts his campaign against Russian Dmitry Tursunov.

Meanwhile another former winner, Carlos Moya, currently ranked No. 36 in the INDESIT ATP Rankings, will play No. 12 seed Fernando Gonzalez of Chile.