Malek Jaziri is hoping luck remains by his side after the Tunisian lucky loser got a second chance to make it to the Wimbledon main draw, where he faces No24 seed Gael Monfils in the opening round. 

The Tunisian, who is the only Arab in either men or women’s draws this fortnight, had fallen in the final round of qualifying to Turkey’s Marsel Ilhan but was given a lifeline when his name was drawn out of the pool of lucky losers.

The 30-year-old is making a second appearance in the Wimbledon main draw (he made the second round on debut in 2012) and is looking to cause a huge upset over former world No7 Monfils.

“I’m feeling the ball well after going through three matches in qualifying on grass. I hadn’t played any events on grass coming in so this is basically my first event on the surface,” Jaziri, ranked 121 in the world, told Sport360°.

“I was lucky enough to get to the main draw so I’m hoping luck continues to stay on my side.

“It’s going to be a good match. We know each other quite well because we’ve played club matches for the same club in the past (in Sarcelles).”

Jaziri, who peaked at No69 in the world two years ago, has been fighting to find his way back into the top- 100.

The North African, who was a surprise quarter-finalist at the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships earlier this year, had his 2014 season briefly interrupted when he underwent two surgeries to fix breathing problems.

He came back from surgery in April and has been playing on clay since, prior to his Wimbledon qualifying matches.

But Jaziri’s big serve and aggressive style are suited for grass and the Arab No1 believes he’s ready to give his all against Monfils, who made the quarter-finals at Roland Garros a few weeks ago.

“It’s true that hard court is my favourite surface but I believe I play quite well on grass. I enjoy fast surfaces,” he explained.

He added: “The first days were a bit tough for me just to get used to the movement on grass, which isn’t easy. But I’ve been practising well and hopefully I’ll be ready.

“I have to try and play my game, being offensive, going to the net and being aggressive.

“He (Monfils) can sometimes lose his concentration with a match so I need to be alert and take advantage of those moments and be stable throughout the whole match.”