PARIS – Moments after he rolled his ankle during a doubles match on May 8 in Madrid, Vasek Pospisil feared the worst. 

"I was very disappointed, obviously," he said. "When it happened I thought I broke it. I've sprained my ankle several times over the course of my career and that that was by far the most painful one. But it turned out to be not as bad as initially thought. The first couple of diagnoses said I had a fracture and that turned out not to be the case. It was a tough MRI to read."

In the end, Pospisil was diagnosed with a second-degree sprain and bone bruise. He went through six hours of rehab each day for 10 days before determining he could make a go of it in Paris. 

So the very fact that Pospisil is here - at the French Open - is already a victory in and of itself. And that's good, because it may be tough for the Canadian to earn any other victories this week, at least in singles. 

Pospisil, 53rd in the latest ATP Tour rankings, will face Portugal's Joao Sousa, ranked 44th, in his first-round match on Tuesday. Despite their proximity in the rankings, Pospisil is downplaying expectations. 

"Given the current situation, me being out for two weeks or so with the ankle, him being confident and being more of a clay-courter, I'd say that maybe the pressure's on him," Pospisil said with a chuckle. "I think I have a little less pressure for sure. I feel I can go in there and just swing freely. I'm not expecting any miracles in terms of results this week. But I'm just going to go out there and do my best."

Pospisil did add, "It is still a match I can definitely win," and noted that the foot, supported by a brace, did feel "surprisingly good" during a practice session. 

Sousa, meanwhile, arrives in Paris in fine form having reached the finals of a tune-up event in Geneva last week. 

As for Pospisil, he's 8-9 this season and lost his first match at his last two tournaments (Madrid and Munich). 

"I have mixed feelings about it," the 24-year-old from Vernon, B.C. said when asked to assess his season so far. "It's been a great season. I've been playing really well. I feel like my game is there. I've had some bad draws for the first part of the year and maybe got burnt out at some parts, as well, playing a lot of weeks in a row. But, in general, I feel my game is there, it's just a matter of time before I get going and have some good runs."

Pospisil's doubles career, meanwhile, continues to flourish thanks to the instant chemistry between him and American partner Jack Sock. The pair, who stunningly won Wimbledon last year in their first tournament together, are the second seeds at Roland Garros. 

Apparently Sock was among those most interested in Pospisil's recovery from the ankle injury. 

"He was on me every day, texting me, 'What's going on? How's the ankle feeling?'" Pospisil said with a laugh. "We're still enjoying it. Our focus is still 100% on singles, but we're enjoying the extra doubles spotlight a little bit."