What is the Roland-Garros?
Roland-Garros — the French Open — is the clay-court Grand Slam: the supreme test of clay tennis, played over two weeks in Paris at the Stade Roland-Garros. Its slow red courts make it the most physically demanding of the majors and a championship with its own specialist royalty.[1] [2]
Who organizes it?
The Fédération Française de Tennis (FFT) owns and stages the tournament within the Grand Slam framework shared with the ITF and the tours.[1] [3]
When and where is it held?
Annually from late May into early June, at the Stade Roland-Garros in western Paris — Court Philippe-Chatrier, with its retractable roof, at its center.[1]
Since when does it exist?
The French Championships date to 1891, opened to international players in 1925, and took the Roland-Garros name with the stadium built for the 1928 Davis Cup defense. The tournament's history is inseparable from clay greatness — capped by Rafael Nadal's record fourteen titles.[2]
How do players qualify?
Grand Slam fields are built almost entirely on the world rankings: 128-player singles draws fill with direct acceptances by ATP/WTA ranking (roughly the world's top 100), a 16-player contingent that survives the three-round qualifying tournament the week before, and a small number of wild cards granted by the organizers.[1] Entry is individual — there are no national quotas — so a Grand Slam main-draw appearance is itself objective evidence of a world-class ranking. The events also stage doubles, mixed doubles, junior and wheelchair championships.[2]
Why does it matter?
A Roland-Garros title is the highest achievement on clay, the surface on which much of Europe and Latin America learns the game — for players from those regions it is often the most coveted championship of all, with 2,000 ranking points and one of the sport's great trophies.[1] [2]
References
- Roland-Garros — official site. Accessed August 2026.
- Encyclopaedia Britannica — French Open. Accessed August 2026.
- FFT — Fédération Française de Tennis. Accessed August 2026.