"If you don't lose, you cannot enjoy the victories. So I have to accept both things."
Rafael Nadal
The French Open, commonly known as Roland-Garros, is one of the oldest and most prestigious international tennis tournaments. Even if you're not a fan of tennis or are new to tennis, you'll have likely heard of it.
So what's all the fuss about?
In this article, we're going to look at why Roland-Garros is such an important tournament, what makes it special, and why you should watch it, either in person or live on TV!
Roland-Garros Is a Grand Slam Tournament
The French Open is one of four “Grand Slam” or major tournaments. While the term “Grand Slam” still refers to the act of winning all of the major tournaments, it's also used interchangeably to refer to each of the tournaments that make up the majors.
These tournaments include the Australian Open, the French Open, Wimbledon, and the US Open, which are held across a calendar year in that order.
The Australian Open usually takes place in January and is played on hard courts, which are made from asphalt or concrete with a thin layer of acrylic on top.
The next major tournament is the French Open, which usually takes place in May and June. The French Open, or Roland Garros, is played on clay courts, which are made from crushed brick, shale, or stone.
Roland-Garros
May 25, 2025 1:00 pm
The third major in the calendar year is Wimbledon. Officially known as "The Championships", this major is often referred to simply as Wimbledon after the area of London where it takes place. Wimbledon is recognizable as it takes place on grass courts, which provide much faster tennis.
Finally, there's the US Open. This major is held in late August and early September each year and much like the Australian Open, it's also played on hard courts. It might be too late to make it into this year's tournament, but you might want to start getting tennis coaching from a tennis tutor on the Superprof site.
As one of four Grand Slams, Roland-Garros is already very special as it belongs to a fairly exclusive group of tournaments, offers a large amount of prize money, and is among the biggest tournaments that any tennis player could win.
Competitive Five-Set Men's Tennis
The majors are fairly special because the men's singles matches are played as best-of-five sets. While we'd need an entire article to explain tennis' scoring system, what this means is that the matches can be longer.
With more sets required to win a match, men's singles matches in Grand Slam tournaments are longer and more grueling contests and has produced some incredible French Open men's champions.
While incredibly long matches are rare, the first-round match between Lorenzo Giustino and Corentin Moutet at the 2020 French Open lasted six hours and five minutes!
The first-round match between Fabrice Santoro and Arnaud Clément during the 2004 French Open lasted six hours and thirty-three minutes, though this was played across two days.
Admittedly, longer tennis matches mightn't be as appealing to new fans as it requires a much bigger time commitment, but once you've started watching tennis, you'll see why more sets provide a greater spectacle.
Roland-Garros Is the Only Clay Court Major
In terms of playing surface, Roland-Garros is fairly special because it's the only major played on clay. Where Wimbledon is often instantly recognizable for its well-kept grass courts, the eye-catching red courts of Roland-Garros make it clear where the tournament is taking place.
While there are plenty of other tournaments that are played on clay, as the only clay Grand Slam tournament, the French Open is the pinnacle.
Clay courts, or terre battue in French, are slower than grass courts, which allows for longer rallies and different and potentially more strategic play.
Combine this slower play with longer men's singles matches and you end up with everything you need for some great matches.
The famed red clay of Roland-Garros consists of stones, gravel, clinker, limestone, and a thin layer of crushed brick.
The French Open Has a Long History and a Rich Tradition
Even though the French Open's status as a Grand Slam tournament is worth a lot to players, it also comes with a long history, a lot of tradition, and prestige.
The tournament started in 1891 as the Championnat de France or French Championships. For many years, the tournament was only accessible to members of French tennis clubs or French nationals.
While the first winner was a British man, the early years of the tournament were naturally dominated by French players and as an amateur tournament, the French Championships were somewhat different to the French Open we know today.
The tournament wasn't even initially played on clay. The first instance of the tournament was played on grass, but between 1892 and 1907, the French Championships took place on sand.
It wouldn't be until the move to its permanent home at the Roland Garros Stadium (Stade Roland Garros in French) that it would get its name.
The French Open Is Held in Paris and Is Uniquely French
Melbourne, New York City, and London are all wonderful cities, but there's only one Paris, France, and it plays host to the French Open.
In Paris' fancy upmarket 16th arrondissement (the special districts of Paris), the French Open is nestled in Parisian high society. The area is the third-wealthiest district in France for household income and the only two other places in the country that are wealthier are the neighboring 7th arrondissement and Neuilly-sur-Seine.
In terms of sport, the 16th arrondissement hosts the French Open, the Paris Saint-Germain soccer team, and the Stade Français rugby team.
For tourists, the 16th arrondissement is home to the Arc de Triomphe, which sits on the border between the 16th, 17th, and 8th arrondissements, Trocadéro, which is often bustling with tourists as it provides perfect views of the Eiffel Tower.
Many Great Tennis Players Have Competed and Won at the French Open
Before the first serve in the tournament, it's clear that Roland-Garros is something special. Everything's in place to offer great tennis, but without the players, the tournament would be nothing.
Fortunately, the French Open has never failed to disappoint and whether it's the men's, the women's, or doubles tennis, many incredible players have won the tournament and even more have competed.
From the early domination of Decugis back when the tournament was the French Championships to Rafael Nadal asserting his reign as the King of Clay for two decades, Roland-Garros welcomes great tennis players to vie for the title.
at Roland-Garros
There's also the most recent winner, Novak Djokovic, and new and exciting talents like Carlos Alcaraz is looking to win his first French Open after already winning the 2022 US Open and the 2023 Wimbledon titles.
Roland-Garros has also welcomed great female tennis players like Chris Evert, Steffi Graff, Margaret Court, Justine Henin, and Serena Williams. To hammer home just how special and unique the French Open is, Serena Williams has “only” won the women's singles title three times while she's won the Australian Open and Wimbledon seven times each and the US Open six times!
If you dream of being a great tennis player or just improving your game, don't forget to check out the tennis coaches on the Superprof site.
There's a Great Atmosphere at the French Open
The crowd at the French Open is usually quite special. For good or for bad, most players have something to say about the crowd at Roland-Garros.
For some players, the behavior of the French Open crowd has been criticized for being disrespectful, but when the French fans have a hometown hero to support, their lack of neutrality is apparent. That said, greats like Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal have said that they've been met with respect from the home crowd, even when playing against French players so it might just be sour grapes from players who lost against a French rival.
The French fans love their tennis, are passionate fans, and exhibit a level of expertise and understanding of the sport that makes attending the French Open a must for anyone who loves the sport.
Of course, at the highest level of the sport, you'd expect nothing less and while seats might end up empty at lunchtime during earlier matches (the French's fondness for good food sometimes supersedes tennis), the tournament's atmosphere can only be matched by the other Grand Slam tournaments.
Roland-Garros Is Watched All Over the World
While attending the event is the best way to enjoy the French Open, American TV audiences can also enjoy Roland-Garros from the comfort of their own homes.
NBC Sports, Peacock, and Tennis Channel broadcast the matches, with the later matches like the men's and women's semifinals and finals on the flagship channel.
As one of tennis' biggest tournaments and taking place towards the middle of the calendar year, Roland-Garros is watched by millions of viewers from all over the world, with broadcasters across the globe bringing live coverage to tennis fans.
Tennis at the French Open makes it worth watching and the backdrop provided by the clay courts of Stade Roland Garros make it even better. If you have the means to watch any of the French Open, you should!
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