French Open

Tournament basics

French Open 2026 dates: May 24 - June 7. Surface: clay (terre battue, red clay over crushed brick). Draw size: 128 men's and 128 women's singles. Total prize pool: €56 million; the singles champions take home €2.4 million each. First-round losers earn €73,000.

Draw path watch

Defending men's champion: Carlos Alcaraz (won the 2025 final in five sets against Jannik Sinner). Defending women's champion: Iga Swiatek (won the 2025 final against Aryna Sabalenka). The men's draw features Sinner, Djokovic, Zverev and Medvedev in the top eight seeds.

Clay-court form is the leading indicator at Roland-Garros. Average rally length in 2025: 5.8 shots. The surface rewards topspin, sliding defence and physical endurance; five-set men's matches often run past four hours.

Surface notes

Clay is the slowest surface in tennis. Average rally length at Roland-Garros in 2025: 5.8 shots. Service holds: 71% (lowest of any surface). Topspin is the dominant tactic; slice and drop shots are highly effective. Movement and physical endurance are the keys - five-set men's matches often extend past four hours.

Seeds and venues

Men's seeds: 1. Alcaraz, 2. Sinner, 3. Zverev, 4. Djokovic, 5. Medvedev, 6. Rublev, 7. Ruud, 8. Fritz. Women's seeds: 1. Swiatek, 2. Sabalenka, 3. Rybakina, 4. Gauff, 5. Pegula, 6. Zheng, 7. Jabeur, 8. Vondrousova. Main courts: Court Philippe-Chatrier (15,000+, retractable roof since 2020), Court Suzanne-Lenglen (10,000+, retractable roof since 2024), Court Simonne-Mathieu (5,000).

Editor's note

The desk's coverage starts two weeks before the tournament with seed-by-seed reads, then moves to daily draws from the Sunday before the first round. Refresh cadence: every 30 minutes during matches. Coverage note: clay marks on kit are tolerated (unlike the all-white rule at Wimbledon); the night session is new from 2025 and extends to quarter-finals in 2026.