TENN360 | THE FAN'S GUIDE TO THE TOUR
tennis is more than the score.
ROLAND GARROS
Tour
ITF
Date of event
17-6 June 2027
Location
Paris
Surface
Clay
Singles Title
A Zverev/M Andreeva
Doubles Title
M Granollers H Zeballos/T Townsend K Siniaková
Level
Grand Slam
TENN360 INSIGHT:
Roland-Garros is tennis on red clay turned into an entire world of its own. With roots stretching back to 1891 and the stadium at Porte d’Auteuil dating from 1928, this is one of those sporting places where the history is almost impossible to ignore. Add Paris, the red dirt, the crowds and the unique demands of clay-court tennis, and you have a Grand Slam that feels unlike any other.
Court Philippe-Chatrier is the obvious big-match experience. With 15,000 seats and its retractable roof, it is the centrepiece of the tournament and the place to be when the biggest names meet.
But don’t automatically assume the biggest court means the best experience. Suzanne-Lenglen holds more than 10,000 and is famous for its atmosphere, while Simonne-Mathieu has one of the most distinctive settings in tennis, built into the Serres d’Auteuil gardens and surrounded by greenery.
If your ticket allows access to the outside courts, use it. Free-seating courts can put you remarkably close to the players, particularly earlier in the tournament.
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This is one of the great advantages of having access beyond the show courts. Roland-Garros has a huge number of courts and practice areas, and Opening Week in particular gives fans the chance to watch leading players practising before the main draw begins. During the tournament, the outside courts can bring you surprisingly close to the action.
The trick is not to spend your entire visit chasing the biggest names. Sometimes the best view of a future star is on a much smaller court.
You want the full Grand Slam experience.
Roland-Garros gives you history, world-class players, proper clay-court tennis, legendary courts, packed stands and the feeling that you are watching an important chapter of the season unfold. It is particularly special if you enjoy the tactical side of tennis — sliding, constructing points, defending, changing height and patiently creating an opening all become part of the spectacle.
And then there is Paris. A day at Roland-Garros followed by an evening in the city is a pretty difficult combination to beat.
I’d give yourself a full day — and resist the temptation to spend all of it in your ticketed show court.
Get there early and explore the grounds while everything is getting going. Watch some practice, find a few matches on the outside courts, wander through the different areas and then settle into your main match later. The outside courts can be where some of the best fan moments happen: you are closer to the action, the atmosphere is more immediate and you never quite know what you are going to stumble across.
And don't treat Roland-Garros as a tennis-only day. Leave time to enjoy the food, gardens and atmosphere around the grounds. The whole point is to feel that you have spent a day at Roland-Garros, rather than simply watched a tennis match.
This is late-May/early-June Paris, so you can get beautiful warm days — but don't pack as though you are heading to the Mediterranean.
Sunglasses, sunscreen and a water bottle are still essentials, while a light layer or waterproof jacket is worth having in your bag. And remember: Philippe-Chatrier and Suzanne-Lenglen now both have retractable roofs, so weather doesn't necessarily mean the tennis stops.
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Roland-Garros is at Porte d’Auteuil in Paris's 16th arrondissement, so it is very much a tournament you can reach without a car. The stadium is served by the Paris public-transport network, with metro and bus connections, and there are Vélib' bicycle stations nearby.
Allow extra time on busy tournament days. The final approach can be considerably slower when thousands of fans are arriving at once, so this is one occasion where “I’ll leave it until the last minute” is not a brilliant strategy.
You prefer your tennis small, simple and easy to navigate.
Roland-Garros is a big day out. There are crowds, queues, distances between different parts of the grounds and plenty happening away from the court. You can absolutely get lost in the fun of it, but if your ideal tournament is sitting five rows from the court at a quiet 250 and watching three matches without moving, this is a very different beast.
Power in Numbers
128
Single Draws
15,000
Centre court seat
20
Courts