Roland Garros (French Open) 2027
The clay-court Grand Slam, May 17 – June 6, 2027, at Stade Roland Garros in Paris
Roland Garros — the French Open — is tennis's only Grand Slam played on red clay, a surface that rewards patience, heavy topspin and physical endurance in a way the hard courts of the Australian and US Opens don't. The 2027 tournament runs May 17 through June 6 (qualifying May 17–21, main draw from May 23) at Stade Roland Garros in the Bois de Boulogne, western Paris.
Quick facts
Clay-court tennis, specifically
Clay slows the ball and produces a higher bounce than grass or hard courts, generally favoring longer rallies and baseline grinding over serve-and-volley aggression — it's a genuinely different watch than Wimbledon three to five weeks later, and players who dominate one surface don't automatically dominate the other, which is part of why the clay season has its own distinct storylines each year.
The stadium and grounds
Court Philippe-Chatrier, the main show court, got a retractable roof in 2020 (added specifically to reduce the tournament's historical vulnerability to Parisian spring rain), while the grounds themselves sit inside the Bois de Boulogne, giving the whole site a greener, more parkland feel than the dense urban settings of the US Open (Flushing Meadows, still urban NYC) or Wimbledon's suburban club grounds.
Getting there and around
The stadium is accessible directly by Paris Métro (Porte d'Auteuil, line 10), making it one of the more straightforwardly car-free major tournaments to attend given Paris's public transit density — no need to plan around parking or long transfers the way some suburban tournament venues require.
Practical tips
- —Ticket sales for Grand Slams typically open many months ahead through the official Roland Garros site — check there directly rather than third-party resellers for legitimate first-release prices.
- —Late May/early June in Paris is generally mild but genuinely can bring rain — Chatrier's roof helps for that specific court, but outer courts are still open-air.
- —Combine a Roland Garros trip with standard Paris sightseeing rather than treating it as a standalone destination — the stadium is a normal Métro ride from the city center, not an isolated sports complex.
- —Clay-court tennis rewards patience as a spectator too — rallies run longer than on grass or hard courts, worth knowing going in if you're used to faster-surface matches.
