Stade Roland-Garros is located in the 16th arrondissement of Paris, France, adjacent to the Bois de Boulogne. The complex has hosted the French Open since 1928, when it was built to stage France’s Davis Cup defense following the “Four Musketeers” era. The main showcourt, Court Philippe-Chatrier, seats 15,225 spectators and received a retractable roof in 2020, the last of the four Grand Slam main courts to gain weather protection. Court Suzanne-Lenglen holds 10,068 and Court Simonne-Mathieu, which opened in 2019 surrounded by botanical greenhouses, seats 5,000.
Court Philippe-Chatrier was rebuilt between 2018 and 2020 in a project that deepened the bowl, added the retractable roof, and installed lighting for night sessions. The court is named after Philippe Chatrier, the former French Tennis Federation president who campaigned for tennis to return to the Olympic Games. Court Suzanne-Lenglen honours the pioneering French champion who won six singles titles in the 1920s and transformed women’s tennis as a spectator sport. The newest court, Simonne-Mathieu, is named after the French player who won two French Championships titles in the 1930s and later served in the Free French Forces during World War II.
Roland-Garros has been the stage for some of the most iconic moments in tennis. Rafael Nadal won his first title here at age 19 in 2005 and his 14th in 2022, a span of dominance that may never be matched at any Grand Slam. Chris Evert won seven women’s titles between 1974 and 1986. The 2004 women’s final, in which Anastasia Myskina defeated Elena Dementieva for the first all-Russian Grand Slam final, marked a turning point in the globalization of women’s tennis. The red clay courts are rebuilt each year using a base layer of limestone topped with crushed brick from the north of France.
Paris operates on Central European Summer Time (CEST), UTC+2 during the late May and June tournament window. Day sessions begin at 11:00 local time, which is 10:00 in London and 05:00 in New York. Night sessions on Philippe-Chatrier start at 20:15. Check Paris time or France time for current local time at the venue.