Roland Garros 2025 MAY 25 – JUNE 8 First staged in 1891 as the Championnat de France, the French Open, played on the iconic red clay of Roland Garros, enthrals tennis fans with its breathtaking rallies and feats of physical endurance SANDS OF TIME: Djokovic celebrates 38th birthday in preparation for tournament, with chances of surpassing Margaret Court’s all-time record – for men or women – diminishing rapidly Most Grand Slam singles titles (All-time, men / women): Australian Open Roland Garros Wimbledon U.S. Open Margaret Court (24) Novak Djokovic (24) Serena Williams (23) Rafael Nadal (22) Steffi Graf (22) Roger Federer (20) Coupe des Mousquetaires Grand Slam guru Novak Djokovic Split with coach Andy Murray (inset) after just six months. Serb has endured difficult clay court season – suffering early exits in Monte-Carlo and Madrid events KING OF CLAY: Acclaimed Rafael Nadal (right) holds astonishing record at his beloved Roland Garros. Winning 14 singles titles from his debut in 2005 to final triumph in 2022 – record for most singles trophies at any individual major Roland Garros titles (Open Era, men): 14 Rafael Nadal ESP 2005-08, 2010-14, 2017-20, 2022 6 Bjorn Borg SWE 1974, 75, 78, 79, 80, 81 3 Mats Wilander SWE 1982, 85, 88 3 Ivan Lendl CZE 1984, 86, 87 3 Gustavo Kuerten BRA 1997, 2000, 01 3 Novak Djokovic SRB 2016, 21, 23 Wins at Roland Garros (Open Era, men): Rafael Nadal ESP Matches W / L: 112 / 3 Novak Djokovic SRB 96 / 16 Roger Federer SUI 73 / 17 Guillermo Vilas ARG 57 / 17 Ivan Lendl CZE 53 / 12 Surface Clay court absorbs pace of ball, producing higher bounce with more spin, leading to longer, more tactical rallies ROLAND GARROS COMPOSITION Playing surface: Red brick dust Improves ball visibility – slippery top layer allows players to slide into shots Linking layer Crushed white limestone Cushion Clinker (coal residue) Loose aggregation At least 30cm of crushed gravel for stability Foundation Larger stones for drainage Slow surface increases duration of points, testing stamina and physicality RESET BUTTON: Swiatek has won 35 of 37 singles matches in Paris, using natural agility and Nadal-esque top-spin forehand to gain advantage over opponents Roland Garros titles (Open Era, women): 7 Chris Evert USA 1974, 75, 79, 80, 83, 85, 86 6 Steffi Graf GER 1987, 88, 93, 95, 96, 99 4 Iga Swiatek POL 2020, 22, 23, 24 4 Justine Henin BEL 2003, 05, 06, 07 Wins at Roland Garros (Open Era, women): Steffi Graf GER Matches W / L: 84 / 10 Chris Evert USA 72 / 6 Arantxa Sanchez ESP 72 / 13 Serena Williams USA 69 / 14 Conchita Martinez ESP 62 / 18 Clay court queen Iga Swiatek Fighting to salvage superiority to retain Coupe Suzanne Lenglen (right). Recent emotional defeats, and failed doping test for heart medication, have affected confidence and resilience Venue Court Simonne Mathieu 5,000-seater sunken arena Avenue Gordon Bennett Orangery Public services and gourmet restaurant Place des Mousquetaires Court Suzanne Lenglen Capacity: 10,000 Retractable roof installed ahead of 2024 Paris Olympics Fonds des Princes Sunken 2,200-seater court Roland Garros Village Administration, reception areas and panoramic terraces Court Suzanne Lenglen Court Philippe Chatrier Capacity: 15,000 Retractable roof completed in 2020. Closes in 15 minutes, allowing all-weather play and night sessions Serres d’Auteuil Timeline 1891: Inaugural French Clay-Court Championships, reserved exclusively for members of French tennis clubs. Tournament alternates between three venues in early years 1925: French Open born when tournament opens to international competition. French stars, including six-time champion Suzanne Lenglen, still dominate 1928: Court complex opens in Paris. Name honours Roland Garros, pioneer aviator killed in World War I 1932: Four “Mousquetaires” – René Lacoste, Jean Borotra, Henri Cochet and Jacques Brugnon – bow out after sharing 10 titles in decade of dominance 1968: Hosts first Grand Slam of Open Era – Ken Rosewall (AUS) and Nancy Richey (USA) are champions 1973: Margaret Court wins then record 13th Paris title, comprising five singles and eight doubles 1974-86: Tennis legends Björn Borg and Chris Evert establish new era of clay court superiority 1979: Five new courts bring total to 10 – further expansions follow in 1986 and 1994 2000: Mary Pierce (left) is most recent French singles champion 2018-20: Major expansion includes complete demolition and rebuild of 90-year-old Court Philippe Chatrier to accommodate retractable roof 2024: Host tennis tournament and boxing finals at Paris Olympics. Nadal bids emotional final au revoir, playing doubles with Carlos Alcaraz Chris Evert Seven-time champion at Roland Garros. First two trophies won during 125-match winning streak on clay (1973-79), Open Era record on single surface for any player, male or female ROLAND GARROS 2025: TOP 10 ATP / WTA rankings as of May 19 1 Jannik Sinner ITA 2 Carlos Alcaraz ESP 3 Alexander Zverev GER 4 Taylor Fritz USA 5 Jack Draper GBR 6 Novak Djokovic SRB 7 Casper Ruud NOR 8 Lorenzo Musetti ITA 9 Alex de Minaur AUS 10 Holger Rune DEN 1 Aryna Sabalenka - 2 Coco Gauff USA 3 Jessica Pegula USA 4 Jasmine Paolini ITA 5 Iga Świątek POL 6 Mirra Andreeva - 7 Madison Keys USA 8 Qinwen Zheng CHN 9 Emma Navarro USA 10 Paula Badosa ESP Pictures: Getty Images Sources: Roland Garros, ATP, WTA © GRAPHIC NEWS