If you want to learn all about Roland Garros, you’ve come to the right place. Here we’ve put together a guide to the rules of the competition, its biggest winners, a bit of the tournament’s history and more;
After all, we’re talking about the second biggest tennis tournament in the world, with world stars and, of course, Brazilian talent.
Known for its clay surface, which makes the competitions even more fierce, the tournament attracts the best tennis players in the world and has a global audience;
Depending on your age, it’s likely that you were also one of the fans who were thrilled to see our Guga, who became known as the “King of Saibro”, win his third title. It all happened in this super special championship;
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All about Roland Garros: what is it?
Roland Garros is one of the biggest and most hotly contested tennis tournaments in the world. Also known as the French Open, it is one of the four Grand Slam tournaments in tennis, alongside the Australian Open, Wimbledon and the US Open. It is held over two weeks at the Stade Roland-Garros in Paris.
When it comes to clay-court tennis competitions, Roland Garro is the biggest in the world.
Every year, the competition starts at the end of May and attracts attention from all over the world;
In Brazil, the competition became very famous for the victories of one of the greatest tennis players of all time: Gustavo Kuerten, our Guga.
The Brazilian tennis player has won the competition three times, putting our country’s name on the top of the podium;
Fonte: Revista Tênis
In terms of number of tournament titles, Guga is tied with the current number one in tennis and also three-time Roland Garros champion (2016, 2021 and 2023), Djokovic.
However, the tournament’s biggest winner is Rafael Nadal, with 14 victories in the competition. And an article all about Roland Garros couldn’t be without a list of its greatest champions, could it?
Who are the greatest Roland Garros champions?
On the list of Roland Garros’ greatest champions are:
- Rafael Nadal (Spain) – 14 titles: 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2022;
- Max Decugis (France) – 8 titles
- Björn Borg (Sweden) – 6 titles
- Henri Cochet (France) – 5 titles
- André Vacherot (France) – 4 titles
- Paul Aymé (France) – 4 titles
- Novak Djokovic (SRB): 3 titles (2016, 2021 e 2023);
- Gustavo Kuerten (BRAZIL): 3 title (1997, 2000 e 2001);
- Ivan Lendl (TCH): 3 titles(1984, 1986 e 1987);
- Maurice Germot (FRA): 3 titles (1905, 1906 e 1910).
Also read: How to Bet on Tennis at Betano: step by step and strategies
Brazilians didn’t have much success at Roland Garros 2024
In 2024, Brazil had six representatives at Roland Garros, with a 100% record in the qualifying round of Roland Garros, with Gustavo Heide, Thiago Monteiro, Felipe Meligeni and Laura Pigossi qualifying;
The four of them joined Thiago Wild and Beatriz Haddad Maia, who had already qualified. Luisa Stefani also qualified for the doubles.
However, between injuries and defeats, all the Brazilians were eliminated in the early stages of the competition.
The History of Roland Garros
Roland Garros began in 1891, initially open only to French amateur players. Only in 1925 did it become an international event, allowing foreign players to take part;
The tournament was named Roland Garros in 1928, after the French aviation pioneer and war hero Roland Garros.
The first women’s singles tournament, with four participants, was held in 1897. Meanwhile, the mixed doubles event was added in 1902 and the women’s doubles in 1907.
Since then, the tournament has grown in popularity, becoming a landmark event in the global sporting calendar.
Also read: 10 Greatest Women Tennis Players of All Time: ranking and medals 🥇
How does Roland Garros work?
Roland Garros is a knockout tournament, where players compete in singles and doubles matches until only one champion remains. The tournament lasts two weeks, with daily matches leading up to the thrilling finals weekend.
What are the rules of Roland Garros?
The rules of Roland Garros follow the general guidelines of the Grand Slam tournaments:
- Format: The men’s singles matches are played in best of five sets, while the women’s singles and doubles matches are played in best of three sets.
- Surface: the tournament is played on clay courts, which affects the speed and bounce of the ball, making the games slower and demanding greater physical endurance from the athletes. This is one of the reasons why the matches are longer.
- Scoring: here, the championship follows the standard tennis format, with games and sets. In the event of a tie in sets (2-2 for men and 1-1 for women), a deciding set is played.
If you’d like to learn more about how the sport is scored, we recommend you read our complete guide: “Rules of tennis: scoring, tie-breaks, challenges and more”.
What are the stages of the tournament?
To understand everything about Roland Garros, it’s essential to understand the stages that make up the tournament:
- Qualifying: at this stage, some of the tennis players who haven’t qualified directly for the tournament compete for some of the places that are still available. It is therefore a stage held before the main tournament.
- First Round: all the players who have qualified or been directly accepted into the tournament start competing against each other.
- Middle Rounds: These include the second, third and fourth rounds, where players face each other in knockout matches.
- Quarterfinals: eight of the tournament’s best players take part in a knockout stage, with the winner progressing to the semi-finals;
- Semifinals: four players compete for two places in the final. They are also one-off matches, just like in the quarter-finals.
- Final: The two best players compete for the title of champion.
What does an athlete need to do to play Roland Garros?
To take part in Roland Garros, the tennis player has a few alternatives:
- Ranking: being well ranked in the ATP (Association of Tennis Professionals) or WTA (Women’s Tennis Association), with a place high enough for direct entry. That’s how Bia Haddad got straight into the main round of the tournament and didn’t have to go through the qualifiers.
- Wild Cards: another way to take part in the tournament is by special invitation from the organizers.
- Qualifying rounds: tennis players can still compete and qualify through qualifying rounds.
What is the prize money at Roland Garros?
One of the main curiosities for those who want to know everything about Roland Garros is the competition’s prize money. After all, how much do tennis players earn for playing in the French tournament?
Like the competition itself, the prize pool is also divided into stages, and tennis players accumulate their prizes as they progress to the next stage. In 2024, the prizes were
- Champion: 2.4 million euros
- Finalist: 1.2 million euros
- Semifinal: 650.000 euros
- Quarter-finals: 415.000 euros
- Round of 16: 250.000 euros
- Third round: 150.000 euros
- Second round: 110.000 euros
- First round: 73.000 euros
The prizes listed above are offered to tennis players who compete in singles, i.e. individual matches where one athlete plays against another.
In the doubles bracket, the prizes are different:
- Champions: 590.000 euros
- Finals: 295.000
- Semifinals: 148.000
- Quarter-finals: 80.000
- Round of 16: 43,5.000
- Second round: 27,5.000
- First round: 17,5.000
Now that you know all about Roland Garros, you can start rooting for our tennis players. Who knows, maybe in 2025 our chances will increase?
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