Wimbledon is a lovely sporting event, awash in charm. But it’s played in a village, a healthy commute from central London. The U.S. Open is a rollicking Lollapalooza, awash in sweaty energy. But it’s played far from the beating pulse of New York City, reachable from Manhattan only by bridge or tunnel.
The French Open—or Roland Garros, as the hommes and femmes in the branding department would prefer you call it—on the other hand, is a city event. The venue is barely a mile from the Arc de Triomphe. In this bike-friendly city, you could leave the tennis venue, pick up a Vélib’ (Paris’s answer to Citibike) and be at the Eiffel Tower in 15 minutes. If you can’t walk from the tennis to your Paris hotel, you’re a short ride away on the Metro.
There are some drawbacks to staging an urban event. For one, in terms of real estate Roland Garros is, far and away, the smallest of the majors. The venue is closing in on 100 years old and occasionally shows its age. It also has the tensest relationship with the neighbors, challenged as it is to expand its footprint, much less tap into public funds to do so.
Still, there is undeniable charm to the tournament. (And befitting a sporting venue named not for an athlete but for a military pilot, there is undeniable quirkiness as well.) The gems and touches come in large and small sizes. There’s a court that doubles as a terrarium. There’s the neighborhood, wedged, as the event is, among parks and gardens and upscale residential apartment buildings. There are small touches, too, like the on-site orange trees or the secret passageways.
Clay court tennis demands a different skill and mentality from asphalt tennis. And the French Open tends to feature some of the year’s most fierce and demanding battles—if not classically classic matches. But even if you’re watching a blowout, you could do worse than spending a few days in the late spring watching tennis in Paris. Here are some tips for attending the French Open.
Getting there
• Get tickets but don’t sweat tickets. The scalpers may have been cleared from the nearby Metro stops, but this event is much closer to the U.S. Open than to Wimbledon. You may have to pay various fees online. You may have to struggle through French language websites. But few sessions are fully sold out and you should be okay to get through the gates.
• Speaking of … take the Metro—which is clean, safe, punctual and generally outstanding—to Porte d’Auteuil is your best bet. That and/or biking, which is the best way to get around Paris these days. There are tons of bike lanes. Vélib’ is easy. Your Uber app works for Lime e-bikes.
• There are lots of streets either closed or snarled with traffic. You’ll pay for trying to get too close. If you Uber or cab, get off at Molitor Hotel and walk the 100 yards or so.
• Paris has Uber but it’s unreliable. A lot of two-minute waits turn into 10-minute waits. Again, Metro, walk or bike.
• For will call especially, bring I.D., preferably a passport. I’ve heard stories of people coming to pick up tickets and—even armed with the same credit card used to make the purchase—having trouble because they cannot identify themselves.
On the grounds
• This year in particular—the first time in more than 20 years he is inactive—note the Rafael Nadal statue. (Hot take: It says as much about Nadal’s character as his tennis that the event felt comfortable immortalizing him with a statue before his retirement. You’ll note that the Tour de France, wisely, did not honor Lance Armstrong while he was still cycling.)
• There is no finer tennis venue than Court Simonne-Mathieu. Full stop. Trust us.
• As always, the practice schedule is your friend. (And the event is awfully good about posting times and location.) Stars often favor Court 5. Fans in the know are there waiting long before Novak Djokovic or Coco Gauff or whomever arrives.
• As always, cheer for your favorite players. And for those who could use it or deserve for reasons additional to their games. The Ukrainians. Daria Kasatkina. You will no doubt be reminded but note this is Richard Gasquet’s last go-round.
• Check out the apiary behind Suzanne Lenglen. Yes, you read right.
• The upper reaches of Court Philippe-Chatrier double as vistas to see much of the Paris skyline, such as it is, including the Eiffel Tower.
• The ramasseurs—the ballkids—play a starring role. Most mornings an hour before match play, they charge down the concourse, singing their theme song.
• The same holds for Wimbledon, but Americans are often surprised how late the sun goes down. It’s June. Paris is deceptively far north. It’s entirely possible that day matches will go until 9:30 p.m. local time. Consider that when making dinner plans.
• Feel free to take a dig at the charm-deprived, awkward money-grabs that are the night sessions. Initially the women were upset when they thought they were getting shortchanged. Then they saw how these sessions played. The weird ambiance, the way late finishes wrecked players’ rhythms. They rightly said, Nah, c’est bon. We’re good. Go ahead and load them up with the dudes and their best-of-five matches.
• Speaking of money grabs … the Sunday start used to be a “soft open,” a day when few top players were on the concert bill. More and more, it’s a proper session with stars.
• Hydrate. And Perrier > Vittel > Evian.
• The food on site is … fine. Not embarrassing, not extortionately priced. And the croque monsieur draws rave reviews. But you might want to bring your own sandwiches. Room for improvement here, especially for a city known to have a decent restaurant. Or 10,000.
• Just stroll the grounds and note the small (and again, quirky) touches. Surely this is the only major sporting event that offers complementary Haribo gummy bears in some of the restrooms. There is an orange tree. There is a back path between the two show courts on which you might cross wild birds. The botanical gardens that abut Court Simonne-Mathieu are lovely.
• Actually, better than lovely. At least in past years, the event has been good about re-entry. If you need a break or a nap, buy a baguette and spend 45 minutes or so in the botanical gardens or the Bois de Boulogne before heading back to the tennis.
• If a French player is in action, stop by. Note the rabid fans … and how quickly they can turn on their players when they start losing.
• Insider tip: A number of players (including Roger Federer in his day) would practice on their off days at the courts across the road in the Bois de Boulogne. Before you enter the stadium, it might be worth poking around.
Nearby
• The Bois de Boulogne is one of Paris’s secrets hiding in plain sight. Detour through it on the way to Roland Garros. It’s on the other end from Roland Garros, but get really ambitious and make a reservation at the Fondation Louis Vuitton.
• Again, the Metro is terrific. Reliable. Clean. Frequent. The stops are (too) close together. Don’t worry when you see your hotel is a dozen stops from Porte d’Auteuil. It won’t take that long.
• Because you needed another reason to like France … showing a media card or a student ID gets you into most museums and galleries for free.
Misc.
• There’s a joke that Parisians like the Eiffel Tower for one reason only: If they climb the steps they finally get a panoramic view of Paris unimpeded by the Eiffel Tower. This is the encapsulation of jaded. The Eiffel Tower is awesome. It’s centrally located. It’s a few bucks to ascend. Be a tourist and do it.
• Everyone has a favorite restaurant and recommendation but here’s the truth: You can’t go wrong. The neighborhood bistro near your Airbnb or hotel (remember hotels?) is just as good as the Michelin joint your lawyer’s sister’s dentist recommends so lustily.
• Le Relais de l'Entrecôte is terrible and touristy, and has bad quality beef and must be avoided at all costs. (Unless you’re online, in which case please hold my spot.) Seriously, it’s mediocre, sometimes leathery steak in divine sauce. Like put-it-in-our-veins divine. And it’s fun and reasonably-priced. Tip: The Montparnasse location is farthest from the tennis but tends to have shortest lines.
• Contrary to reports, the French are, collectively, awesome. And they don’t regard the English language as a sound the devil makes. Most of the country speaks it; and speaks it well. Which helps those of us who are not conversant in French. Acknowledging that any linguistic shortcoming is our fault, not theirs? It goes a long way. Starting by saying, Ex-Koos Em-Wa. Parlay-Vu Ong-Glay? goes a long way toward eroding any language barrier.
• Seriously, hydrate.
More French Open on Sports Illustrated
This article was originally published on www.si.com as 2025 Roland Garros: Tips for Enjoying the French Open.