The French Open, hosted at Roland Garros, is the second tennis Grand Slam of the year. It is the only Slam played on clay, which is a surface that not all players are comfortable with, so the draws can produce unpredictable high drama.
Following on from the season-opening Australian Open slam, the French Open precedes Wimbledon and then the US Open. It’s one of the major highlights of the sporting calendar year and one of the most physically demanding tournaments around for players.
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French Open 2025
The first round of the 2025 French Open tennis begins on 25th May with the women’s final on Saturday 7th June and the men’s final on 8th June. Both the men’s and women’s draw have 128 single players, and there are also 64 doubles teams taking part. In the UK and Ireland, the top tennis action can be seen on Eurosport (Discovery+).
About the French Open
The Championnat de France was first played in 1891, and the event didn’t have a permanent home. In 1928, France faced the challenge of defending their Davis Cup title, and in celebration of that, they went all out and developed the Stade Roland Garros with the Court Philippe-Chatrier as the centrepiece. The Roland Garros playing surface is made of crushed red brick dust pressed into limestone.
In 1968, the French Open was the first major to operate as an ‘Open’, where both professionals and amateurs were eligible to play. This was a defining moment as it gave more structure to tennis. Another pivotal moment of French Open history came in 2007 when the tournament announced that it was giving equal prize money to men and women.
In 2022, a new tiebreaker format was introduced, where if a deciding set in a match reaches six-all, a 10-point tiebreaker comes into effect.
Legends of Roland Garros
The first French Open men’s tournament in 1968 was won by Australia’s Ken Rosewall. In the modern era, greats such as Björn Borg, Rod Laver, Ilie Năstase, Ivan Lendl, Jim Courier and, of course, Rafael Nadal all collected the top prize.
Nadal won his first French Open title in 2005 on his debut, the first of 14 titles he would win there, which is one of sport’s greatest achievements. In total, the Spaniard won 112 of 116 matches played at Roland Garros.
America’s Nancy Richey collected the first-ever women’s singles title at the French Open in 1968. Again, the list of winners is impressive, and includes Margaret Smith, Chris Evert, Billie Jean King, Martina Navratilova, Steffi Graf, Justine Henin and Serena Williams.
Rafa Nadal’s 14 French Open victories
| Year | Opponent | Score |
| 2005 | Mariano Puerta | 3-1 |
| 2006 | Roger Federer | 3-1 |
| 2007 | Roger Federer | 3-1 |
| 2008 | Roger Federer | 3-0 |
| 2010 | Robin Söderling | 3-0 |
| 2011 | Roger Federer | 3-1 |
| 2012 | Novak Djokovic | 3-1 |
| 2013 | David Ferrer | 3-0 |
| 2014 | Novak Djokovic | 3-1 |
| 2017 | Stan Wawrinka | 3-0 |
| 2018 | Dominic Thiem | 3-0 |
| 2019 | Dominic Thiem | 3-1 |
| 2020 | Novak Djokovic | 3-0 |
| 2022 | Casper Ruud | 3-0 |
Who will rule Roland Garros in 2025?
Men’s
Who will be crowned champion this year? Spanish sensation Carlos Alcaraz, who is one of the best natural players on the surface, will be firmly in the mix. The Italian Jannik Sinner is yet to reach a French Open final, but even after being away from the game for three months, he is still the number one-ranked player in the world.
Alexander Zverev was runner-up to Carlos Alcaraz in last year’s epic five-set final, failing to seal the deal despite holding a 2-1 lead against the Spaniard. The German has a strong track record at Roland Garros, having reached at least the semi-finals in each of his last four appearances.
Novak Djokovic has won the French Open three times before and arguably would have earned more if Rafa Nadal had not been in the picture. Djokovic is not in form, but the former champion is still capable of putting a big run together.
Casper Ruud’s massive top-spin shots are a danger on the clay and Holger Rune has produced good consistency on the surface, thanks to his incredible agility and footwork.
Current ATP world rankings
- Jannik Sinner
- Alexander Zverev
- Carlos Alcaraz
- Taylor Fritz
- Jack Draper
- Novak Djokovic
- Casper Ruud
- Alex de Minaur
- Lorenzo Musetti
- Holger Rune
Women’s
Poland’s Iga Świątek has been the ‘Queen of Clay’ at Roland Garros, winning four of the last five editions. However, there is a competitive field waiting for an opportunity to take her down, including the current world number one Aryna Sabalenka, who is the form player of the season.
Coco Gauff could pose a threat, especially after finishing as runner-up to Świątek in the 2022 French Open. Jasmine Paolini was blown away in last year’s final by the experienced Świątek, but expectations over the Italian’s chances will again be high, as they will be for Spain’s Paula Badosa, another good clay court player.
There will also be a spotlight on Qinwen Zheng, who won the Paris Summer Olympics gold at Roland Garros last year and could be in the running for her first Grand Slam title.
Current WTA rankings
- Aryna Sabalenka
- Iga Świątek
- Coco Gauff
- Jessica Pegula
- Jasmine Paolini
- Madison Keys
- Mirra Andreeva
- Qinwen Zheng
- Emma Navarro
- Paula Badosa
Carlos Alcaraz: the rising King of Clay
Carlos Alcaraz has a long way to go to challenge the ‘King of Clay’ status that his compatriot Rafa Nadal holds. However, year by year, his numbers on clay have been getting better.
Carlos Alcaraz clay win/loss record
- 2025 – 13/1*
- 2024 – 17/4
- 2023 – 27/3
- 2022 – 27/4
- 2021 – 22/7
- 2020 – 29/7
- 2019 – 15/9
- 2018 – 6/2
*as of 15th May 2025
After beating Britain’s Jack Draper in the Italian Open semi-finals in mid-May, Alcaraz had moved on to a 13/1 record for the year on clay. With a title earned in Monte Carlo, and then finishing runner-up in Barcelona, the youngster looks dominant.
Alcaraz grew up playing on clay (as many Spanish players do), but cited last year that it wasn’t his favourite surface.
“I grew up playing on clay, but I feel more comfortable playing on hard courts. But I think my game suits the clay courts very well. But I just wanted to be a good player on every surface.” – Carlos Alcaraz.
Iga Świątek: the Queen of Clay
Poland’s Iga Świątek has been one of the most consistent clay court players for several years now. Her four French Open titles are a testament to that, and she will head back to Roland Garros this year in search of her fourth consecutive crown in a brilliant run of current form there.
Świątek has already confirmed her status as one of the greatest clay court players ever, and at the age of only 23, she has her sights on potentially becoming the all-time French Open leader, currently sitting behind only Steffi Graff (6) and Chris Evert (7).
Iga Świątek win/loss clay record
- 2025 – 6/3*
- 2024 – 26/2
- 2023 – 19/2
- 2022 – 18/1
- 2021 – 12/2
- 2020 – 14/2
- 2019 – 10/3
- 2018 – 38/6
- 2017 – 15/2
- 2016 – 3/2
*as of 15th May 2025
Świątek’s strengths are her elite athleticism and ability to slide, which have helped her to an 81% success rate on clay. It is hard to find anyone in the women’s game who returns to her standards. Her biggest attacking weapon, however, is a massive top-spin forehand shot, which opponents have a hard time reading.
“Without a doubt, my biggest sports inspiration, and I probably won’t surprise anyone here, has always been Rafael Nadal.” – Iga Świątek.
Predictions for the French Open
The European clay swing is usually a part of the season where Iga Świątek dominates. However, her 2025 form hasn’t been great. The former world number one has shown a lot of uncharacteristic inconsistency, and she crashed out early in Madrid and Rome.
It has created a strange situation, where she is the 2.75 favourite in French Open odds, but in terms of form, she is well behind Aryna Sabalenka. After May’s Mutua Madrid Open, Sabalanka held a 31/5 win/loss record for the year, compared to Świątek’s 26/8.
Sabalenka the real favourite?
Sabalanka’s best run at Roland Garros was reaching the 2023 semi-finals, but the Belarusian has reached at least the quarter-finals in each of her last eight Grand Slam appearances and is firmly in the running at 3.25 odds.
China’s Qinwen Zheng, who recently ended one of Sabalenka’s winning streaks, makes for a fascinating contender at 21.0 odds. Coco Gauff is also firmly in the picture at 7.5, while 2025 Australian Open winner Madison Keys is a longer 26.0 quote.
Alcaraz could be tough to stop
Carlos Alcaraz is a firm favourite for the men’s title at odds of 2.2. The Spaniard will take some stopping in Paris, but Holger Rune’s recent victory over him in the final of Barcelona was extremely notable, raising the stock of the Danish player’s chances of success to a quote of 21.0.
Reigning champion Jannik Sinner’s recent absence makes his competitive levels hard to gauge ahead of his title defence. He knows what it takes to win at Roland Garros, and it will be worth watching his form through the first couple of rounds as he builds momentum from an opening quote of 3.5 odds.
The French Open Grand Slam is one of the greatest spectacles in tennis, and Tonybet has all the pre-tournament markets covered, as well as pre-match and live in-play tennis betting odds through the Grand Slam.
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