‘Creepy’ French Open poster too ‘weird’ for tennis fans

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A poster meant to promote the French Open tennis tournament is doing what it intended, but also freaking some people out.

The Roland-Garros poster by JR was released on social media Thursday morning, but didn’t garner the anticipated reaction.

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The most common replies on X featured words like “creepy,” “terrible,” “ugly,” and “weird.” Some said it looked like clay in the eye or a poster for an artsy French movie, not a plug for a tennis tournament.

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The official Roland-Garros website said “Every year since 1980, the FFT has invited an artist to create the official poster for the Roland-Garros tournament. In 2026, the project was entrusted to JR, a major figure on the French street art scene.”

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It included an interview with the artist.

“Encouraging people to think is at the heart of JR’s approach. He demonstrates this once again by creating the official poster for Roland-Garros 2026,” said a release to go with the unveiling.

“‘My work is participative,’ he told us (Roland-Garros) during an interview in his studio in Paris. ‘And on the courts, the spectators physically share an experience, all together. I find these collective experiences even more vital now that so many things take place behind a screen. Roland-Garros represents the pinnacle of this experience: in the middle of the day, in full daylight, every single spectator is connected. It is something that needs preserving. The stadium has been extended over the years because people need that; they need to live this experience together.’”

The site also described the poster as “the fruit of a meeting between the red clay – a strong identifier of the Parisian Grand Slam – and JR’s singular world. He shines the spotlight on the red clay, which takes centre stage in this poster, and gives a special insight into how the courts are prepared in the Porte d’Auteuil stadium.”

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