The world’s leading tennis players return to Stade Roland-Garros in Paris for the second Grand Slam® tournament of 2026, with several Rolex Testimonees aiming to create another defining chapter on the sport’s most demanding clay-court stage.
Last year, Coco Gauff claimed her first Roland-Garros singles title after a hard-fought journey through the draw. The following day, fellow Rolex Testimonees Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner contested the longest final in the history of the event, lasting 5 hours and 29 minutes on Court Philippe-Chatrier.
Photo credit: © Rolex
Gauff will attempt to retain her crown from Sunday 24 May to Sunday 7 June. With Alcaraz unable to defend his men’s singles title due to injury, his great rival and the World No. 1 Sinner will seek a first-ever Roland-Garros win to complete the career Grand Slam®.
A finalist in Rome last week, Gauff discussed the unique challenge ahead: “The clay at Roland-Garros is like no other surface. You have to practice like you’re going to win every single match by a point or two. I’m looking forward to making the adjustments to my game, sliding around and going for those crazy shots. I often find that at the start of Roland-Garros the clay is a little bit rough for me, but I feel like I always find my way in Paris.”
Watching Gauff’s victory courtside last year was former champion Garbiñe Muguruza. This year marks a decade since the Spaniard won her first of two Grand Slam® titles at Roland-Garros and joined the Rolex family. Having retired from professional tennis in 2024, Muguruza remains closely involved in the game through her roles as Co-Director of the Mutua Madrid Open and Tournament Director of the WTA Finals.
Photo credit: © Rolex
Muguruza reflected on her career-defining moment in 2016: “Winning that tournament meant so much. It was Roland-Garros, it was my first Grand Slam title and I played one of my idols in the final so it had triple value for me. Suddenly it all clicked. I had just become a Grand Slam champion and then I became a Rolex Testimonee. I kept asking myself, ‘Is this really happening?’ Afterwards I had my Daytona watch engraved with ‘Paris in my heart, 2016’. It has been an amazing journey.”
With roots dating back to 1891, Roland-Garros remains one of tennis’ greatest physical and technical tests, demanding precision, perseverance and endurance across two weeks of competition. Since Rolex became Official Timekeeper of the tournament in 2019, the brand’s clocks have kept time on many of the event’s most memorable performances.
Photo credit: © Rolex
This year’s competition is also set to feature a strong group of Rolex Testimonees who built momentum during the clay-court season. Sinner’s fine form saw him triumph in Monte-Carlo, Madrid and Rome, becoming the first man to win six consecutive ATP Masters 1000 tournaments. Four-time Roland-Garros champion Iga Świątek progressed to the semi-finals in Rome, Mirra Andreeva reached the final in Madrid and Ben Shelton captured his first ATP 500 clay-court title in Munich. Making a welcome return is Qinwen Zheng, entering the main draw alongside Belinda Bencic, João Fonseca, Taylor Fritz, Victoria Mboko and Stéfanos Tsitsipás.
Sinner, a four-time Grand Slam® champion who at age 24 is now the youngest player to have conquered all nine ATP Masters 1000 tournaments, discussed his approach going into Roland-Garros: “As always, I will work hard together with my team to arrive in Paris in the best form possible. I’ll take it step by step, round by round, without thinking about winning the title. It’s a long way to the Roland-Garros final, so we’ll focus on our preparation and then take it match by match, hoping to go as far as we can.”
Photo credit: © Rolex
The words “victory belongs to the most tenacious” surround Court Philippe-Chatrier, a fitting reminder of what Roland-Garros demands from its champions. Timing and tenacity remain central to success on the red clay, and Rolex’s long-standing presence at the tournament continues to connect the brand with some of tennis’ most enduring moments.
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Source: Rolex. Photo credit (top): © Rolex.
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