Roland Garros 2026 is locked in for May 24th through June 7th at Stade Roland Garros, and the buildup has produced one of the most lopsided pre-tournament forecasts in recent memory.
World No. 1 Jannik Sinner heads to Paris as the runaway favorite, riding momentum from his Rome title and chasing the only Grand Slam still missing from his cabinet. The men’s singles draw is scheduled for May 21st, with main-draw play beginning that Sunday.
The storyline is being shaped as much by who isn’t here as by who is. Reigning champion Carlos Alcaraz, who edged Sinner in last year’s epic five-set final, has withdrawn from this edition. Novak Djokovic, Alexander Zverev, Felix Auger-Aliassime, and Ben Shelton anchor the top seeds, while French favorite Gaël Monfils and Swiss veteran Stan Wawrinka are both expected to play their final Roland Garros adding a layer of nostalgia to an already loaded fortnight.
Broadcast rights are split across multiple networks worldwide, so where you live decides which matches you can watch and at what price. Travelers face the added challenge of content restrictions.
What’s at stake at Roland Garros 2026
For Sinner, Paris is about completing the set. The Italian has won every major except this one, and last year’s near-miss against Alcaraz when he held match points in a final he eventually lost in five has lingered as the defining unfinished business of his career. A title in 2026 would lock in his status as the dominant player of his generation.
For Djokovic, the equation is different. At this stage, every Grand Slam he plays could be his last realistic title shot, and a 25th major would extend a record he already owns alone. For Zverev, Ruud, Medvedev, and Shelton, this is a chance to finally break through on the biggest stage. And for Monfils and Wawrinka, it’s a goodbye two crowd favorites taking their final bow on the red clay that made them stars.
The men’s field: Sinner the heavy favorite, Djokovic the wildcard
Sinner enters Paris with a target on his back but few credible threats. He has steadily adapted his game to clay, and his Rome run confirmed he’s playing on a different level than the rest of the tour. The Italian missed out on last year’s title in heartbreaking fashion after holding match points against Alcaraz, and the chance for redemption combined with Alcaraz’s absence has him cast as the prohibitive pick across the tennis media.
Djokovic remains the most plausible spoiler. The 24-time major champion already beat Sinner in a five-set classic at the Australian Open earlier in 2026, and over best-of-five on a slow surface, his game travels. The unknown is fitness: Djokovic’s clay swing has been managed carefully, and a deep run depends on whether he arrives in top condition.
Zverev, Daniil Medvedev, Casper Ruud, Lorenzo Musetti, and Ben Shelton round out the next tier of contenders. Among the dark horses, French hope Arthur Fils is being talked up as a player capable of upsetting a top-10 opponent, while Spanish youngsters Rafael Jódar and Martin Landaluce have emerged from the Madrid–Rome stretch as names nobody wants to draw early.
Form check: how the contenders fared in Madrid and Rome
The clay swing has done little to challenge the pre-tournament pecking order. Sinner peaked at the right time, capping the European stretch with the Rome title and looking comfortable on a surface that once seemed his weakest. The rest of the top 10 enters Paris with mixed signals.
Zverev has shown flashes but failed to string together a deep run, and his recent loss to Sinner in Madrid underlined the gap between them. Ruud, a two-time Roland Garros finalist, has rediscovered the form that historically suits him on clay.
Cobolli and Darderi gave the Italian contingent something to cheer about during the swing, while Alex de Minaur, Auger-Aliassime, and Taylor Fritz arrive looking less prepared for best-of-five on the dirt. Ben Shelton has been quieter since his Munich title, and Australian Open finalist run hasn’t translated to clay-court fluency yet.
What the pundits are saying ahead of Paris
The editorial consensus is striking in how one-sided it is. TennisUpToDate’s three editors all picked Sinner to lift the trophy, with one tipping him to do it without dropping a set. Djokovic is widely listed as the second-likeliest champion, primarily on the strength of his Australian Open win over Sinner earlier this year though most pundits flag his fitness as the open question.
Zverev shows up on most shortlists as a third pick, but with caveats: he has consistently come up short in Slams, and analysts struggle to picture a scenario where he beats Sinner over five sets. Beyond the top three, names like Ruud, Medvedev, Musetti, Shelton, and Cobolli get scattered mentions, with Fils, Jódar, and Landaluce flagged as the unseeded floaters who could rattle a top contender in the opening rounds.
What’s new at Roland Garros 2026
Night sessions return for 2026, with feature matches on Court Philippe-Chatrier starting at 8:15 PM CEST. The retractable roofs over Philippe-Chatrier and Suzanne-Lenglen are again in place, meaning rain delays should be minimized on the two main show courts. Play opens daily at 11:00 AM CEST across the 15-court complex.
The tournament is also leaning further into digital coverage, with multi-court live streams, expanded behind-the-scenes content, and on-demand match replays available through official broadcast partners. France Télévisions co-broadcasts the semifinals and finals with Prime Video again this year, the second cycle of that arrangement on the French side.
Top seeds and notable names in the ATP entry list
The 2026 ATP entry list features the bulk of the world’s top players, headlined by:
- Jannik Sinner (ITA) — World No. 1, top seed
- Alexander Zverev (GER)
- Novak Djokovic (SRB)
- Félix Auger-Aliassime (CAN)
- Ben Shelton (USA)
- Alex de Minaur (AUS)
- Taylor Fritz (USA)
- Daniil Medvedev (RUS)
- Alexander Bublik (KAZ)
- Casper Ruud (NOR)
🎾 French Open 2026 – Qualifying Draw is OUT!
— Titan Sports (@titan_plus) May 18, 2026
A total of 9 Chinese tennis players will fight through qualifying at Roland Garros 🏆
Plus, 5 have already secured direct entry into the main draw ✅
🇨🇳 Direct to main draw:
Zhang Zhizhen, Wu Yibing (Men)
Wang Xinyu, Zheng Qinwen,… pic.twitter.com/uAcSbvRAiw
French Open 2026 News
- Alcaraz officially out. The reigning champion’s withdrawal was confirmed earlier this month, leaving the men’s draw without its defending titleholder and reshuffling the favorites board overnight.
- Monfils announces farewell. The French veteran is set to play his final Roland Garros, with home-crowd support expected to lift him through the early rounds. He enters on a wildcard.
- Wawrinka’s last dance. The 2015 champion will also play his final French Open, marking the end of one of the most popular careers on the men’s tour.
- Sinner arrives off Rome triumph. The world No. 1 won the Internazionali BNL d’Italia, giving him an ideal warm-up and added confidence on clay.
- Djokovic fitness watch. The 24-time major champion has reportedly been managing his schedule carefully through the clay swing, and his form will be a major story once the draw drops.
- French wildcards announced. A strong domestic wildcard list — including Monfils, Gaston, and Géa — gives the home crowd plenty to follow in the opening week.
Broadcasters covering Roland Garros 2026
Roland Garros 2026 is being carried by a different broadcaster in each major market, and the level of access varies sharply between regions. France and Australia have free options; the US, UK, and Canada are pay-only. The table below summarizes who holds the rights in each country.
| Country | Streaming Service | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Australia | 9Now / Channel 9 / 9Gem | Free |
| United States | Max / TNT / truTV | From $9.99/month |
| United Kingdom | TNT Sports / Eurosport | From £30.99/month |
| Canada | TSN / RDS | From CA$19.99/month |
| France | France Télévisions / Prime Video | Free / subscription |
Roland Garros 2026 Schedule
| Stage | Paris (CEST) | AEST (Australia) | BST (UK) | ET (US) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Qualifying | May 18th–22nd | 7:00 PM AEST | 10:00 AM BST | 5:00 AM ET |
| Draw ceremony | May 21st | — | — | — |
| First round | May 24th–26th | 7:00 PM AEST | 10:00 AM BST | 5:00 AM ET |
| Second round | May 27th–28th | 7:00 PM AEST | 10:00 AM BST | 5:00 AM ET |
| Third round | May 29th–30th | 7:00 PM AEST | 10:00 AM BST | 5:00 AM ET |
| Round of 16 | June 1st–2nd | 7:00 PM AEST | 10:00 AM BST | 5:00 AM ET |
| Quarterfinals | June 3rd–4th | 7:00 PM AEST | 10:00 AM BST | 5:00 AM ET |
| Women’s semifinal | June 5th | 7:00 PM AEST | 10:00 AM BST | 5:00 AM ET |
| Men’s semifinal | June 5th–6th | 7:00 PM AEST | 10:00 AM BST | 5:00 AM ET |
| Women’s final | June 6th | 7:00 PM AEST | 10:00 AM BST | 5:00 AM ET |
| Men’s final | June 7th | 7:00 PM AEST | 10:00 AM BST | 5:00 AM ET |
Roland Garros 2026 Prize Money
Roland Garros 2026 is paying out a record total purse, with the men’s and women’s singles champions each earning the same headline payday and the biggest percentage increases going to players in the earliest rounds.
The French Tennis Federation has confirmed a total prize fund of €61.723 million for the 2026 edition, a 9.53% increase over 2025. Singles winners take home €2.8 million each, with the tournament continuing its policy of equal prize money for men and women a standard Roland Garros has maintained since 2007.
Roland Garros 2026 singles prize money breakdown
| Stage | Prize money (€) |
|---|---|
| Winner | €2,800,000 |
| Runner-up | €1,400,000 |
| Semifinalist | €750,000 |
| Quarterfinalist | €470,000 |
| Round of 16 | €285,000 |
| Third round | €187,000 |
| Second round | €130,000 |
| First round | €87,000 |
| Final-round qualifier (Q3) | €48,000 |
| First-round qualifier | €24,000 |
Frequently Asked Questions
The men’s and women’s singles draws are scheduled for May 21st, with main-draw play starting on Sunday, May 24th. The top seeds typically don’t appear on court until the Wednesday of opening week.
Jannik Sinner is the clear pre-tournament favorite. With Carlos Alcaraz withdrawn, the editorial consensus across tennis media is that Sinner’s only serious threats are Novak Djokovic — who beat him in five sets at the 2026 Australian Open — and possibly Alexander Zverev or Casper Ruud. Daniil Medvedev, Ben Shelton, and Lorenzo Musetti are also tipped as outsiders.
Day sessions in Paris begin at 11:00 AM CEST, which is 7:00 PM AEST. Evening sessions in Paris start at around 8:15 PM CEST, which lands after midnight in Australia. Most of the day’s main matches are therefore watchable in the early evening Australian time, with finals and later rounds often wrapping up late at night.
Yes, Roland Garros 2026 is free to watch in Australia on 9Now, the Nine Network’s streaming platform. It also airs on Channel 9 and 9Gem on free-to-air television. No subscription is required, though you will need a free Nine account to stream on 9Now.
