FAQ
The second Grand Slam tournament of the year for tennis professionals is coming up. The most important facts about the favorites, German starters, prize money and cancellations can be found in the FAQ.
What’s coming up?
The French Open is the second of four Grand Slam tournaments of the year and is the only one played on clay. The tournament was played for the first time in the French capital in 1891. The record winner among men in singles is Rafael Nadal with 14 titles, and among women it is the American Chris Evert with seven titles. The German tennis icon Steffi Graf won six times on the Ashes in Paris.
When does it start?
The first round begins on Sunday (May 24th, 2026) and lasts three days. The women’s final will take place on June 6th (Saturday), and the men will choose their winner one day later.
Where is the game played?
The Stade Roland Garros in the Bois de Boulogne in Paris is one of the most traditional tennis facilities in the world. The Court Philippe-Chatrier as the main square offers space for around 15,000 spectators.
What are the German chances?
Alexander Zverev is considered the biggest challenger to long-time winner Jannik Sinner on his favorite clay surface. As the number two seeded player, he would only meet the Italian world number one in the final. But in the direct duel, Zverev suffered nine defeats in a row, and He recently canceled his start at the home tournament in Hamburg due to back problems. But since other competitors are weak, at least reaching the final is realistic.
In addition to Zverev, eight other German tennis professionals are directly qualified for the main field. However, like Laura Siegemund (against Naomi Osaka) and Daniel Altmaier (against Felix Auger-Aliassime), they had difficult opening losses. So it is not unlikely that in the second week only Zverev will be holding the German flag high.
Who are the tournament favorites?
For men there is only one answer: Jannik Sinner. The dominator is undefeated in 29 matches and has won six Masters 1000 tournaments in a row. Since his long-term rival Carlos Alcaraz, who also canceled the grass tournament in Wimbledon, is missing due to injury, only a physical slump can actually stop him. The Italian had that in the semi-finals in Rome, but was able to overcome it. The biggest chance for his competitors like Zverev and Novak Djokovic is to drag out the match: Sinner was only able to win 6 of his 17 five-set matches.
For women, the top field is much broader. The Belarusian world number one Aryna Sabalenka is also eligible for victory, as are Coco Gauff from the USA, the Kazakh Jelena Rybakina and the Pole Iga Swiatek. A surprise winner is also possible.
Who are the defending champions?
On the men’s side, Carlos Alcaraz won an epic five-set final against Jannik Sinner in 2025. The Italian led 2-0 sets and had three match points in the third set. But Alcaraz came back and won the last two sets in tiebreaks.
In the women’s final, the eventual winner was initially behind in sets. Coco Gauff ultimately won against Aryna Sabalenka 6:7, 6:2, 6:4.
How much is the prize money?
In the 2026 edition, 61.7 million euros in prize money will be distributed, which is 9.5 percent more than in the previous year and around 45 percent more than in the 2019 edition. For both women and men, the winners of the individual competitions will each receive 2.8 million euros, and the losing finalists will receive exactly half of that. There is 87,000 euros for the first round in the main draw.
Why is there still trouble?
Many tennis professionals criticize that the relative share for the players of the income from the four Grand Slam tournaments in Paris, London, New York and Melbourne is too low. According to a group of top professionals, the share of prize money in total revenue this year will be around 15 percent, but they are demanding 22 percent. Therefore, there is even a boycott in the room. “I think at some point we will boycott this,” said world number one Sabalenka. According to media reports, the players want to leave the press conferences before the start of the tournament after just 15 minutes in protest.
Where can you see, hear and read about the French Open?
Sportschau.de reports on what is happening in Paris with audios, videos and written articles. There will be live tickers for selected games, including all of Alexander Zverev’s.
The visual media rights belong to Warner Bros Discovery. Their channel Eurosport has many matches in the main program. The paid streaming service discovery+ shows all games from the 16 courts live.
