Every year, it is the ultimate event that clay court tennis fans patiently await. The 2024 edition of Roland-Garros begins this Monday, May 20, with the traditional qualifications for the main draws, and must conclude on June 9 with the men’s singles final. Europe 1, official tournament radio, details everything you need to know a few days before the first matches.
Nadal’s last?
For this new fortnight, only one name is on everyone’s lips: that of Rafael Nadal. The one who has triumphed 14 times (!) at Porte d’Auteuil could say goodbye to the French Open. At almost 38 years old (next June 3), the Spaniard is playing what seems to be his last year on the professional ATP circuit, and he has already said goodbye to his tournament in Madrid at the end of April. The organizers of Roland-Garros hope to see the Majorcan battle on the Parisian courts, and could pay him tribute in the event of elimination.
A roof on the Suzanne-Lenglen court
That’s it, the Roland-Garros stadium has two courts with a retractable roof. Four years after the inauguration of the one on the central Philippe-Chatrier court, the Suzanne-Lenglen court, second in terms of capacity, now also has a roof. Its architecture is reminiscent of the pleated skirt worn by the French player in the 1930s. It must be inaugurated on the first day of the main draw, May 26, but could be used from qualifying in the event of bad weather.
© Bertrand GUAY / AFP
Alizé Cornet bows out
Alizé Cornet, one of the faces of French women’s tennis in recent years, announced last April that she would retire at the end of this Roland-Garros, at the age of 34. The Niçoise played at Porte d’Auteuil in two round of 16 finals, in 2015 and 2017, and notably has a prestigious victory against Serena Williams at Wimbledon in 2014. She was also part of the team of France victorious in the Fed Cup, in 2019.
Caroline Garcia, Gaël Monfils… The French to follow
In addition to Alizé Cornet, French supporters will closely follow the best French chances, starting, on the women’s side of the table, with Caroline Garcia. The Lyonnaise, French number 1 (23rd in the world), will aim for better than a 2nd round like last year. Clara Burel (45th) and Océane Dodin (73rd) had performed in Australia at the start of the year (3rd round and round of 16 respectively), and will want to repeat these performances.
On the men’s side, all eyes will be on Gaël Monfils (38th), who has found a new lease of life for several weeks, Richard Gasquet (113th) who continues to battle at almost 38 years old and Ugo Humbert, certainly less efficient on clay but number 1 tricolor with his 15th place in the world. And also on the next generation, who are asserting themselves more and more like Arthur Fils (34th), Luca Van Assche (97th) or even Arthur Cazaux (75th), brilliant in Melbourne but hampered by his state of form physical for several weeks.
Swiatek, Djokovic, Sinner… The favorites for the 2024 edition
If, in the women’s draw, the Polish Iga Swiatek, world number 1 and winner of the last two editions of the French Open, is the big favorite, everything seems more open on the men’s draw. Novak Djokovic (1st) will try to retain his title, despite a delicate start to the season, and compete with the young guard made up of the Spaniard Carlos Alcaraz and the Italian Jannik Sinner, who won his first Grand Slam title in Australia last January.
Appearance of a new tournament
The singles draws are the most followed each year, but they are not the only ones to count at Roland-Garros. Indeed, several other tournaments are taking place at the same time, such as doubles (men’s, women’s and mixed), junior competitions, and also disabled sports tournaments. Note that for the first time, junior events in wheelchair tennis will see the light of day. In total, the organizers count 899 matches held, from qualifications to finals.
Europe 1, official tournament radio
To ensure you don’t miss anything about the world tennis event, Europe 1, the official radio station of Roland-Garros, is offering a special program to its listeners. Throughout the fortnight, the antenna of the famous radio station will vibrate to the rhythm of the news from Porte d’Auteuil. Among the highlights, The Roland-Garros diary will be broadcast every day at 8:30 a.m., the show Winning serve hosted by Cédric Pioline will be offered every evening, and regular updates on the evolution of the scores will be provided throughout the day.
A tournament broadcast on more than 170 television channels around the world
Here is a number which reflects the scale of this sporting event: more than 170 television channels and platforms around the world will broadcast Roland-Garros “in 220 territories”, indicates the tournament press kit. In France, television rights are shared between the France Télévisions group and Amazon Prime Video.
Marginal schedule changes
Roland-Garros regulars will have to take a look at their watches: certain times change from this edition. First, on Sunday May 26, the opening day of the main tournament, the first match on center court will start at noon, and no longer at 11 a.m. Finally, the semi-finals (May 6 and 7) are brought forward by thirty minutes, and will start at 2:30 p.m.
A new night session
An 11th night session will appear this year on Sunday May 26. And like all the others, it will take place on the Philippe-Chatrier court. Remember that the organizers favor night sessions to program the most beautiful posters.
More spectators for Opening Week
Each year, more and more fans of the little yellow ball attend the qualifications. While there were 50,000 going to Porte d’Auteuil in 2023, the organizers decided to increase the number to 75,000 for the week of Opening Week (May 20 to 24). The lucky ones with a ticket will also be able to go to the Philippe-Chatrier central court to watch the best players train.
The amount the winners will win
The overall allocation for the 2024 edition is increased to nearly 53.5 million euros, or 7.8% more than the previous year. Thus, the winners of the women’s and men’s singles tables will each receive 2.4 million euros. It should be noted that the “prize money” allocated to the qualifications, as well as to the first three rounds of the main draw, is significantly increased. For example, a player losing in the third round of qualifying will receive a check for 41,000 euros, compared to 34,000 euros last year.
A 2024 poster made with artificial intelligence
As is traditional, a poster was created to represent the 2024 French Open. The artist Paul Rousteau, who had the task of creating it, relied on contemporary technology, that of artificial intelligence. , to represent a tennis court on the Seine. A nod to the next opening ceremony of the Olympic Games, which will be held on the capital’s river.
© Bertrand GUAY / AFP
100% online ticketing
Roland-Garros bans paper tickets. For the first time in the history of the tournament, spectators will have to present their tickets from the Roland-Garros mobile application to enter the stadium.
© CLIVE BRUNSKILL / GETTY IMAGES EUROPE / Getty Images via AFP
Novak Djokovic checks a mark with a referee during Roland-Garros 2023.
The final year of the linesmen
Those who appreciate the presence of line judges at the edge of the court will have to savor the 2024 edition. From next season, automatic refereeing will be generalized to all tournaments on the professional circuits (ATP and WTA) , therefore also including the Grand Slam events. This is therefore the last year that the referees will get off their chairs to indicate whether a mark is good or bad, the subject of numerous disputes with the players which made tennis on clay unique.
2024-05-14 04:00:00
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