Overview
- The 125th Roland Garros is underway in Paris and two‑time defending champion Carlos Alcaraz withdrew from the main draw before the tournament with a wrist injury, changing pre-tournament expectations.
- A Europe heat wave has driven unusually high temperatures at the venue and the conditions have coincided with surprise results, most notably world No. 1 Jannik Sinner losing to Juan Manuel Cerúndolo.
- Organizers increased total prize money to a record €61.7 million this year with €2.8 million set for each singles champion, the largest payouts in the tournament’s history.
- Roland Garros’s courts feature a thin 1–2 millimeter layer of crushed red brick that makes clay the slowest surface in tennis and produces longer, more physically demanding rallies.
- With Rafael Nadal retired from the tour and Coco Gauff the most recent American singles winner in 2025, the early departures and harsh conditions have widened the path for new or returning contenders to stake a claim.