French Open 2026 begins May 24

Roland-Garros opened on Sunday, May 24, with the men’s and women’s singles first round starting at 11 a.m. local time in Paris, according to the tournament’s official schedule. The 2026 edition runs through June 7 at Stade Roland-Garros and begins with a men’s field reshaped by the absence of defending champion Carlos Alcaraz. Jannik Sinner arrived as the central men’s storyline. The world No. 1 entered Paris chasing a first French Open title and the career Grand Slam, while tournament coverage and outside previews converged on the same point: with Alcaraz out, the draw has tilted heavily toward the Italian. ### Why is Sinner the player everyone is watching? (rolandgarros.com) Jannik Sinner entered Roland-Garros on a 29-match winning streak, which the tournament’s official draw preview said was the fifth-longest ATP winning streak in the Open era. The same preview said Sinner was pursuing “the Career Grand Slam” and described the men’s draw as “the best versus the rest” after Alcaraz’s withdrawal. (rolandgarros.com) John McEnroe, speaking in a conference call cited by Roland-Garros, put it more directly: “it’s Sinner against the field.” The tournament preview said Sinner would become the seventh man in the Open era to complete a career Grand Slam if he wins the title in Paris. ### Why isn’t Carlos Alcaraz in the draw? (rolandgarros.com) Carlos Alcaraz withdrew from the 2026 tournament because of a wrist injury, according to Roland-Garros’ published entry-list update. The official site said the injury had already forced the two-time defending champion to miss Barcelona and Madrid before Paris. (rolandgarros.com) Roland-Garros said “everyone still remembers” the 2025 final won by Alcaraz over Sinner, making the Spaniard’s absence the most important change to the men’s bracket before play began. That left Sinner as the top seed and shifted attention to other contenders led by Alexander Zverev, whom the official site identified as world No. 3 and runner-up in 2024. (rolandgarros.com) ### What else is shaping the men’s tournament before the first week settles? Sunday’s official Roland-Garros homepage highlighted a “Night session for Novak,” signaling that Novak Djokovic remained one of the marquee attractions even as Sinner dominated pre-tournament discussion. The tournament’s schedule shows first-round singles play continuing on Monday, May 25, before doubles begin on May 26. (rolandgarros.com) The official draw preview projected a possible quarterfinal between Sinner and Ben Shelton and listed Felix Auger-Aliassime and Daniil Medvedev among the other seeded names in Sinner’s half. Those projections are seed-based rather than results, but they show where the bracket’s pressure points could emerge in the second week. (rolandgarros.com) ### What is happening off court with prize money? The French Tennis Federation has agreed to talks with players over prize money and pledged concrete proposals within the next month, according to a May 23 report referenced in the briefing. That dispute sits alongside the on-court start of the tournament rather than replacing it, but it gives the opening days an additional administrative track to watch. (rolandgarros.com) ### What comes next over the next two weeks? The official Roland-Garros calendar sets first-round singles for May 24-26, second-round singles for May 27-28, third-round matches for May 29-30, and the singles finals for June 6 and June 7 on Court Philippe-Chatrier. The immediate next step is the completion of the opening round in Paris, with Sinner, Djokovic, Coco Gauff, Aryna Sabalenka and Iga Swiatek among the biggest names on the board. (theguardian.com) (rolandgarros.com)