IT’S Springtime in Europe and for tennis fans, that means it’s time for the second Grand Slam of the 2025 tennis season and the next edition of the spectacle that is Roland-Garros.
Paris will play host to the world’s top tennis stars once again as they do battle on the signature red clay courts during the two-week tournament that began on Sunday (May 25) and will culminate on the weekend of June 7-8.
All the action takes place at Stade Roland-Garros in the heart of the French capital. The 21-acre complex has 20 courts, including the iconic Court Philippe Chatrier and Court Suzanne Lenglen.
This is the 129th edition of Roland-Garros, with players competing for total prize money of 56.3 million euros (S$81.7 million) – a 5.21 per cent increase from last year. The men’s and women’s champions will pocket 2.55 million euros, while the runners-up will receive 1.28 million euros.
Tennis royalty
Roland-Garros has exemplified tennis royalty since its inception more than 130 years ago in 1891.
It still stands tall and proud as the only clay-court Grand Slam tournament on the calendar, and carries with it an extremely rich history and holds a special place in the hearts of tennis purists as one of global sport’s oldest and most cherished tournaments.
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The second Major of the year presents an extremely unique challenge to every single competitor, no matter if they are a seasoned professional that’s done it before or a young rookie playing under the bright lights for the very first time.
The high bounce and much slower pace of play on the courts usually produce many long and absorbing rallies, placing a heavy strain on the physical and mental demands of the players.
They have to alter their movements, tactics and styles of play, which makes each lengthy rally and point won all the more rewarding.
Longstanding commitment
Rolex celebrates human achievement, recognising the journey marked by milestones and emotions that culminates in defining moments – determined by a path followed, not just a trophy.
Forming an integral part of this philosophy is the Swiss watchmaker’s long-standing relationship with tennis, dating back almost half a century to when it first partnered with The Championships, Wimbledon, in 1978.
Since then, Rolex has become the Official Timekeeper of all four Grand Slam events: the Australian Open, Roland-Garros, The Championships, Wimbledon and the US Open. Over the decades, dozens of legends have been welcomed into the Rolex family of Testimonees, including the likes of Rod Laver, Bjorn Borg, Chris Evert and Roger Federer.
The current generation of Testimonees are following in the footsteps of the legends before them as they continue to push the boundaries of performance and endeavour on court.
From Grand Slam winners Carlos Alcaraz, Coco Gauff, Jannik Sinner and Iga Swiatek, to leading players Mirra Andreeva, Taylor Fritz, Ben Shelton, Stefanos Tsitsipas and Qinwen Zheng, Rolex supports the quest for excellence at the height of tennis today.
Proud champions
The spotlight in Paris will largely fall on the two defending singles champions – Alcaraz and Swiatek – who will be going all out to ensure they maintain their grip on the hard-earned titles they won a year ago.
Alcaraz has enjoyed an excellent clay-court season so far. He won the Monte-Carlo Masters in April, bouncing back from a set down in the final to defeat Lorenzo Musetti in style. The 22-year-old Spaniard also reached the Barcelona Open final and recently won the Italian Open in Rome, defeating fellow Rolex Testimonee Jannik Sinner.
Alcaraz also beat Sinner in the final in Paris last year and all signs point to the so-called “Big 2” in men’s tennis heading for a rematch.
Sinner, the 23-year-old Italian and current world No 1, is also one of the hot favourites and he’s been in fine form in the build-up to Roland-Garros. Sinner made it to the final in Rome and he’s eager to add to the three Majors that are already in his trophy cabinet at home.
Meanwhile, clay-court specialist Stefanos Tsitsipas from Greece will aim to go one better, having reached the final in 2021.
On the women’s Tour, Swiatek returns to her favourite clay surface where she will hope that level of familiarity and comfort will deliver another Roland-Garros crown. The 23-year-old from Poland has been the dominant force on clay since 2022, winning three consecutive Roland-Garros titles to add to the one she won as a 19-year-old in 2020.
Several other Rolex Testimonees are also raring to go, among them the red-hot Coco Gauff and Zheng Qinwen.
Gauff, the 21-year-old from the US and the world No 2, made it to the Madrid Open final in early-May and the final of the Italian Open.
Gauff already has one Grand Slam to her name (the 2023 US Open) and she has fond memories of her last appearance at Roland-Garros in 2024. Last year, she partnered Katerina Siniakova to win her first Grand Slam doubles trophy. In the singles, she reached the semi-finals.
Zheng, the 22-year-old from China, warmed up for Paris by reaching the semi-finals of the Italian Open, with the most impressive result being her quarter-final, straight-sets victory over the world No 1 Aryna Sabalenka.
With the European clay court season reaching its climax, only time will tell as to who will take that next big step towards greatness on this physically demanding surface.
