Monday 19 May, 9.20am, by the office kettle. Martha — two desks down — waits for it to boil and says, far too casually: "I've got two tickets for the French Open. Suzanne-Lenglen, next Tuesday." Three seconds of silence. Then the three questions arrive, in exactly this order, like every year. "How did you get them?" "How much?" "Are there any left?"
You know this scene. Every late spring, every office has ONE person with tickets to a Grand Slam — and ten others wondering which door they came through. For most of us in Britain, that door is the Wimbledon ballot, and the answer is usually a polite no. Martha had skipped Wimbledon entirely and gone for Paris: she was picked in the Roland-Garros draw in March. I'd entered the same draw in late January, between two meetings. Nothing. I checked my junk folder until the end of March (just in case), then filed the idea under "next year".
And yet — on Wednesday, I was at Porte d'Auteuil. With Clara, on the stands of Court 14, cheering for a player whose name we hadn't known that morning. We'd taken an early Eurostar from St Pancras and were home before midnight. Our tickets? Bought in late April, for qualifying week, for a fraction of what a day on the main show court costs. Nobody asked me by the kettle. Shame: it was the answer to the third question.
What nobody says by the kettle: Roland-Garros doesn't have one ticket office — it has several. A draw for the general public, sales reserved for French club players, a qualifying week open to (almost) everyone, outside courts, an official resale platform. And around all that, a cloud of listings selling tickets in someone else's name. Each door has its price and its traps — and a few extra ones when you're travelling from the UK. Clock check: it's Friday 23 May, the last day of qualifying, and the main draw starts on Sunday.
French Open 2025: what are the dates, and why does everyone say three weeks?
The French Open 2025 runs from Monday 19 May to Sunday 8 June at Stade Roland-Garros, in Paris's 16th arrondissement. Three weeks, then, not two. The first — now branded Opening Week — is qualifying week. The tournament calls it "an extra week of competitive matches at Roland-Garros", and for your wallet it's the most affordable way in.
The tournament's Opening Week preview, published on 18 May, and its day-by-day schedule set the rhythm:
- Monday 19 to Friday 23 May: singles qualifying, plus practice sessions for main draw players (from 10am on the first three days, 11am on Thursday and Friday);
- Thursday 22 May, from 2pm: the singles main draw ceremony;
- Saturday 24 May, from 11am: Yannick Noah Day, the tournament's annual charity day;
- Sunday 25 May, from 11am: first round of the women's and men's singles;
- Saturday 7 June: women's singles final (not before 3pm);
- Sunday 8 June: men's singles final (not before 3pm).
On Sunday, Court Philippe-Chatrier gets a moment of its own. The tournament will celebrate Rafael Nadal — fourteen titles in Paris — on the main show court after the day session. Twenty years after his first title, in 2005. If you have a Chatrier ticket for that Sunday, guard it with your life (and pack tissues).
Why does the calendar matter for your ticket? Because each period has its own door, its own purchase limits and its own prices. A qualifying Tuesday and a semi-final Friday: same stadium, same clay, same orange dust in your trainers at night. A completely different fight to get in.
How does the official French Open ticket office work?
The official Roland-Garros ticket office doesn't sell everything to everyone at once. It opens in waves, audience by audience — from early February into March. For 2025, the French Tennis Federation (FFT) set out this calendar:
| Who? | When (2025) | What to know |
|---|---|---|
| General public | Draw registration from 27 January to 9 February | Those selected get a purchase slot, from early March |
| FFT club directors | 5 to 10 February | Dedicated sale |
| General Public Premium, wheelchair users, people with disabilities, umpires, elected officials | 7 February to 3 March | Dedicated sale |
| Licensed members of French tennis clubs | 20 to 24 February | Priority sale before the general public |
If you've ever entered the Wimbledon ballot, the first step will feel familiar. The difference: in Paris, the draw hands out purchase slots — not seats.
The limits are the rule most people discover too late. In 2025, one person could buy a maximum of:
- 4 tickets for the main courts (Philippe-Chatrier, Suzanne-Lenglen, Simonne-Mathieu);
- 4 tickets for the outside courts from 25 May to 1 June;
- 15 tickets for Opening Week and for the outside courts from 2 to 8 June.
The Roland-Garros ticket draw: how does it really work?
The draw doesn't sell you a ticket — it gives you the right to buy one. Introduced for the first time in 2025, it replaces the old free-for-all on the day sales opened, with its browser tabs, refresh buttons and rising blood pressure.
Here's how it works, as Roland-Garros explained it on 7 January:
- you register on the official platform during the entry window (in 2025: from Monday 27 January, 10am Paris time, to Sunday 9 February);
- if you're selected, you're notified at the email address on your ticketing account, a few days before your purchase window opens in early March;
- during that window, tickets are sold subject to availability — selection gets you into the sale, not necessarily the seats you want.
The official wording is crystal clear: "being selected in the draw guarantees you access to ticket sales, but not necessarily the right to obtain your desired tickets." Winning the draw means winning a place in the queue — not a seat in the stands. Martha wanted Chatrier on a Saturday. She got Lenglen on a Tuesday. She isn't complaining.
Why a draw? The tournament gives three reasons: fairness between fans, an end to excessively long waits (by limiting the number of people connected at the same time), and the fight against fraud and tickets bought by bots. If that rings a bell, it should — it's the same problem that makes every big UK gig on-sale feel like a lottery anyway.
I prefer the draw, and I say that as someone who has done more than thirty festivals. I know virtual queues by heart: the little figure inching forward one pixel every ten minutes, the counter stuck on "more than an hour", the tickets vanishing while you type your card number. (If you've ever hunted a pass for the must-attend music festivals of the summer, you know exactly what I mean.) A draw, at least, doesn't reward whoever has the fastest broadband.
How much does a French Open ticket cost?
A ticket for Roland-Garros 2025 starts at around £13: the tournament's Get your tickets page advertised Opening Week tickets from 15 euros. After that, it depends on three things: the period (qualifying, first week or second week), the court (show court or outside court) and where your seat is.
Prices are set in euros, so your bank will convert them at the time of purchase. I've converted at the European Central Bank's reference rate for sterling on 22 May 2025 — about 84p to the euro. Beyond that starting price, reliable public benchmarks are rare: the full price list lives on the official ticket office, and it moves with the day, the court and the seat category.
If your budget is tight, work backwards. Set your maximum first. Then see which doors it opens (qualifying, outside courts, a show court). Choose the day last. It's the opposite of what we all do — fall for a match, discover the price, close the tab.
Then add the budget around the ticket: the Eurostar or flight, food on site, maybe a souvenir. A day at Roland-Garros doesn't stop at the ticket — it's a proper day out, and it needs planning like a blockbuster exhibition. (If, like me, you build your weekends around the exhibitions and museums worth visiting this year, you already have the reflexes: book early, pick your slot, plan the break.)
Is French Open qualifying week the best deal of the tournament?
Yes, if you want world-class tennis at a sensible price — and that's precisely what the tournament is aiming for. In 2025, 90,000 tickets have been available for Opening Week, after a record 75,000 fans in 2024. That's a lot of people choosing the "qualies" on purpose.
In practice, 128 men and 128 women battle for the last places in the main draw, Monday to Friday. The biggest qualifying matches are played on the 10,000-capacity Court Suzanne-Lenglen. Court Philippe-Chatrier hosts open practice sessions for the stars — world No.1 Aryna Sabalenka was out there last Sunday, and four-time champion Iga Swiatek arrived early. Around the grounds: tattoo stands, photo booths with the players, jugglers, a brass band. And the two singles trophies — the Coupe des Mousquetaires and the Coupe Suzanne-Lenglen — on display from time to time next to the clay wall on avenue Marcel-Bernard.
On Wednesday I tested it for you (and for me, let's be honest). Clara and I arrived just before noon. First surprise: the atmosphere. The walkways already smelled of chips and crêpes, a brass band was playing between two courts, and Court 14 was loud — properly loud, for a qualifying match. Clara picked "our" player before the warm-up, purely on the strength of her headband. She won in straight sets. Clara is still taking the credit.
Second surprise: an almost empty Chatrier. Twenty minutes at the top of the stands, watching a practice session the way you'd watch a dress rehearsal at the theatre. Every ball echoed around the whole stadium. Nothing at stake — and it's the moment I remember best.
The fine print: there's no guarantee of seeing a star in a match. You see the stars in practice. But qualifying has its own legends: a certain Carlos Alcaraz was still coming through Roland-Garros qualifying in 2021. You might be watching a future champion.
Outside courts at Roland-Garros: what can you see during the main draw?
An outside-courts ticket gets you into the grounds during the fortnight without a seat on the three big show courts. It's the most underrated door into the main draw. The two weeks, however, are very different:
- 25 May to 1 June: the early rounds follow one another. Limit: 4 tickets per person;
- 2 to 8 June: the limit rises to 15 tickets. The big names play on the show courts; an outside-courts ticket gets you wheelchair tennis on the outside courts, and the programme also includes the juniors (from 1 June) and the Legends Trophy (from 3 June).
The second week is my favourite plan for anyone who wants the atmosphere without show-court prices. The tournament sells it itself: wheelchair tennis on the outside courts, the junior stars in action, and "childhood memories" with the Legends Trophy. And you're in the grounds on quarter-final and semi-final days — with the roar spilling over from Chatrier.
A note if you follow tennis from a distance: the juniors are what the tournament calls "the junior tennis stars" — names you may well meet again in a main draw one day. Nobody buys a ticket for them. You may still leave a fan (and follow their results like a box set).
Official resale at Roland-Garros: how do you get a last-minute ticket?
The official resale platform is the only safe way to buy a last-minute ticket for the main draw. Every day, ticket holders have a change of plan — and their tickets go back on sale through the tournament's own ticket office. That "Resale Service" section isn't new: the tournament's 2019 guide to last-minute tickets already told fans to keep an eye on it, right up to the last day of the tournament.
What you need, going by the tournament's own pages:
- a ticketing account on the official platform, with an email address you actually read — it's the address the tournament uses to reach you;
- your ticket, ready before you reach the gate;
- proof of identity — the tournament's Prepare your visit page asks every visitor to "have your ticket ready and provide proof of your identity" at the entrance.
This route has one huge advantage — the ticket you buy comes from the tournament's own ticket office, not from a stranger. It also has a downside: you need to be there at the right moment. Nothing tells you when a seat will reappear (that's the whole nature of a change of plan).
My method, the same one I use for sold-out gigs: account created in advance, ID details filled in, card within reach, and three visits a day to the resale page. Before work. At lunch. In the evening. It isn't glamorous — but on a resale platform, luck comes to those who keep refreshing.
French Open tickets on resale sites, marketplaces and social media: which traps should you avoid?
The first trap is the one you can see: the price. Once you leave the official ticket office, nobody but the seller decides what a seat costs. The second trap is worse: the ticket that will never get you in.
Why? Because the gate isn't just a scanner. The tournament asks every visitor to show a ticket and proof of identity at the entrance, and a ticket bought from a stranger was bought under a stranger's details. The result: at best you overpay, at worst you're stuck outside the gates, phone in hand, after paying for a Eurostar.
Ticket fraud is hardly a French speciality, either. In its April 2025 warning ahead of the summer (relayed by WiredGov), Action Fraud reported £9.7 million lost to ticket fraud in 2024, up nearly 50% on 2023, across 9,826 reports. Sixteen per cent of those reports (1,617) mentioned sporting events, and June and July were the peak months. Its advice applies word for word to Paris: "Avoid paying for tickets by bank transfer, especially if buying from someone unknown."
The red flags that should stop you in your tracks:
- a seller who refuses to use the official resale platform, even though it exists;
- a message you never asked for, offering seats — Action Fraud tells buyers to "Be wary of unsolicited emails, texts or adverts offering unbelievably good deals on tickets";
- a screenshot as the only proof that the ticket exists;
- a request for a bank transfer, or a payment link sent by private message;
- a seat for a sold-out day, and a seller rushing you to decide.
One last, more technical reflex: check the exact web address before you pay. A site in the tournament's colours isn't the tournament's site. The official ticket office is at tickets.rolandgarros.com, linked from the tickets section of rolandgarros.com. Always start from there — never from an advert or a link in a message. Paying by credit card, as Action Fraud recommends, gives you a better chance of getting your money back if things go wrong.
Reselling a French Open ticket: what does the law say?
In France, reselling tickets for a sporting event on a regular basis without the organiser's permission is a criminal offence under Article 313-6-2 of the French penal code, which France's Constitutional Council upheld in 2018. Habitual touting risks a fine of 15,000 euros (roughly £12,600).
Two ideas carry the weight. Regularity, first: the offence targets people who resell repeatedly, not someone offloading their seat once. Permission, second: the organiser decides which resale routes are allowed — and at Roland-Garros, that route is the official resale platform. French law also defines a ticket very broadly: any ticket, document, message or code, whatever the format. A QR code sent by private message counts.
In the UK, the rules are under review too: the government's consultation on the resale of live events tickets ran from 10 January to 4 April 2025, with the aim of improving fairness for fans in the resale market. For a trip to Paris this spring, though, French rules are the ones that apply — and the most immediate risk isn't a fine. It's the ID check at the gate.
And if you're the one with a change of plan? Use the official resale platform, even if a colleague offers to buy your ticket "directly". Your ticket is in your name: handing it over informally leaves them at risk of being turned away (and leaves you with a furious message).
On the day at Roland-Garros: ticket, ID, timings — and the trip from the UK
On the day, three things matter — your ticket, your ID, the schedule. Mine lived on my phone, so charge yours the night before and check the ticket opens without signal. Then the ID: the tournament asks every visitor to have their ticket ready and show proof of identity at the entrance.
Coming from the UK, that ID is your passport, and it has to meet Schengen rules. According to the government's travel advice for France, your passport must have been issued less than 10 years before the date you arrive, and must expire at least 3 months after the date you plan to leave. Check both dates before you book anything non-refundable — a day trip is short, the rules aren't.
On timings, the official schedule has play from 11am on every day of the main draw (from 10am on the first three days of qualifying). With a show-court ticket, there's no need to arrive at opening. With an outside-courts ticket, the morning is the best time to choose your match.
My kit from Wednesday, for a full day: a cap, sun cream, a power bank for the phone-that-is-also-my-ticket, a light jumper for the late afternoon — and a cushion for the stands, left on my sofa in Hackney. Seven hours on a bench, and you feel it the next day.
How can you prepare for next year's French Open tickets now?
Getting French Open tickets is decided in winter, not in May. In 2025, the draw was announced on 7 January, entries opened on 27 January, and purchase slots arrived from early March. There's no guarantee next year's calendar will be identical — the tournament described the draw as a trial. But the order of magnitude is clear: January is when you need to be ready.
My checklist, to put in your diary this weekend:
- a reminder in early January: "Roland-Garros draw";
- an up-to-date ticketing account, with the email address you actually read;
- one entry per person in your group, to multiply your chances;
- a list of days ranked by preference, with a maximum budget in pounds;
- a plan B: Opening Week, the outside courts in week two, the official resale platform.
And if you like the idea of Wimbledon and Paris in the same summer? Treat them as two separate campaigns with two separate calendars. Missing one ballot doesn't mean missing the season.
Until then, there's the official resale platform for this year — and plenty of other ways to fill a spring Saturday (I've gathered twenty weekend ideas that go beyond dinner and a movie).
Next time someone by the kettle announces they've got French Open tickets, ask the right question. Not "how?" — "which door?". And write the answer down somewhere: next year, you might be the one giving it.
Frequently asked questions
When is the French Open 2025?
The French Open 2025 runs from 19 May to 8 June at Stade Roland-Garros in Paris. Qualifying (Opening Week) is from Monday 19 to Friday 23 May, Yannick Noah Day is on Saturday 24 May, and the main draw starts on Sunday 25 May. The women's final is on Saturday 7 June and the men's final on Sunday 8 June.
What is the cheapest French Open ticket?
The cheapest tickets are for qualifying week (Opening Week): the tournament advertised prices starting at 15 euros, around £13 at the exchange rate of late May 2025. Main-draw prices depend on the day, the court and the seat, and are listed on the official ticket office.
Can you still buy tickets for the French Open 2025?
For the main draw, the safe route is the official resale platform on the tournament's ticket office: ticket holders put their tickets back on sale when their plans change. Check the page several times a day, and buy nowhere else.
How does the Roland-Garros ticket draw work?
Members of the public register on the official platform during a set window (27 January to 9 February in 2025). Those selected in the draw are notified by email and get a purchase slot from early March. Being selected guarantees access to ticket sales, not the tickets you want.
How many French Open tickets can one person buy?
In 2025: a maximum of 4 tickets for the main courts, 4 for the outside courts from 25 May to 1 June, and 15 for Opening Week and the outside courts from 2 to 8 June.
Do I need a passport to get into Roland-Garros?
Yes, bring ID: the tournament asks visitors to have their ticket ready and provide proof of identity at the entrance. Travelling from the UK, that ID is your passport, which must meet Schengen rules: issued less than 10 years before you arrive, and valid for at least 3 months after you leave.
Is it legal to resell a French Open ticket?
Yes — through the tournament's official resale platform. Outside it, regularly reselling tickets for a sporting event without the organiser's permission is a criminal offence under Article 313-6-2 of the French penal code, punishable by a fine of 15,000 euros (roughly £12,600).
Sources
- Roland-Garros, Ticketing 2025: a draw for general public sales (7 January 2025)
- Roland-Garros, Roland-Garros 2025: Get your tickets! (24 April 2025)
- Roland-Garros, Roland-Garros 2025: the full schedule (18 May 2025)
- Roland-Garros, Roland-Garros gears up for Opening Week (18 May 2025)
- Action Fraud press release, Stay vigilant for ticket fraud ahead of top events and concerts this summer (15 April 2025), relayed by WiredGov
- Roland-Garros, Prepare your visit (archived 19 February 2025)
- Roland-Garros, RG19: How to get last-minute tickets (17 May 2019)
- Roland-Garros, Alcaraz: From qualifier to contender in 12 months (16 May 2022)
- GOV.UK, France travel advice: entry requirements
- GOV.UK, Putting fans first: consultation on the resale of live events tickets (10 January 2025)
- European Central Bank, euro reference exchange rate for the pound sterling
- UEFA, Unauthorised resale of tickets for sports events is a criminal offence (14 December 2018)
- The Connexion, 'Resale' event tickets online are risky, France warned (10 June 2019)