ROLEX TESTIMONEES RETURN TO ROLAND-GARROS AIMING TO MAKE THEIR MARK ON TENNIS HISTORY

Geneva, 19 May 2026 – The world’s leading tennis players return to Stade Roland-Garros in Paris next week for the second Grand Slam® tournament of 2026, aiming to emulate last year’s champions by creating their own piece of history. It was on this stage 12 months ago that Coco Gauff claimed her first Roland-Garros singles title after a hard-fought journey through the draw. On Court Philippe-Chatrier the following day, fellow Rolex Testimonees Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner contested the longest final in the history of the event in 5 hours and 29 minutes. Gauff will attempt to retain her crown from Sunday 24 May to Sunday 7 June, and with Alcaraz unable to defend his men’s singles title due to injury, his great rival and the World No. 1 Sinner will seek a first-ever Roland-Garros win to complete the career Grand Slam®.

ROLEX TESTIMONEE AND WORLD NO. 1 JANNIK SINNER AT ROLAND-GARROS 2025
ROLEX TESTIMONEE AND WORLD NO. 1 JANNIK SINNER AT ROLAND-GARROS 2025 - Open lightbox

A finalist in Rome last week, defending champion Gauff discusses the unique challenge that lies ahead:

“The clay at Roland-Garros is like no other surface. You have to practice like you’re going to win every single match by a point or two. I’m looking forward to making the adjustments to my game, sliding around and going for those crazy shots. I often find that at the start of Roland-Garros the clay is a little bit rough for me, but I feel like I always find my way in Paris.”
ROLEX TESTIMONEE GARBIÑE MUGURUZA CELEBRATES HER MAIDEN GRAND SLAM® TILE AT ROLAND-GARROS 2016
ROLEX TESTIMONEE GARBIÑE MUGURUZA CELEBRATES HER MAIDEN GRAND SLAM® TILE AT ROLAND-GARROS 2016 - Open lightbox

Watching Gauff’s remarkable victory courtside was former champion, Garbiñe Muguruza. This year marks a decade since the Spaniard won her first of two Grand Slam® titles at Roland-Garros and joined the Rolex family. Having retired from professional tennis in 2024, Muguruza continues to be closely involved with the game, through her roles as Co-Director of the Mutua Madrid Open and Tournament Director of the WTA Finals. Muguruza reflects on her career-defining moment in 2016:

“Winning that tournament meant so much. It was Roland-Garros, it was my first Grand Slam title and I played one of my idols in the final so it had triple value for me. Suddenly it all clicked. I had just become a Grand Slam champion and then I became a Rolex Testimonee. I kept asking myself, ‘Is this really happening?’ Afterwards I had my Daytona watch engraved with ‘Paris in my heart, 2016’. It has been an amazing journey.”
ROLEX TESTIMONEE AND FOUR-TIME ROLAND-GARROS CHAMPION IGA ŚWIĄTEK IN ACTION IN 2025
ROLEX TESTIMONEE AND FOUR-TIME ROLAND-GARROS CHAMPION IGA ŚWIĄTEK IN ACTION IN 2025 - Open lightbox

With roots dating back to 1891, Roland-Garros is one of the sport’s greatest physical and technical tests, demanding precision, perseverance and endurance throughout the fortnight of action. The Rolex clocks have kept time on many exceptional performances since the Swiss watchmaker became Official Timekeeper of the tournament in 2019 and this year’s competition is bound to deliver yet more from the family of Testimonees, who have built up considerable momentum in the clay-court season. Sinner’s fine form saw him triumph in Monte-Carlo, Madrid and Rome, becoming the first man to win six consecutive ATP Masters 1000 tournaments. Four-time Roland-Garros champion Iga Świątek progressed to the semi-finals in Rome, Mirra Andreeva reached the final in Madrid and Ben Shelton captured his first ATP 500 clay-court title in Munich. Making a welcome return is Qinwen Zheng, entering the main draw alongside Belinda Bencic, João Fonseca, Taylor Fritz, Victoria Mboko and Stéfanos Tsitsipás.

ROLEX TESTIMONEE QINWEN ZHENG IN ACTION AT ROLAND-GARROS 2025
ROLEX TESTIMONEE QINWEN ZHENG IN ACTION AT ROLAND-GARROS 2025 - Open lightbox

Sinner, a four-time Grand Slam® champion who at age 24 is now the youngest player to have conquered all nine ATP Masters 1000 tournaments, discusses his approach going into Roland-Garros: :

“As always, I will work hard together with my team to arrive in Paris in the best form possible. I’ll take it step by step, round by round, without thinking about winning the title. It’s a long way to the Roland-Garros final, so we’ll focus on our preparation and then take it match by match, hoping to go as far as we can.”
THE PARIS SKYLINE ABOVE COURT PHILIPPE-CHATRIER
THE PARIS SKYLINE ABOVE COURT PHILIPPE-CHATRIER - Open lightbox

The words ‘victory belongs to the most tenacious’ surround Court Philippe-Chatrier and they certainly ring true when considering the achievements of many Rolex Testimonees on the red clay. Timing and tenacity are key to mastering Roland-Garros, and last year’s extraordinary contests serve as a powerful reminder that champions rise through resilience and determination at this Grand Slam® tournament.

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