​​​A new season of this long-awaited championship arrives! The Roland Garros Tournament in Paris will gather the most relevant tennis stars to delight thousands of fans. It will be held from May 21 to June 10, during the spring season that is the best time to visit the French capital. Do you want to join?​
There are several things you should do at least once in your life and attending the Roland Garros Tournament is one of them. Our Renfe-SNCF in Cooperation high-speed trains connect Paris to Barcelona, Girona and Figueres, so there are no reasons to not attend.
What you should know about the tournament
The Roland Garros Tournament is the second of the four professional tennis championships that constitute the Grand Slam of tennis and it is the only one that is disputed on a clay court. It takes place every year and lasts two weeks, always between the end of May and the beginning of June in Paris​, at the Roland Garros Stadium. The final of this tournament takes place at the Philippe Chatrier Court that has the capacity to accommodate around 15,000 people.
The most famous tennis players, such as Rafael Nadal, Roger Federer, Novak Djokovic or Serena Williams, have played in the facilities of this stadium. Last year, in 2017, Rafael Nadal achieved a new record by winning the tournament for the tenth time.
​​Tennis court at Roland Garros and image of Rafael Nadal (courtesy of Facebook)​
The History of the Roland Garros Tournament
Also known as the French Open, this tournament is not only one of the most important worldwide, but also one of the oldest. Its origins date back to 1891, when it was used by amateur championships of little importance, to turn into what it is today. British tennis player H. Briggs was the first winner of this tournament.
In 1925, the championship changed its name to French International Tournament of Roland Garros in honour of the famous French aviator, who was a tennis fan.
​Balls and tennis court
The 117th edition of the Roland Garros Tournament will be held, like the previous ones, in the Roland Garros Stadium located at the Porte d'Auteuil area. From the Paris Gare de Lyon Train Station, you can take the metro or the RER train service. If you choose this first option, you only have to combine the metro lines 1 and 9 to get to the stadium. Another alternative is to take the RER A train and then the metro line 9 to the Porte d'Auteuil stop, where the stadium is located.
Very close to the stadium, you can find the Bois de Boulogne (Boulogne Forest), an ancient hunting preserve used by the royalty, and the Marmottan Monet museum, which houses an interesting collection of impressionist art with several works of Monet.
Just go on board on one of our Renfe-SNCF in Cooperation trains and visit Paris this spring. The most relevant tennis stars are not going to miss this date, but what about you?