Roland-Garros 2025: Boisson's epic, the tribute to Nadal, the all-male night sessions... What we liked and disliked during the fortnight

The end of Roland-Garros 2025. The day after Coco Gauff's first victory at Porte d'Auteuil , XXX's victory in the final after a duel xxx against XXX on Sunday, June 8, sounded the death knell for this successful fortnight on the Parisian clay . Unlike last year, the weather - not always radiant but less pernicious - allowed for the overall smooth running of a tournament that opened with a poignant tribute to Rafael Nadal and during which France vibrated for Loïs Boisson. As the time comes to take stock, franceinfo: sport distributes the good and bad points.

What we liked

It's been ten years since we last saw a French player in the semi-finals at Porte d'Auteuil, and even fourteen years if we go back to the last female representative. And it was so good to be able to push behind Loïs Boisson, ranked 361st in the world and a player unknown to the general public a fortnight ago. Less than a year after the Paris Olympics, the French were even able to gather in a fan zone (new for the 2025 edition) at Place de la Concorde to cheer on the Dijon player, who was nevertheless beaten by the future winner Coco Gauff .

Clay court specialist Loïs Boisson has become the wild card player with the best run in the history of Roland-Garros, thanks to her successive exploits against Elise Mertens, Jessica Pegula and Mirra Andreeva , respectively numbers 24, 3 and 6 in the WTA. In her first career Grand Slam main draw, and a year after tearing a knee ligament, the 22-year-old player impressed with her forehand and her ability to manage her emotions. Above all, she made a date with a crowd now won over to her cause.

They smashed the record for the longest final, which dated back to 1982. Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner, after a marathon match lasting 5 hours 29 minutes in five sets, including two tie-breaks and the last in a super tie-break (4-6, 6-7 [4-7], 6-4, 7-6 [7-3], 7-6 [10-2]) , delighted fans of the Parisian clay court. In the heart of a sparkling Philippe-Chatrier, the Spaniard, world number 2, overthrew his older Italian, world number one, to retain his crown and win, at only 22 years old, his fifth Grand Slam title . Already. After two sets lost and three match points saved, Carlos Alcaraz gradually stifled Sinner's ambitions, and brilliantly concluded a most breathless match.

It was THE emotional moment of the fortnight, the most anticipated too, and it was a resounding success. On the first day of the tournament, Spanish legend Rafael Nadal - 14 titles at Roland Garros - was honored on "his" Philippe-Chatrier court. Videos retracing his career, tifos in the stands using ochre-colored t-shirts (later resold for high prices online) , and the "Big Four" squad composed of Roger Federer, Novak Djokovic, and Andy Murray as distinguished guests, everything was designed for a sober and authentic tribute, in the image of the Bull of Manacor.

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With misty eyes, "Rafa" also greeted the tournament's behind-the-scenes players (drivers, press officers, etc.) and delivered a speech in Spanish to thank his loved ones and then the French public, admitting: "You made me feel like one more Frenchman." He was given a plaque with his name in the center of the playing area, to the right of the net. A symbol that several players, including his designated heir, Carlos Alcaraz, came to contemplate, in order to draw inspiration from the aura of the "greatest player in the history of Roland-Garros," according to the announcer.

Behind this, Richard Gasquet's farewell to tennis after his defeat against Jannik Sinner and Caroline Garcia and Nicolas Mahut's finals at the Paris Major could hardly compete...

Beyond the sensation Loïs Boisson, many of the women's draw matches were very enjoyable to watch over the fortnight. In the first round, the clash between No. 10 seed Paula Badosa and former world No. 1 Naomi Osaka ended in three sets (6-7, 6-1, 6-4 in favor of the Spaniard). In the second week, the outgoing finalist Jasmine Paolini fell by the wayside in the round of 16, victim of Elina Svitolina. Above all, the three-time defending champion Iga Swiatek faltered against Elena Rybakina in the same round (1-6, 6-3, 7-5) before falling in the semi-finals against Aryna Sabalenka (7-6, 4-6, 6-0), paving the way for an unprecedented final between the world No. 1 and Coco Gauff, the new queen of the Porte d'Auteuil .

With Gaël Monfils on the program for a night session , the show is guaranteed. The veteran, and showman, lived up to his reputation. The spectators initially thought they would have to pack up quickly when the Tricolore ended his run in the advertising panels. But against the Bolivian Hugo Dellien, "La Monf" made his experience speak for itself: he lost the first two sets, before pocketing the next three. A classic that never leaves anyone indifferent. In the second round, against the British world number 5 Jack Draper, he folded but without surrendering . At 38, it is not certain that he will return to the Parisian ochre. So we might as well enjoy it.

Renamed "opening week," the qualifiers for the Porte d'Auteuil Major were designed as a third week, an integral part of the tournament by the organizers. With affordable tickets (starting at €15 for juniors and €29 for full-price players), and the opening of the Suzanne-Lenglen court for the occasion, as was the case last year, it was a resounding success.

After selling 70,000 tickets in 2024, the organization increased the maximum daily capacity to 80,000 spectators over five days. As a result, the atmosphere created in the stands by French supporters was particularly noted, including by foreign entrants. "The atmosphere was great, I really felt like I was in the main draw and not necessarily in the qualifiers," admitted Canadian Bianca Andreescu , winner of the 2019 US Open but eliminated after two matches, to 20 minutes .

What we liked less

Once again, no women's matches were scheduled for the evening session. Unsurprisingly, these choices reignited a controversy that had become a long-standing issue. And the organizers consistently brought up the same arguments as in previous years. "The message isn't that women aren't worthy of playing in the evening. The issue is the length of the matches. It's not a question of skill," insisted tournament director Amélie Mauresmo.

We would have liked to see the clash between Naomi Osaka and Paula Badosa, respectively former world No. 1 and 2, on the Central Court in the evening of Monday, May 26. This first round had lived up to all expectations, with three sets (6-7, 6-1, 6-4) and 2 hours and 21 minutes of play. This was a longer match than the one scheduled that day in the night session between world No. 1 Jannik Sinner and Frenchman Arthur Rinderknech: 2 hours and 15 minutes of play, for a defeat in three sets for the Tricolore (6-4, 6-3, 7-6).

Two superb marathons with identical consequences. Frenchman Hugo Gaston, a regular in the first rounds in five sets, did it again this year. Facing his compatriot Ugo Blanchet, the Toulouse native battled for 2 hours and 55 minutes on Monday, May 26, to reach the second round (2-6, 6-0, 2-6, 6-3, 6-4), before withdrawing the next day due to "abdominal pain."

For his part, Arthur Fils held on for an extra round. After beating Nicolas Jarry in four sets in the first round, he then delivered a fight that will remain as a highlight of the fortnight against Jaume Munar on Thursday, May 29. It took him the immense support of the public and 4 hours and 25 minutes of play to overcome the Spaniard (7-6, 7-6, 2-6, 0-6, 6-4) while he began to suffer from back pain in the third set. The following evening, the 20 -year-old Frenchman withdrew, later revealing that he was suffering from a "stress fracture" in his back . The French number 1 is now a doubt for Wimbledon.

Another injury on the clock is that of Ugo Humbert. The French number 2 was forced to withdraw from his second round match on Thursday, May 29, due to a poorly controlled slide. Subsequent tests on his calf, however, proved reassuring.

Another refrain: empty stands or those slow to fill on the main courts. While it's rare to see French players in the second week, the Centre Court sounded rather hollow at the start of Loïs Boisson's round of 16 match against Jessica Pegula. Scheduled to start at lunchtime, the French player didn't receive any support from the crowd until the middle of the second set. Even in her quarter-final match, the stands weren't full at the start of the match.

The same observation is made for the first rotation, and even the second, on Court Philippe-Chatrier. The start of the round of 16 between Jasmine Paolini, world number 4, and Elina Svitolina was thus played out in a sometimes disconcerting silence. While the schedule had been adapted accordingly for the men's semi-finals with two different ticket offices, the same problem was visible in the women's, where the innovation had surprisingly not been implemented this year: the entrances of Loïs Boisson and Coco Gauff onto the court were made opposite sparsely populated stands.