Clay, in Paris, at the beginning of summer. The slowest surface in tennis produces the longest matches of the year, and the tournament sits inside the sixteenth arrondissement rather than out on a ring road.
What we can put you in
Court Philippe-Chatrier, in the lower tiers where the play is legible
Full hospitality across the second week and both finals
Court Suzanne-Lenglen for the days when the better match is there
Transfers from central Paris, which on finals weekend is not a small thing
Around it
Eat
Taillevent
Rue Lamennais, in the eighth. Classical French service of a kind that is quietly disappearing, and a cellar with genuine depth. Book it for the evening of the men's final.
Drink
Bar Hemingway, Ritz Paris
Small, wood-panelled, and presided over with total seriousness. Ask for something off-list and let the bar decide.
Explore
Bois de Boulogne, early
The tournament sits on its edge. Walk in before the gates open — the park at eight in the morning is one of the good secrets of Paris in June.
Dates, tiers and price come back together, and only once the route is confirmed. Nothing here is held until you ask for it.
