Roland Garros 2026 has begun as the Grand Slam that best reflects an increasingly visible practice in tennis: how to preserve a human, visual and traditional part of the game without being left behind by technological modernisation. In the same edition in which it will keep human line judges, against the direction taken by the other major tournaments, it will also become the first Grand Slam to allow players to use connected devices during competition to collect biometric data.
Clay allows something that does not exist in the same way on grass or hard courts: the ball leaves a mark. That trace keeps alive one of the most recognisable rituals of the tournament in Paris, with the chair umpire stepping down to check the bounce and line judges still part of the match scene. While the Australian Open, Wimbledon and the US Open have already moved towards electronic line calling, Roland Garros preserves a more artisanal liturgy of tennis, supported by the physical imprint of the ball on clay.
The last Grand Slam with human line judges
The decision makes Roland Garros an exception within the Grand Slam circuit. The French Tennis Federation -FFT- confirmed that it would keep human line judges in 2026, after highlighting the standard of its officials and the tradition of checking marks on clay. In the 2025 edition, the tournament had 404 officials, 284 of them French, a figure the organisers have also used to defend the strength of their officiating school.
The contrast is not only technical. Electronic line calling promises consistency, speed and less room for error, but it also removes part of the traditional interaction between player, chair umpire and court. At Roland Garros, the debate intersects with the nature of the surface: clay offers visible evidence, although not always an uncontested one, and allows the tournament to retain a human dimension that the other majors have gradually reduced. The result is a Grand Slam that may look old-fashioned on the lines, but not necessarily static in the rest of its operation.
Biometric data during matches
Modernity, however, will appear on the players’ bodies. For the first time at a Grand Slam, Roland Garros players will be able to use connected devices during matches to collect biometric data on physical performance and recovery. The trial will apply across the tournament’s 24 events, with 899 matches scheduled, and will allow devices included in the “Player Analysis Tennis” register approved by World Tennis. The trial will then continue at Wimbledon and the US Open.
The move changes the place of data within Grand Slam tennis. Until now, some players had faced problems for wearing devices such as biometric tracking bands during major tournament matches, despite their use in other contexts on the circuit. Roland Garros opens a different route: allowing players and their teams to collect information on exertion, workload, recovery or physical signals, although use remains subject to specific rules and authorised devices. The technological push is also complemented by new recovery services for players, including a hyperbaric chamber, a cryotherapy room and two clay courts at the Centre National d’Entraînement -CNE-.
Opening Week is no longer just qualifying
The third part of that transformation is taking place away from the main court. Opening Week is no longer just the week of qualifying; it has become a recognisable part of the Roland Garros product. In 2026, the tournament increased its daily capacity to 20,000 spectators and sold more than 80,000 tickets, with an offer combining qualifying matches, open practice sessions on Philippe-Chatrier, unlimited access to Suzanne-Lenglen, player interviews in the Tenniseum auditorium, fan activities and the new interactive map RG Explorer inside the official app.
The tournament has also added details designed to broaden the visitor experience. The Call Your Favourite Player activation allows fans to leave messages for players in a phone booth located at Gate 4, while Le Jardin des Chefs, located in the Jardin des Serres d’Auteuil beside Simonne-Mathieu court, brings together chefs and pastry chefs such as Jessica Préalpato, Claire Heitzler, Alessandra Montagne, Pascal Barbot, Yves Camdeborde, Christophe Adam and Juan Arbelaez from 24 May to 5 June. The 2026 edition therefore leaves an unusual image: Roland Garros keeps the line judge and the mark on clay as part of its identity, while accepting sensors, data, new forms of consumption and an Opening Week turned into a mass showcase for the tournament.
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