Grounds Pass Strategy: Best Days and Outside Courts

A grounds pass, officially an outside-courts ticket ("courts annexes"), is the lowest-priced way into Roland-Garros during the first week of the main draw. In 2026 it cost €39 from Sunday, May 24, and covered the outside courts, not Court Philippe-Chatrier or Court Suzanne-Lenglen. Opening Week (qualifying) tickets were cheaper still: €29, or €15 for under-25s, with open seating on Suzanne-Lenglen. Roland-Garros has not published 2027 prices yet.

What the Ticket Covers

The official stadium site lists 14 outside courts besides the three show courts. The largest is Court 14, a semi-sunken court with about 2,200 seats that opened in 2018. Seating on the outside courts is open, so the earlier you arrive, the better your choice of seats. For more detail, see our grounds pass guide.

Best Days to Use a Grounds Pass

First Sunday to Tuesday (first round)

The first round fills the outside courts, with 128 players in each singles draw. In 2027 the first round is scheduled for Sunday, May 23 to Tuesday, May 25, according to the official travel site's calendar.

Wednesday and Thursday (second round)

Still plenty of singles on the outside courts, though the top seeds are more often on the show courts. In 2027 the second round is on Wednesday, May 26 and Thursday, May 27.

Friday and Saturday (third round)

The last days with many singles matches outside: Friday, May 28 and Saturday, May 29 in 2027. From the round of 16 (May 30 and 31 in 2027), far fewer singles matches are played on the outside courts. In 2026 the final-week outside-court tickets (June 1 to 7) covered wheelchair and quad tennis, juniors and the Trophée des Légendes, from €15.

Court Selection Strategy

Start at Court 14, the biggest outside court, then move to the smaller courts for a closer view. The official order of play is published the evening before, so plan your day the night before. On the official grounds map, Court 14 is at the north end, 730 m from Court Simonne-Mathieu at the far south. See our guide to the Roland-Garros grounds.

Practical Tips

• Arrive early: in 2026 day-session gates opened at 10:00 and the first matches started at 11:00, 11:45 or 12:00 depending on the day. Every visitor passes a security checkpoint before the gates.
• Have the official app ready: tickets are 100% digital in the official Roland-Garros app, with no paper tickets.
• Pack light: bags must be 15 litres or less, and there are no lockers inside. Bring sunscreen and a refillable bottle; there are water fountains around the stadium.
• Practice sessions: during Opening Week in 2026, ticket holders could watch top players practice on Court Philippe-Chatrier.

How to Buy a Grounds Pass

Roland-Garros sells individual tickets only on tickets.rolandgarros.com. For 2026 the general-public sale used a draw (registration ran December 3 to 17, 2025), and Opening Week and final-week outside-court tickets went on open sale on March 31, 2026. The 2027 sale dates had not been published as of November 2, 2026. Resale tickets are also listed on GoalTickets, the independent resale marketplace that runs this site; resale prices are usually above face value.

Planning Your French Open Trip

Make the most of your Paris visit with our travel guide, including hotels near Roland-Garros and restaurants.

To compare grounds passes with show-court tickets, see our ticket guide.

Sources: rolandgarros.com (2026 schedule, ticketing and Opening Week articles), stade.rolandgarros.com (outside courts), travel.rolandgarros.com (2027 calendar), Sortiraparis and L'Essentiel de l'Éco (2026 prices). Checked November 2, 2026.