As the prestigious French Open 2025 unfolds, British tennis fans will have their eyes on the entire British contingent battling on the Parisian clay.
From seeded hopes like the in-form world No. 5 Jack Draper and Emma Raducanu aiming for deep runs, to seasoned players like Cameron Norrie and Katie Boulter navigating their opening matches alongside rising talents like Jacob Fearnley, here’s a look at the key players to follow in both the men’s and women’s draws.
We’ll also cover how UK fans can catch every point of the action and the substantial prize money awaiting those who progress through the rounds at Roland Garros.
How to watch the tournament in Britain?
To catch all the action of the ongoing French Open 2025 in the UK, tennis fans can tune into TNT Sports, the primary broadcaster for the tournament.
Coverage will be available on their channels for subscribers via Sky, BT, EE, or Virgin Media.
Additionally, all matches are being streamed live online through Discovery+, requiring a Premium subscription.
The BBC Sport website and app will offer daily live text commentaries of key matches, while BBC Sounds will provide live radio coverage from Court Philippe-Chatrier.
Who will some of Britain’s finest talents play in the first round?
Emma Raducanu
Raducanu’s first-round match at the French Open 2025 is against Wang Xinyu of China. This will be a repeat of their meeting at Wimbledon in 2021, where Wang beat the then-breakout star Raducanu in the round of 16.
Should Raducanu win her opening match, she faces a daunting potential second-round clash against the formidable world No. 1 and four-time French Open champion, Iga Swiatek. The match against Wang is scheduled to take place on Sunday, 25 May.
Jack Draper
Draper is seeded No. 5 at the French Open 2025 and will face Italy’s Mattia Bellucci in the first round. This will be their second meeting, with Draper having won their previous encounter in Tokyo last year.
Draper, enjoying a career-high ranking of world No. 5 after reaching the Madrid final, is aiming for his first win at Roland Garros. His path could see him face Gael Monfils in the second round and possibly top seed Jannik Sinner in the quarter-finals.
Katie Boulter
Boulter is set to face a qualifier in the first round of the French Open 2025, meaning her opponent will be one of the players who successfully navigated three rounds of the pre-tournament qualifying competition to earn a spot in the main draw.
The specific opponent will only be known after the qualifying matches end. Should Boulter win her opening match, she potentially faces a tricky second-round opponent in American seventh seed Madison Keys. This sets up a difficult early path for the British No. 1 at Roland Garros.
Cameron Norrie
Norrie faces a challenging opening game at the French Open 2025 against the 11th seed, Daniil Medvedev. This will be a tough test for the British No. 3 as he aims to advance beyond the first round at Roland Garros.
Norrie, currently ranked around No. 90 in the world, will need to be at his best against the experienced and highly-ranked Russian. Their match is also scheduled for the opening days of the tournament.
The weather forecast for the French Open 2025
The tournament in Paris is set to begin under a mix of conditions, with the initial forecast predicting sunny intervals, clouds, and a chance of light showers for the opening days.
British players, accustomed to the often unpredictable weather conditions at home, particularly during their grass-court season leading up to Wimbledon, will likely take these fluctuating conditions in stride.
The last British player to win the French Open
The last British singles champions at the French Open are Sue Barker and Fred Perry. Barker, seeded first at 20 years old, won the women’s singles title in 1976, defeating Renáta Tomanová in three sets for her only Grand Slam victory.
This remains the last time a British woman has won the singles at Roland Garros. For the men, Perry was the last to triumph, winning in 1935 against Gottfried von Cramm in four sets. This historic win completed Perry’s Career Grand Slam, making him the first to achieve this.
The furthest a British player got at the French Open 2024
At the French Open 2024, no British singles player progressed past the third round.
Cameron Norrie was the only British player to reach the third round in the men’s singles. He beat Pavel Kotov in a five-set nail-biter in the first round and followed it up with a win over Lucas Pouille.
However, his run ended in the third round with a loss to eventual finalist Casper Ruud.
In the women’s singles, no British player advanced beyond the first round.
