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Today At A Glance:

The French Open at Roland Garros is the world’s most physically demanding tennis tournament, primarily due to high temperatures and its clay surface. But Rafael Nadal isn’t competing this year, so today’s newsletter breaks down everything you need to know about the tournament, including its history, TV ratings, prize money, and more.

This newsletter is also available via podcast on Apple or Spotify. Enjoy!

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Friends,

We have seen some dominant performances by athletes throughout sports history — Michael Jordan’s six NBA championships in the 1990s, Michael Phelps’ eight gold medals at the 2008 Beijing Olympic games, Floyd Mayweather Jr.’s 50-0 professional record in the boxing ring, and Lionel Messi’s 91 goal season in 2012.

But none of these athletes have dominated one single event like Rafael Nadal.

Nicknamed “The King of Clay,” Nadal has won the French Open at Roland Garros a record 14 times since making his debut in 2005. He has amassed an incredible 112-3 record, meaning Nadal has only lost three times between the ages of 19 and 36. And he is probably one of the only athletes in history to have a statue of himself constructed outside of a sports venue while still competing in the event.

But this year’s French Open looks a little bit different. Sure, more than 600,000 people will still descend on Roland Garros to watch the world’s best tennis players compete at the only clay-court Grand Slam of the season. But Nadal is currently nursing an injury and won’t be back until next year — potentially his last French Open ever.

So today’s newsletter breaks down the business behind one of tennis’ most iconic tournaments, including its history, prize money, media rights, future, and more.

French Open Overview

The French Open was founded more than 130 years ago (1891) and is the second Grand Slam on the tennis calendar each year — after the Australian Open and before Wimbledon and the U.S. Open.

The tournament is commonly referred to as “Roland Garros,” the stadium where the French Open is played. It is named after a famous French aviator that became the first person to successfully cross the Mediterranean in 1913. The event is also considered by most to be the world’s most physically demanding tennis tournament, primarily due to high temperatures and its famous clay surface.

“There is a reason that sport legends such as Pistol Pete Sampras, John McEnroe and Venus Williams never won in Paris, said David Dietz back in 2011. “A booming serve and penetrating forehand will only carry a player so far on clay.

At the French, one needs to have a complete repertoire of shots and skills because the red dust is the great equalizer. The surface is unique in that it slows down the pace of the ball, neutralizing the strength and power that has come to define the modern game.

Instead, clay forces players to rely on patience, persistence and guile. Artistry and consistency are rewarded over brawn and ability to hit winners. More importantly, it is the sports’ ultimate test of fitness and endurance.

With balls catching in the grit of the clay thus bouncing higher and slower, points last longer than on hard courts. Serves have less pop and ground strokes less power which translates into greater rallies and more physically demanding points.

Players often spend double the amount of time on the court as they would for the same amount of points played at Wimbledon or the US Open. While Americans are at an inherent disadvantage because they are not accustomed to the slippery courts typical of Europe and South America, Rolland Garros is the truest test in tennis.

Hoisting the Coupe des Mousquetaires (Muskateer’s Cup) after two weeks in Paris is the most impressive accomplishment in sports.”

This level of difficulty has brought immense interest to the French Open. For example, Roland Garros typically sees upwards of 600,000+ spectators across two weeks, and it’s estimated that they bring in more than $250 million in total revenue.

French Open Financial Breakdown (*estimated)

• Total revenue: $256 million

• Revenue per day: $18.2 million

• Revenue per hour: $761,904

• Revenue per minute: $12,698

Most of this money comes through media rights deals with NBC (+ others) — and the tournament’s growth has directly benefited its players in the form of prize money.

Roland Garros’ TV Rights & Prize Money

The Men’s French Open Final between Rafael Nadal and Casper Ruud only averaged 1.487 million followers on NBC last year, which is less than the average NBA game.

But the French Open pulls in significantly more viewers outside the United States.

For example, Roland Garros says the French Open averaged 5.2 million viewers on France TV last year and reached over 100 million people via CCTV in China.

And while viewership numbers haven’t been strong over the last decade in the United States, Roland Garros hopes they can reverse that trend, as their deal with NBC is set to expire in 2024. And they’ll most certainly be looking for an increase in rights fees.

But even with average US viewership hovering between 1 million and 2 million for the Men’s & Women’s French Open Finals, the player’s total prize pool has still gone up.

For example, the total prize pool for this year’s French Open is $54.6 million, a 12.3% increase from 2022. And it means the men’s and women’s singles champions will walk away with $2.5 million each, while the runner-ups will take home just over $1 million.

Conversation Starters: The French Open Edition

• Roland Garros is famously known as the only Grand Slam played on clay courts. But the courts aren’t actually made of clay — it’s a combination of sand, volcanic rocks topped with three inches of limestone, and red brick dust.

• Roland Garros has 18 courts in total. The main court, Court Philippe-Chatrier, holds 15,000 people, while the other two stadium courts, Court Suzanne Lenglen & Court Simonne-Mathieu, hold 10,000 people and 5,000 people, respectively.

• A retractable roof was added to Court Philippe-Chatrier (main court) in 2020. It has 22 panels that span 344 feet and can open and close in about 15 minutes.

• Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, and Novak Djokovic have won 65 of the last 80 Grand Slam Men’s Single Titles — but with Federer retiring and Nadal hurt, Djokovic is the last remaining Big Three member in contention at Roland Garros.

So there you have it — that’s everything you need to know about the money and business behind this year’s French Open at Roland Garros.

If you enjoyed this breakdown, please consider sharing it with your friends. My team and I work hard to consistently create quality content, and every new subscriber helps.

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I hope everyone has a great weekend. We’ll talk on Monday.

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Extra Credit: A Collection Of Things You (Might Have) Missed This Week

• LSU football has partnered with a company called Tigeraire and will have A/C fans in each player’s helmet for all practices and games this upcoming season.

• Wrexham AFC celebrated its recent promotion with a trip to Las Vegas, where owners Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenny covered a $500,000+ tab and organized Wrexham’s theme song and team highlights to be played in the club.

• Monty Williams was fired by the Phoenix Suns last month, which would have included a $20M+ buyout. But just 18 days later, Williams signed a 6-year, $78.5 million contract with Detroit Pistons to become the NBA’s highest-paid coach.

That’s a higher annual salary than two players on the Detroit Pistons, and it makes him the 4th highest-paid coach in US sports.

• Real Madrid is the world’s most valuable football club at $6.07 billion, according to Forbes. The rest of the Top 5 included Manchester United ($6 billion), Barcelona ($5.51 billion), Liverpool ($5.29 billion), and Manchester City ($4.99 billion) — and there were 7 MLS clubs in the Top 30 (23% of the list).

• The Denver Nuggets beat the Miami Heat in Game 1 of the NBA Finals — and altitude might have played a role. Denver’s arena is 5,280 feet above sea level — compared to Miami’s at 6 feet above sea level — and the difference in their winning percentage at home (.652) vs. away (.350) is the biggest in NBA history.

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Huddle Up is a 3x weekly newsletter that breaks down the business and money behind sports. If you are not already a subscriber, sign up and join 100,000+ others who receive it directly in their inbox each week.