How Roland-Garros Is Transformed into a World-Class Padel Venue

Every September, one of the world's most famous tennis venues takes on a very different identity.

During the Paris Major 2026, Stade Roland-Garros once again becomes a major international padel venue, welcoming professional players, spectators and fans from around the world. The tournament runs from September 6 to 13 and marks the fifth consecutive year that Roland-Garros has hosted France's leading professional padel event.

The transformation demonstrates an important characteristic of modern padel: with the right court systems, venue planning and supporting facilities, an established sports complex can accommodate a completely different professional competition while maintaining a high-level spectator experience.

Six Professional Padel Courts Inside Roland-Garros

A professional padel tournament requires much more than one show court.

For the 2026 Paris Major, the venue features six competition courts, allowing qualification rounds and main-draw matches to operate across several areas of Roland-Garros.

Matches are distributed between the famous Philippe-Chatrier Court and outside courts, while the later stages become increasingly concentrated on the main show court. All semi-finals and finals are scheduled for Philippe-Chatrier.

This multi-court arrangement highlights an important consideration for commercial padel projects as well: court quantity alone is not enough. A successful venue also needs efficient circulation, spectator access, suitable spacing between courts and a clear hierarchy between competition, training and show courts.

Turning Philippe-Chatrier into a Padel Show Court

Philippe-Chatrier is internationally associated with elite tennis, particularly the French Open. During the Paris Major, however, the stadium becomes the centerpiece of professional padel.

The change in sport creates different requirements for the playing enclosure.

Unlike an open tennis court, a professional padel court uses tempered glass walls, steel framing, mesh fencing and a specialized artificial turf surface as part of the playing system itself.

For spectators inside a large stadium, visibility becomes especially important. Transparent glass allows audiences to follow the action while maintaining the enclosed structure required by padel.

This is one reason panoramic padel courts have become closely associated with professional tournaments and premium commercial venues. Reducing unnecessary visual obstruction around the playing area can improve viewing conditions for spectators, broadcasters and photographers while also creating a cleaner architectural appearance.

Professional Court Design Must Balance Performance and Visibility

At an international tournament, the court is not simply sports equipment. It also forms part of the event environment.

Every major component affects the overall experience.

Tempered glass needs to provide both structural reliability and clear visibility. Steel structures and mesh fencing must maintain stability during intensive competition. Professional artificial turf needs to provide predictable movement and ball response throughout repeated matches.

The layout must also support referees, players,camera positions and spectators without interfering with the competition.

These same principles are increasingly relevant to commercial padel clubs.

A club may not need the scale of Roland-Garros, but customers still expect good playing conditions, comfortable viewing areas and professionally finished courts. For this reason, court design should be considered together with the overall facility rather than treated as an isolated installation.

Multi-Court Planning Keeps a Major Tournament Moving

The Paris Major schedule shows why multiple courts are essential for a large competition.

During the early stages, many matches take place simultaneously across Philippe-Chatrier and the outside courts. As the tournament progresses, the number of active matches decreases and attention gradually shifts toward the central court.

This provides a useful example for investors planning a multi-court padel center.

Several courts allow a facility to accommodate different activities at the same time, including recreational bookings, coaching sessions, competitions and corporate events.

However, simply positioning several courts next to one another is not always the best solution.

Projects should also consider:

• Walkways between courts

• Safe entrance and exit routes

• Spectator viewing areas

• Player waiting zones

• Lighting placement

• Maintenance access

• Reception and social spaces

• Future court expansion

Thoughtful planning can make a multi-court facility easier to operate while creating a more comfortable experience for players and visitors.

Roland-Garros Becomes More Than a Competition Venue

Another significant aspect of the Paris Major transformation is that the venue is designed around more than professional matches.

The 2026 tournament opened with a Padel Festival, combining qualifying competition with introductory padel sessions, exhibition events, sporting challenges, relaxation areas and food facilities.

During several tournament days, evening matches on Philippe-Chatrier are also combined with an open-air afterwork atmosphere, extending the visitor experience beyond the match itself.

This reflects an important trend in modern padel facility development.

Padel is highly social, and many successful clubs are designed to encourage visitors to remain at the venue before and after playing. Seating areas, cafés, terraces, viewing zones and event spaces can therefore become important parts of a commercial padel center.

For club operators, the facility surrounding the courts can be almost as important as the courts themselves.

What Commercial Padel Projects Can Learn from Paris Major

Few commercial clubs will operate on the scale of Roland-Garros, but several principles can be adapted to smaller projects.

First, court visibility matters. Clear glass structures and carefully positioned supporting elements can improve both playing and viewing experiences.

Second, multi-court planning should consider movement as well as capacity. Players and spectators need convenient access without creating congestion around active courts.

Third, a modern padel facility benefits from supporting social spaces. A club that combines sport with leisure, food, events and spectator areas can offer a more complete customer experience.

Finally, court quality remains fundamental. Steel structure, tempered glass, mesh fencing, artificial turf and lighting should be selected as an integrated system rather than as independent components.

A Powerful Example of Padel's Growing Presence

The fact that Roland-Garros can host both one of the world's most famous tennis tournaments and one of the leading events on the professional padel calendar illustrates how far the sport has developed.

The French Tennis Federation and Premier Padel have already renewed their agreement for the Paris Major to remain at Roland-Garros through 2029, reinforcing the event's position within the international padel calendar.

For the padel industry, the transformation of Roland-Garros provides more than a spectacular setting for professional competition.

It demonstrates how professional padel courts, flexible venue planning and spectator-focused facility design can work together to transform an established sports venue into a dedicated padel environment.

As padel continues to expand internationally, similar principles are likely to influence new clubs, sports centers, resorts and commercial padel projects around the world.

Planning a Professional Padel Court Project?

Whether you are developing a single commercial court or planning a complete multi-court padel center, the right court configuration can have a significant impact on playing performance, facility operation and visitor experience.

LDK provides panoramic padel courts, professional artificial turf, lighting systems, roofing solutions and customized court configurations for clubs, sports centers, hotels, resorts and international padel projects.

Contact our team to discuss your project requirements and explore a customized padel court solution.