On the occasion of an extraordinary general meeting, the French Tennis Federation joined its statutes the fact that the Roland-Garros tournament is never sold to a third party.
The General Assembly of the French Tennis Federation met on Friday for an extraordinary session, and it made an important decision: the Roland-Garros tournament can never be sold, completely or partially, to a third party. This provision is now integrated into article 1 of the statutes of the FFT, which defines the fundamental goals of the Federation. “Roland-Garros is much more than a tournament. It is an exceptional good that we must protect for future generations, said the president of the FFT Gilles Moretton. I want to salute past governance, which have been able to preserve this heritage with conviction. I am thinking in particular of Philippe Chatrier (president of the FFT from 1973 to 1993, editor’s note), who was fully aware of the importance of developing the Roland-Garros tournament for the good of French tennis. In this sense, it is our responsibility to adopt a long-term vision for the Federation, and to preserve the assets which ensure its independence and its ability to work for the 7,000 tennis clubs in France. »»
According to AFP, the French Tennis Federation is the richest of French sports federations. The most recent figures date from 2023, and the Roland-Garros edition had generated 328 million euros that year, or 87 % of the federation revenues on this exercise.
Wimbledon, the only big “private” chelem
If a priori no investment funds or sovereign funds like Qatar or Saudi Arabia had not come forward to buy Roland-Garros, they now know that it is not even worth trying. Note also that the FFT has not added the Rolex Paris Masters as a “non -transferable” tournament. A possible sale therefore remains possible one day.
Roland-Garros, the Australian Open and the US Open are all placed under the aegis of their national federation, which is not the case with the fourth Grand Chelem tournament, Wimbledon, which has been organized since its creation in 1877 by a private club, the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club. But the AELTC donates its income to the LTA, the British Tennis Federation.
