From milestone debuts and career revivals to hard-earned confidence on clay, Australia’s Roland Garros contingent arrives in Paris carrying vastly different stories – but a shared sense of excitement and appreciation for the unique benefits of clay.
All 13 Aussies in action at the claycourt major offered fascinating perspectives ahead of their first-round 2026.
“Every year you kind of remember it. It's a shame that the court's not there anymore that I won it on. If I saw that court, it would be even more [vivid], but I think it's always a good feeling coming back to [the] French Open. It's been nine years now … a long time ago, so I'm not that young 17-year-old boy anymore.” – Alexei Popyrin, who in 2017 became only the fourth Australian to win the Roland Garros boys’ title, brings fond memories in his return to the claycourt Slam.
“I’m feeling very excited. It's a goal that I wanted to achieve for a very long time, so to be here now in the main draw off my own ranking is very special … now that I am in this position, I'm able to take a lot of confidence from it and sort of feel like I definitely belong here. And yeah, just try and kind of own that as much as I can.” – Having exited in Roland Garros qualifying last year, Talia Gibson is thrilled to make her milestone main-draw debut at a career-high world No.55 ranking.
“Hamburg was exactly what I needed, exactly what I was looking for. I was in need of some matches and in need of some confidence and I went out there and I got more than I was even expecting. I played four top-20 players, played some really high level matches and felt like I found my mojo again.” – Aussie No.1 Alex de Minaur has momentum on his side after a semifinal run in Hamburg.
“I love playing on clay, so it's really nice … my mum’s German, so I always went over to Germany in the summers to see my grandparents and I would train on clay for a couple months when I was over there so I grew up on it quite a bit and I always liked it.” – Maya Joint is drawing on some happy memories as she returns to a favourite tournament in Paris.
“I enjoy challenges. That's sort of my personality and what gets me out of bed in the morning - challenges. I've had various challenges throughout my career, both on and off the court … right now my focus is on here and now and playing the best match possible.” – James Duckworth, in a positive state of mind as he prepares for his 40th main-draw campaign at a major.
"I've been playing tennis for a long, long time, and I know how long it can take to finally click. Even when I was a junior, it was happening. You know, it's like you're playing, you're fighting, you're doing the right things but then it's just like somehow, you're losing more points than you're winning [and] you cannot explain why.
"And then as soon as you got this confidence back, somehow you are winning important points [again] … this chemistry on court is unexplainable sometimes, but this is this is how it works. The lines there are very tiny. It's like very easy to lose it, so difficult to find it back but this is what individual sport is about.” – Daria Kasatkina, the 2014 girls’ champion and women’s semifinalist in 2022, feels form and confidence returning just in time for her 11th Roland Garros campaign.
“It's so great as a tennis player to be able to adjust to different conditions, and I think that's what the clay kind of throws at you. I always feel like I'm a better player after the clay, no matter what happens … I think sometimes we do get caught in adjusting too much with our game and we lose sight of how we want to play and what we want to do. I think it is staying true to how we want to play and then adjusting and moving the puzzle piece a little bit when you can.” – Aleksandar Vukic, who opens his Roland Garros campaign against Raphael Collignon, embraces the evolution that clay tennis demands.
“Clay and I are on a bit of a journey. It's a challenge for me because I haven't played on it tha much. over the last few years with my elbow [injury] but by the end of clay season, I'm usually feeling a lot better about my game on clay. I'm kind of hitting that at the moment, so I'm actually enjoying myself. It's fun to try different things and then actually see the improvements on the match court.” – Despite a complicated relationship with clay tennis, Kimberly Birrell relishes a first-round meeting with No.5 seed Jessica Pegula.
“I remember three years ago, I was knocked out in the first round of qualies in like 45 minutes. And I remember saying to Sharky [coach Mark Draper], 'I just don't know how I'm ever going to do well in the clay'. These last two years I feel like I've kind of proven to myself that I can do well.
It's weird – now I'm kind of actually enjoying practising on the clay and trying to figure out ways to win and kind of the little chess match that goes on out there … if you'd told me that a few years ago, I wouldn't have believed you.” – Once a sceptic, Rinky Hijikata is now a convert to the strategic puzzle of clay court tennis.
“When I look back, I'm like, ‘why do I talk myself down on the clay?’. I had a really good run [at Roland Garros] when I was very young. I think now that I'm a bit older, I do look back and I'm like, let me draw on some of those experiences. But yeah, I mean, I think I try to savour every moment more than anything now … because I think the more time I have left, the more I realise how special it is to be in these tournaments.” – Ajla Tomljanovic, who upset world No.3 Agnieszka Radwanska to reach the fourth round at age 21 in 2014, takes a reflective approach to her latest campaign.
"As a little kid I didn't really dream of becoming a tennis player. I knew I was OK in the region but I was never a top Australian junior, I never travelled to the junior Slams … and then I guess over time you start to grow a little bit more belief in your game and your ability and yeah, you slowly start climbing the rankings and this will be my third Roland Garros, which is pretty cool.” – Adam Walton, far from his first club in Home Hill, Queensland, takes nothing for granted at Roland Garros.
"To be honest, I just need to do everything like the best I can. There's probably no excuses … I've just got to go out there and try to do everything at my 100 per cent.” – Emerson Jones, still just 17, prepares to make her Roland Garros main-draw debut against four-time champioan Iga Swiatek.
“This is why I play tennis, to try and be back on this stage. I wanted to give myself a chance to play the Grand Slams ... I wasn't sure I'd even be able to step back on a tennis court and try and play at full capacity, so I've done well. I'm giving myself a pat on the back to get back here. And yeah, I owe it to myself to give it a crack." – After his well-documented injury battles, Thanasi Kokkinakis is delighted to return to Grand Slam action in Paris.