Le  Sunday September 6 2026 , padel will take over  Roland Garros  for a day that will go far beyond the scope of the competition. On the occasion of the first day of the Alpine Paris Major Premier Padel 2026 , the  Padel Festival  will bring together former tennis champions, professional padel players and numerous personalities on the courts of Porte d'Auteuil.

The program includes two particularly anticipated events: a  Tennis vs duel Padel on the Philippe-Chatrier court  and  celebrity tournament  bringing together, among others, Dadju, Philippe Lacheau, Cartman, Jarry, Robert Pirès and Boris Diaw.

Gasquet, Pouille, Clément and Santoro switch to padel

This is one of the main attractions announced for the day. Four big names from the  French tennis  will trade their tennis rackets for a paddle:  Richard Gasquet, Lucas Pouille, Arnaud Clément and Fabrice Santoro .

The four former French players will participate in a match billed as the  "Clash of the Legends: Tennis vs Padel » And the setting will be fitting, since the confrontation is to take place on the legendary  Court Philippe Chatrier .

Facing them were  professional padel players  They will come to defend their discipline. Their identities have not yet been revealed.

The opposition is bound to attract attention. While the former tennis players possess exceptional racket technique and top-level experience, they will have to adapt to the specificities of padel: glass walls, bandeja, vibora, off-court clearances, net play and reading bounces.

A true clash between two racket cultures, conceived primarily as a spectacle.

Paris Major 2026: Gasquet, Pouille, Santoro, Pirès, Diaw… a crazy Sunday at Roland-Garros

A celebrity tournament with Dadju, Pirès and Boris Diaw

However, this will not be the only event of the day on September 6th.  Padel Festival  will also host a tournament bringing together many personalities from different worlds.

An initial cast has already been announced, including  Dadju, Philippe Lacheau, Cartman, Jarry, Robert Pirès and Boris Diaw .

Music, film, comedy, football, and basketball will all be represented at Roland-Garros. Other personalities are expected to be announced by the organizers in the coming weeks.

The presence of  Robert Pires , 1998 football world champion, and of  Boris Diaw , former captain of the French national basketball team and NBA champion in 2014, also illustrates the growing attraction of padel among former high-level athletes.

Roland-Garros wants to make September 6th a celebration of padel

With these two activities, the objective is clear: to transform the first day of the Alpine Paris Major 2026  a true popular festival centered around padel.

The celebrity tournament and the duel between tennis legends and padel professionals will notably allow us to reach an audience beyond those who regularly follow the sport.

The choice of  Court Philippe Chatrier  for the Tennis vs duel Padel It also brings a particular symbolic dimension. Players who have competed in the biggest events in French tennis during their careers will return to the Roland-Garros center court, but this time with a padel racket in their hands.

The Paris Major 2026 will therefore begin with the show

Before the best players in the world compete in one of the major events of the season Premier PadelRoland-Garros will therefore open its 2026 edition with a day resolutely focused on spectacle and the general public.

 Richard Gasquet, Lucas Pouille, Arnaud Clément and Fabrice Santoro on one side, padel professionals on the other to which will be added Dadju, Philippe Lacheau, Cartman, Jarry, Robert Pirès, Boris Diaw and several other personalities: the  Sunday 6 September  could well be one of the most unusual days of this edition of the Paris Major.

The tickets have been announced.  from 10 euros , with tickets available on the event's official website.

On the same subject

Tags