Rain has haunted the French Open for decades, disrupting play on 160 of 487 tournament days since 1993. Nearly one-third of the event’s history has unfolded under dark skies and relentless interruptions. Now, dark clouds return over Paris as day two of the 2026 French Open qualifiers suffers another frustrating rain interruption on the clay.

The French Open organizers announced except for matches scheduled on Court Suzanne-Lenglen, all play had been postponed until 10:30 am because of the weather conditions. Officials explained that several courts were still not ready for play after overnight rain in Paris. As a result, players and fans were left waiting while tournament staff worked to prepare the outside courts.

The only match able to continue was the contest between Daphnee Mpetshi Perricard and Bianca Andreescu on Court Suzanne-Lenglen, which remained protected by the roof.

Even the opening day of qualifying had already been heavily affected by rain interruptions. Several matches faced delays and repeated stoppages as difficult weather conditions continued throughout the day.

Among the disrupted matches were the clashes between Sinja Kraus and Celine Naef, Ekaterine Gorgodze and Tamara Zidansek, plus Elizara Yaneva against Irina-Camelia Begu.

Other matches impacted included Maja Chwalinska versus Alice Rame and the intriguing battle between Dan Evans and Daniel Jade.

The Evans-Jade encounter became especially fascinating because of the striking age difference between the two players. Evans entered the draw as the oldest player in the men’s qualifying field at 35 years old, while Jade was the youngest at only 17. 

Before the rain suspended the match during the second set, Jade had already taken the opening set 6-4. The suspended clash between Daniel Jade and Dan Evans eventually ended with Jade sealing an impressive straight-sets victory, winning 6-4, 6-4.

However, today, play was again halted because of heavy rain during the matches between Ashlyn Krueger and Margaux Rouvroy, along with the clash featuring Coleman Wong and Billy Harris. Outdoor qualifying courts were completely covered as poor weather once again disrupted the schedule, but matches later resumed after conditions improved.

While play has now restarted, growing concern still surrounds whether the 2026 French Open will continue without major rain interruptions. The troubled relationship between Roland Garros and bad weather remains painfully familiar, with rain continuing to haunt the Paris clay year after year.

How rain has constantly ruined crucial French Open clashes over the years

Rain has continued to create major problems in Paris over the past few days. The poor weather has already caused several matches to be delayed or suspended during the recently completed WTA 125 tournament.

One of the biggest disruptions came during the final between Madison Keys and Diane Parry. The championship match had to be stopped for several hours because of relentless rain.

The reason so many matches have been interrupted at once is mainly that most courts at the French Open still do not have retractable roofs. Only two courts at Roland Garros currently offer protection from rain delays.

Court Philippe-Chatrier and Court Suzanne-Lenglen remain the only stadiums with roofs installed. The roof at Philippe-Chatrier was completed in 2020, while the Suzanne-Lenglen roof was added later in 2024.

These are also the two biggest courts at Roland Garros. Philippe-Chatrier holds around 15,000 spectators, while Suzanne-Lenglen has a capacity close to 10,000 fans.

Over the years, rain has repeatedly disrupted even the most important matches at Roland Garros. In 1973, the men’s singles final between Ilie Nastase and Nikola Pilic had to be postponed until the following Tuesday because of bad weather.

Another famous disruption came during the 2012 men’s singles final between Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic. Heavy rain in Paris forced the match to finish on Monday instead of Sunday.

Now, with the 2026 French Open already facing major interruptions after only two days of play, tournament organizers could face enormous scheduling pressure in the coming days. If the rain continues at this pace while crucial matches still remain ahead, maintaining the schedule may become increasingly difficult for Roland-Garros officials.