It's now just a few weeks until the French Open gets underway, on Monday, May 20, when the world’s best players will battle it out on the famous clay courts of Roland Garros. Novak Djokovic and Iga Swiatek are the defending champions but there are a whole host of contenders at the second Grand Slam of 2024.
Read on and we'll show you how to watch French Open live streams from anywhere with a VPN, potentially for FREE.
The 2024 French Open runs from May 20 until June 9.
► FREE — 9Now (AUS)
► U.S. — NBC, Tennis Channel and Peacock
► U.K. — Discovery Plus
► Watch anywhere — Try NordVPN 100% risk free
Last year Djokovic took full advantage of Rafa Nadal’s absence in Paris as he lifted his third French Open title courtesy of a dominant victory over clay-court specialist Casper Ruud. However, this year, the Serbian has struggled to find his best form and could face a tough task to defend his crown.
Jannik Sinner is the form player of 2024 and will be confident of going beyond the quarter-finals for the first time in his career, while Stefanos Tsitsipas looked superb as he won the Monte Carlo Masters. Then there are the likes of Indian Wells winner Carlos Alcaraz, two-time French Open finalist Ruud and of course, the great Rafa Nadal.
When it comes to the women’s draw, Swiatek is the heavy favorite after winning the tournament three times in the last four years. The world number one’s game is perfectly suited to clay and she will hope to add to her haul of four Grand Slam titles.
However, there are plenty of challengers including Elena Rybakina who triumphed in Stuttgart after beating Swiatek in the semi-finals. Coco Gauff was a finalist in Paris two years ago and now has a Slam to her name, while Aryna Sabalenka will hope she can rediscover the form that saw her triumph earlier this year at the Australian Open.
You won't want to miss any of the action so check out all of the TV and streaming details below to find out how to watch the 2024 French Open from anywhere.
French Open news
Rafa Nadal's preparations for Roland Garros suffered a setback as the Spaniard suffered a straight set defeat to Czech youngster Jiri Lehecka at the Madrid Open. The 22-time Grand Slam champion had impressed as he beat 11th seed Alex de Minaur earlier in the week but struggled physically in his last-16 clash.
Elsewhere, France's Alize Cornet has confirmed that she will retire from tennis after the tournament at Roland Garros. The 34-year-old is a former world No. 11 and owns the Open Era record for most consecutive Grand Slam tournaments played with 68.
Finally, the organizers of the French Open have confirmed that a retractable roof has been installed above Court Suzanne-Lenglen and that there will be 11 night sessions, starting on the first Sunday, May 26.
How to watch French Open live streams for FREE in 2024
If you're lucky enough to live in Australia then you can look forward to FREE French Open live streams from Roland-Garros in 2024. That's because the free-to-air Channel 9 and its 9Now streaming service in Australia have rights to the action.
But what if you're usually based in Australia but aren't at home for a particular French Open live stream? Maybe you're on holiday and don't want to spend money on pay TV in another country, when you'd usually be able to watch for free at home?
Don't worry — you can watch it via a VPN instead. We'll show you how to do that below.
Watch French Open live streams from anywhere
It's natural that you might want to watch the 2024 French Open live streams from your home country, but what if you're not there when it's on?
You can still watch the French Open live thanks to the wonders of a VPN (Virtual Private Network). The software allows your devices to appear to be back in your home country regardless of where in the world you are. So ideal for sports fans away on vacation or on business. Our favorite is NordVPN. It's the best on the market:
Using a VPN is incredibly simple.
1. Install the VPN of your choice. As we've said, NordVPN is our favorite.
2. Choose the location you wish to connect to in the VPN app. For instance if you're in the U.S. and want to view an Australian service, you'd select Australia from the list.
3. Sit back and enjoy the action. Head to 9Now or another website and watch the tennis.
How to watch French Open live streams in the U.S.
If you're in the U.S. you have lots of options to watch a 2024 French Open live stream from Roland-Garros. Viewers can watch all the tennis action on NBC and the Tennis Channel, as well as Peacock.
NBC can be accessed with one of the best TV antennas, while the Tennis Channel is available in some cable packages.
If you've cut the cord and don't have cable, you can watch the French Open via several live TV services, including NBC's own Peacock, plus Sling TV and Fubo.
Of these options, we recommend Peacock. It costs $5.99 per month for its standard ad-supported option or $11.99 per month for its ad-free alternative.
Alternatively, you can watch all the French Open action on the Tennis Channel which is available through most cable packages as well as some of the best cable TV alternatives, including Sling TV, Fubo, and DirecTV Stream. Of these options, we recommend Sling and Fubo.
How to watch French Open live streams in the U.K.
British tennis lovers can watch 2024 French Open live streams from Roland-Garros with Discovery Plus and Eurosport.
You'll need to sign up to Discovery Plus' £30.99-per-month Premium plan, which allows you to view TNT Sports live streams — this includes the French Open as well as cycling Grand Tours, the Premier League and, later in the year, the Olympic Games.
All sounds great, right? But if you're not in the UK, you can still follow the 2024 French Open live stream by using one of the best VPN services, such as NordVPN.
How to watch the 2024 French Open live streams in Canada
Tennis fans in Canada can get all the French Open action on TSN (in English) or RSN (in French), as part of a cable TV package.
If you've cut the cord, you can sign up for TSN or RDS streaming accounts for $7.99 (CAD) a day or $19.99 per month.
Not at home right now? Use NordVPN or another VPN service to trick your device into thinking you're still in Canada.
How to watch the 2024 French Open live streams in Australia
Aussies can again watch the 2024 French Open live stream for free on Channel Nine.
The big games will air on the free-to-view 9Gem and 9Go channels and via the on-demand service 9Now, but to watch every game, ad-free and in up to 4K, you'll need a subscription to Stan Sport.
Stan can be accessed via a wide variety of devices including many smart TVs, iOS and Android phones, Chromecast, Apple TV and more — with a subscription costing you $15 per month. Due to the cost, we'd only recommend you stream via Stan if you're already a subscriber.
Not in Australia right now? You can simply use a VPN, such as NordVPN, to watch all the action on your Stan account, as if you were back home.
2024 French Open TV schedule
The 2024 French Open takes place Monday, May 20 through Sunday, June 9.
A provisional schedule has been shared, which is open to change up to and during the event itself. Here's that tentative order of play:
Monday, May 20 - Saturday, May 25:
Qualifying and practice rounds
Sunday, May 26:
Men's & women's singles first round
Monday, May 27:
Men's & women's singles first round
Tuesday, May 28:
Men's & women's singles and men's doubles first round
Wednesday, May 29:
Men's & women's singles second round and men's, women's and mixed doubles first round
Thursday, May 30:
Men's & women's singles and men's doubles second round and women's & mixed doubles first round
Friday, May 31:
Men's & women's singles third round, men's & women's doubles second round and mixed doubles first round
Saturday, June 1:
Men's & women's singles and men's doubles third round and women's & mixed doubles second round
Sunday, June 2:
Men's & women's singles fourth round, men's, women's & mixed doubles third round and juniors' singles first round
Monday, June 3:
Men's & women's singles fourth round, men's doubles quarter-finals, women's & mixed doubles third round, juniors' singles first & second round and juniors' doubles first round
Tuesday, June 4:
Men's & women's singles and men's & women's doubles quarter-finals, mixed doubles third round, juniors' singles second round, juniors' doubles first and second round and wheelchair first round
Wednesday, June 5:
Men's & women's singles and women's doubles quarter-finals, mixed doubles semi-finals, junior singles' third round, juniors' doubles second round and wheelchair first & second round
Thursday, June 6:
Women's singles and men's doubles semi-final, mixed doubles final, juniors' singles & doubles quarter-finals and wheelchair second round and semi-finals
Friday, June 7:
Men's singles, women's doubles, wheelchair, juniors' singles & juniors' doubles semi-finals
Saturday, June 8:
Women's singles, men's doubles, wheelchair, juniors' singles & juniors' doubles final
Sunday, June 9:
Men's singles & women's doubles final
Current ATP and WTA rankings
As qualifying for the 2024 French Open has not yet taken place, we can't say for certain who will be playing in the tournament, but all of the best players are expected to descend upon Paris.
Here are the current top 10 ranked men's and women's players.
Men's rankings
1. Novak Djokovic (SRB)
2. Jannik Sinner (ITA)
3. Carlos Alcaraz (ESP)
4. Daniil Medvedev
5. Alexander Zverev (GER)
6. Casper Ruud (NOR)
7. Stefanos Tsitsipas (GRE)
8. Andrey Rublev
9. Hubert Hurkacz (POL)
10. Grigor Dimitrov (BUL)
Women's rankings
1. Iga Swiatek (POL)
2. Aryna Sabalenka
3. Coco Gauff (USA)
4. Elena Rybakina (KAZ)
5. Jessica Pegula (USA)
6. Maria Sakkari (GRE)
7. Marketa Vondrousova (CZE)
8. Zheng Qinwen (CHN)
9. Ons Jabeur (TUN)
10. Jeļena Ostapenko (LAT)
More from Tom's Guide
- Apple TV just teased a Ted Lasso spinoff with great 'potential'
- How to watch Spider-Man movies online: release & chronological order
- 7 things about Netflix's password-sharing crackdown you need to know
