The French Open is played on clay courts.
Held at Stade Roland Garros in Paris, the tournament is the only Grand Slam still contested on clay. The surface is commonly called red clay, although the courts are built from several layers, including limestone, crushed stone, volcanic rock and a thin coating of powdered brick.
Clay slows the ball and produces a higher bounce than grass or hard courts. Those characteristics often favour patient baseline players and long rallies, while reducing the advantage of powerful servers and serve-and-volley specialists. Players can also ask an umpire to inspect a ball mark in the clay after a disputed call.
The French Open became the only clay-court major after the US Open changed to hard courts in 1978. A common mix-up is confusing the tournament's official venue, Roland Garros, with its surface: Roland Garros is the stadium complex, while clay is the playing surface.