2024 Roland-Garros eSeries by Renault: The ultimate eTennis competition is back!
The world’s largest eTennis tournament returns this year with its 2024 edition. Proud of the growing appetite in the past editions, the French Tennis Federation (FFT) confirms once again its willingness to elevate esports in the tennis world to reach the biggest competitive stage level. The four Open Qualifiers are now closed, the eight qualified players will meet on Saturday, May 25, 2024 at Roland-Garros to compete for the World champion title.
With over 547,000 players participating in the Open Qualifiers from 215 territories, the 2024 edition had already made Roland-Garros eSeries by Renault one of the largest competitions in mobile gaming and the sports world. For the past 2 years, the tournament has been held on the mobile game Tennis Clash, whose success is now undeniable with over 150 million downloads and 5 million monthly active users.
Besides, this title developed by Wildlife Studios recently stood out by being among the selected games for the Olympics Esport Series in 2023; a new recognition matching with the growing development of virtual sports. Aware of this evolution, Roland-Garros continues to establish itself as a leading player in this field, inspiring the three other Grand Slams tournaments to offer their own virtual competition on Tennis Clash. The synergy between the game and the Parisian Grand Slam intensifies even more each year with the reproduction of the Philippe-Chatrier court and the exclusive Roland-Garros outfits created specifically for the 2024 edition.
On May 25th, 2024, eight competitors will face off during the Final Stage at Roland-Garros to claim the champion’s title! The two finalists will share the 5,000€ prize pool. William “Fozzy” Foster, winner of the last two editions, will defend his title against the four challengers from the Open Qualifiers and against the top female player from the first one. The last two spots are reserved for Wildcards: the first awarded to the best player from Handigamers association and the second given to Gilles Simon. After casting the 2023 Roland-Garros eSeries by Renault, the former ATP world number 6, Davis Cup winner and recently joined Daniil Medvedev’s team, makes history by becoming the first professional tennis player to take part in an esport Final Stage, bringing together those two worlds.
The following 8 qualified players will first experience exclusive support with GameWard, an esport club offering one of the best performance ecosystems in France, before they meet for the Final Stage to determine the champion of this 2024 edition :
William Foster "Fozzy" (UK) - Back-to-back champion.
Gilles Simon (FR) - Wild card no1, former top 6 in the world and newly appointed coach of Daniil Medvedev.
Tony Pilarski "Ivar" (FR) - Wild card no2, best player of the Handigamers association.
Adjua Boucher "RenaPower" (USA) - Best player of the first Open Qualifier.
He ShengHao "Kafe" (CHN) - Finalist 2023 and silver medalist at the Olympic Esport Series 2023.
Alessandro Bianco "ALEX" (IT) - Winner of the second Open Qualifier.
Marc Antoine “MarcAntony” (QUE) - Winner of the third Open Qualifier
Hizir Balkanci “Hizir” (TUR) - Winner of the Grand Tour (qualifier reserved for the top players of Tennis Clash)
This year, the audience will be able to experience the competition on-site at Roland-Garros in addition to the Twitch livestream for those who cannot attend. Hosted by exceptional casters on the Samuel Etienne’s Twitch channel, a famous french TV host, and supported by its new title partner Renault and official partner Mastercard, the show will combine the intensity of the matches with highlights around tennis, surrounded by prestigious guests.
For the first time, the Final Stage of Roland-Garros eSeries by Renault will take place at the heart of the brand new auditorium of Roland-Garros.
Just inaugurated, this venue designed to host prestigious events throughout the year will open its doors to the public, for the first time ever, during the Final Stage of the world's largest eTennis tournament. With a capacity of over 350 spectators and the players on stage, the event reaches a new level worthy of the biggest esports stages, allowing fans to share their passion and experience an intensity like never before.
Through its support to Handigamers, a French association providing disabled people with assistance to keep playing video games, and its reserved spot for the top female talent, Roland-Garros eSeries by Renault reaffirms its commitment to be the most inclusive eTennis tournament. Moreover, the FFT will convert the points scored during the 31 matches of the Final Stage into a donation to Handigamers, contributing €15 per point.