Climate Change and the French Open: How Extreme Heat is Reshaping Professional Tennis

Extreme heat and erratic weather patterns are transforming the French Open and other global sporting events. From player exhaustion to the need for expensive retractable roofs, the tournament serves as a case study for how climate instability disrupts traditional athletic competition. Beyond the courts, the article examines the irony of professional sports as both victims and contributors to carbon emissions. It highlights the growing divide between wealthy tournaments that can afford climate adaptation and smaller events in developing nations that cannot.