The tournament is played on European "red" clay. The surface is a thin layer (2 mm) of ochre-colored brick and tile powder. The brick is from the north of France; the tiles from the south. This thin layer is for aesthetic reasons and for the players’ comfort. It also enables the players and fans to better track the ball. The French call the surface "terre battue" (beaten earth). It is a surface that your feet slide on and that quickly stains your shoes and socks. Unlike hard surface courts, the clay court is easier on the players' feet and joints. Its grittiness also slows the ball down.

Below the dust is 8 cm layer of soft, white limestone extracted for this purpose for almost 100 years from the same quarry at Saint-Maximin in the Oise department, just north of Paris. It is compressed by heavy rollers. Under that is a layer of iron ore slag (the material left behind in iron extraction). Small stones and gravel below the slag help keep the surface stable and drained; below that is whatever ground nature produced.