On the men's side, Rafael Nadal, seeded fourth at his first French Open,[1] was a strong favorite to win the singles title after winning the Monte Carlo and Rome Masters.

[2] In the women's draw, Justine Henin-Hardenne won her second French Open title, defeating 2000 champion Mary Pierce in the final in just 62 minutes.

[3] 2005 marked the first of three consecutive years in which Henin would win the women's singles title.

This tournament was also notable for the rise of future French Open champion Ana Ivanovic, who upset the third seed Amélie Mauresmo in the third round,[4] before going on to defeat another future champion in Francesca Schiavone on her way to her first major quarterfinal appearance in just her second major tournament.

An official videogame for the tournament, Roland Garros 2005: Powered by Smash Court Tennis, was launched exclusively for the PlayStation 2 platform.