The complex is named after Roland Garros (1888–1918), a pioneering French aviator, and was constructed in 1928 to host France's first defence of the Davis Cup.

France was an important power in tennis during the first half of the 20th century due to the dominance of Suzanne Lenglen during the 1910s and 1920s, and les Quatre Mousquetaires ("the Four Musketeers")—Jacques "Toto" Brugnon, Jean Borotra (the "Bouncing Basque"), Henri Cochet (the "Magician"), and René Lacoste (the "Crocodile")—in the 1920s and 1930s.

A monument to France's six Cup championships stands at the center of Place des Mousquetaires, a circular courtyard near the venue's entrance.

[7] In October 1939, shortly after the outbreak of World War II, the facility was used as a detention centre where "indésirables"—mostly Hungarians, Russians, Italians, Poles, and citizens suspected of being communists—were held pending imprisonment.

[8] Journalist and former communist Arthur Koestler reported that at the time of his detention, posters advertising the last match prior to the outbreak of war, between Cochet and Borotra, were still in place.

[13] The four main spectator grandstands are named for les Quatre Mousquetaires—Brugnon, Borotra, Cochet, and Lacoste—in honor of their Davis Cup success, which prompted construction of the facility, and the stadium.

[6] As a further tribute, the trophy awarded each year to the French Open men's singles champion is known as La Coupe des Mousquetaires.

[17] Its namesake, an international celebrity and the first true star of women's tennis, won 31 major tournaments, including six French Open titles and six Wimbledon championships, between 1914 and 1926.

The trophy awarded each year to the French Open women's singles champion is named La Coupe Suzanne Lenglen in her honor.

Its architect, Jean Lovera, a former French junior champion, designed the 3,800-seat structure as a deliberate contrast to the adjacent, angular Court Philippe Chatrier.

It is housed in a former groundsman's cottage, and comprises a multimedia center, media library, and permanent and temporary exhibits dedicated to the history of tennis in general, and the French Open in particular.

Permanent exhibits include a display of the French Open perpetual trophies, including La Coupe des Mousquetaires and La Coupe Suzanne Lenglen; a narrative and photographic history of Stade Roland Garros; displays documenting the evolution of tennis attire through the years; a comprehensive collection of tennis racquets dating back to the mid-19th century; and a large exhibition of tennis-related photographs and paintings.

The bilingual (French/English) multimedia center contains over 4,000 hours of digitized video, including documentaries, interviews with many of the sport's legendary players, and film archives dating from 1897 to the present.

[29] In 2009 the FFT announced that it had commissioned the French architect Marc Mimram to design a significant expansion of Stade Roland Garros.

[35] In February 2015 the Ministry of Ecology issued a negative report, and the project was placed on hold pending completion of a new land use study for the City Council.

[36][37] In June, Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo announced that construction permits had been signed, with a new cost estimate of $450 million and completion delayed to 2019.

[38] Opponents, who objected to the demolition of 2.5 acres (1 hectare) of greenhouses and biological gardens at the Jardin des Serres d'Auteuil on the eastern border of the current ground,[39] proposed an alternate, northward expansion into the Bois de Boulogne that would require covering a portion of the A13 highway.

[42] In December 2015, the Paris Administrative Court ordered suspension of reclamation work involving the Auteuil botanical garden greenhouses.

[47] This included the inauguration of statues to Rafael Nadal (who has won the French Open singles title a record 14 times), Roland Garros, and the "Four Musketeers" (Borotra, Brugnon, Cochet, and Lacoste).