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The French Open

The French Open, also known as Roland Garros, is one of the four major tournaments in tennis each year. The French Open attracts the world’s best players to the tournament for a chance at fame and even a Grand Slam win. The French Open is played in Paris each year during late May and early June, and is considered one of the biggest sporting to occur each year. The tournament features men, women, and doubles competition. Fans of the French Open are both French and international.

Grand Slam

The Grand Slam in tennis consists of four major tournaments around the world. The tennis tournaments comprise the Australian Open, the US Open (known for being played on hard courts), Wimbledon, and the French Open. While all of these tournaments have been around for a very long time, the term Grand Slam was invented by a newspaper reporter in 1933. Winning just one of these four tournaments is a huge accolade in tennis, but winning all 4 equals a Grand Slam. Very few players have won all four tournaments in one year. Each tournament is played on a different type of court, making victory on all four very difficult.

History

The French Open originally began in 1891, although at this time it was only open to men and only people of French nationality. In 1925 the tournament opened first allowed players from around the world the wield their rackets in fierce competition. The French Open quickly became popular, but did not have an official home. The tournament was played at two different stadiums, Stade Francias and Racing Club de France, with a third being added upon the construction of Roland Garros.

Stadium

The French Open is known to most French people by the name of the stadium it is played in, Roland Garros. The stadium, which is named for French aviator Roland Garros, was built in 1928. It is located in the 16^th arrondissement of Paris. The stadium can be accessed by public transit such as the Metro or the bus. Roland Garros is made up of many different courts so that matches go on simultaneously. The center court of the French Open is Court Philippe Chatrier. This is where you will be able to watch all of the big name players as well as the final matches. This historic stadium is set to undergo some major renovations starting in 2011. If everything goes as planned the stadium will be fully renovated by 2016 and it will be bigger and better than ever.

The Court

There is a reason that the French open is a title that eludes some of tennis’s greatest players such as Venus Williams, and for many years, Roger Federer. This is the court’s clay surface. No other Grand Slam tournament is played on clay. Clay has a tendency to slow the ball down more so than other surfaces. It is not known as a server’s tournament. The court has a red appearance due to the crushed brick that coats the surface.

Players

Most of the big names in tennis both past and present have played at the French Open. Rafael Nadal of Spain and Bjorn Borg of Sweden have won the French Open more times than any other male players. Nadal’s wins, with the most recent being in 2011, are well known for the competitive rivalry with tennis star Roger Federer who has only won the French Open once. Steffi Graff of Germany and Chris Evert of the United States are the two most winning females in French Open history. Steffi Graff is one of three women to have won the big kahuna of four Grand Slam tournaments in one year. Only two men have done this. It has been over ten years since a French woman has won the French Open and over twenty since a French man has won.

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The French Open