A world class competition of visual excitement, The French Open is one of the four professional tennis tournaments that make up the annual Grand Slam tennis calendar. It is also known as Les Internationaux de France de Roland-Garros or Roland-Garros. The championship is furiously competitive with every passing year, to an extent that French successes have been few and far between. The clay surface, made of crushed red bricks is the place to be for celebrity dazzlement.
It is the second Grand Slam tennis event of the year. It is held in the city of Paris for two weeks in late May and early June. The most physically demanding tennis tournament in the world has the widest world wide audience. This wonderful display of tennis is one of the popular events surrounded by the picturesque city of Paris.
The very first French Championship began in the year 1891 while the first women's tournament commenced in 1897. Initially, the tournament was restricted to the French citizens and residents only. It became an international event in 1925. 24 years later, the tournament reached a popularity level unmatched by any other tournament. The professionalism that was brought with it expanded the tournament along with exciting matches. The tennis championships were hosted alternately at the Racing Club de France and at the Stade Français from 1912 to 1927. As a result of several exciting French players on the international scene, tennis gained popularity in France.
Four of the country’s best players are famously known as the Mousquetaires, or Musketeers. These include Rene Lacoste, Jean Borotra, Henri Cochet and Jacques Brugnon. All players have gone on to win the Davis Cup in USA in 1927. It was a milestone for French tennis. Determined to defend their title, the Roland-Garros Stadium was built on French soil in 1928 that now stages one of the world's four major tennis tournaments. Roland-Garros was the first man to fly a plane over the Mediterranean, who died some ten years earlier. The first event to be held in this new stadium was the 1928 French Internationals.
The early 1980s was a magical era for tennis. Ivan Lendl, Mats Wilander and more recently Gustavo Kuerten, all have contributed to the legendary reputation of the French Open Championships and further graced the courts at Roland-Garros. The early nineties saw the rise of teenage stars like Michael Chang and Monica Seles. The former won the 1989 Championship at the age of just 17 years. Whereas the latter, with her unique screaming style won the title while she was only 16.
One of the most prominent players who changed tennis history with her unique fashion and distinctive manner of dressing was adopted by other women as well is French champion Suzanne Lenglen. She was famous for her ballet footwork along with her graceful strokes. For two consecutive years, (1925 & 1926) she was ranked number one in the world. The current champions include Roger Federer, Svetlana Kuznetsova, Lukas Dlouhy, Leander Paes, Anabel Medina Garrigues, Virginia Ruano Pascual, Leizel Huber and Bob Bryan.
Several new prizes such as the Prix Orange (for the player demonstrating the best sportsmanship and cooperative attitude with the press), the Prix Citron (for the player with the strongest character and personality) and the Prix Bourgeon (for the tennis player revelation of the year) have been presented since 1981.
The tournament begins on Sunday, which will be featuring twelve single matches which are played on the three main courts. The profits from the traditional Peter Vongovic exhibition that takes place on the eve of the tournament’s opening go to different charity associations. It also offers equal prize money for both men and women in all rounds since March, 2007.
Roland-Garros is a very impressive site that ensures maximum enjoyment to all visitors. It has the capacity to accommodate over 30,000 people. The Center Court named as Court Philippe Chatrier holds up to 15,166 spectators. The stadium fulfils the requirements of modern tennis with enlargements and modifications ever since its construction. The spectators can relive the rich history of tennis as the stadium includes a tennis museum, theatre and library.
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