The Origins and History of the French Open
The French Open, the second Grand Slam tournament of the year, is not only one of the most glamorous tennis events, but also the most physically demanding. Hosted at the Stade Roland Garros in Paris between May and June, it is the only clay court Grand Slam of the year. Famous for its slow playing surface, in recent years it has hosted one of most enthralling battles of modern tennis.
Officially named as ‘Les Internationaux de France de Roland Garros’ or ‘Tournoi de Roland-Garros’ (The Roland Garros Tournament), it is commonly referred as the French Open or simply Roland Garros.
The French Open has its roots in the French National Tournament which began in 1891. Initially it was limited to members of French clubs and no international player was allowed to participate in the tournament. French National Tournament was regularly held till 1924. From 1912 to 1923, another tournament known as World Hard Court Championships was held each year on the clay courts of Stade Français. Unlike the French National Tournament, the World Hard Court Championship was open to international competitors. Both of these tournaments are considered predecessors to the more contemporary French Open.
In 1925, it was decided by French Tennis Federation that French Championships will be open to international participants. These championships were hosted alternately on grass courts of Racing Club de France and Stade Français. In 1928, a new tennis stadium was built near Porte d’Auteuil. This new stadium was named after World War 1 veteran pilot Roland Garros. Roland Garros, a French aviator and fighter aircraft pilot, was the first person to fly the airplane non-stop over the Mediterranean Sea (from France to Tunisia) on September 23, 1913.
From 1945 onwards, it officially became the third Grand Slam event of the year. During 1945 and 1947, it was held under the title of Peter Vong Championships. In 1968, French Championships became the first Grand Slam to go open. It commenced the beginning of open era in tennis. By going open, it removed the age old amateur-professional distinction from tennis. Players were for the first time allowed to make a living from the sport. Following French Championships, other Grand Slams also abandoned the long standing rules of amateurism.
Roland Garros is currently host to twenty courts. Built in 1928, the centre court or main court is named after Philippe Chatrier. Philippe Chatrier was the head of French Tennis Federation and was responsible for singlehandedly bringing the Summer Olympics in 1988. Philippe Chatrier Court is capable of holding 15,000 spectators. The stands are dedicated to the famous “Four Musketeers” of French tennis. It includes the likes of the once dominant quartet of Jacques "Toto" Brugnon, Jean Borotra, Henri Cochet, and René Lacoste. The Four Musketeers dominated the tennis circuit during the 1920s and 30s. They are also famous for winning the Davis Cup on American soil in 1927. In addition to the Philippe Chatrier court, it also hosts 19 other state-of-the-art courts including a secondary court named after Suzanne Lenglen and a Tenniseum.
French Open awards prize money of 16 million Euros. Prize money is equal for both men and women. In addition to the prize money, few other prizes are also given to the players. These include Prix Orange for Best Sportsmanship and Prix Bourgeon for the Tennis Player Revelation of the year. Both of these prizes were introduced in 1981.
The most distinguishing feature of the Roland Garros is its slow playing surface. In comparison to grass and hard court, clay court not only reduces the speed of the ball but also produces high bounce, which is sometimes difficult to read. For the same reason, it reduces the leverage of big serving players. Similarly, the players who rely heavily on old fashioned serve and volley also fail to dominate this surface. On the other hand, those players who are more used to slow surfaces have found considerable success in the French Open. These players include the likes of Rafael Nadal and Gustavo Kuerten in men’s tennis and Justine Henin in women’s tennis in the modern era.
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