French Open History, Facts And Winners

The French Open is an annual tennis tournament event held at the Stade Roland Garros in Paris, France.

It is one of the four Grand Slam tournaments in tennis, the other three being Australian Open in Melbourne, Wimbledon in London, and US Open in New York City.

The French Open is one of the premier clay court tennis tournaments in the world. It is also known as Roland Garros, named in the memory of the French aviator and World War I hero, Roland Garros.

French Open History, Facts And Winners

The French Open History

Originally known as the French Championships, the French Open was established in 1891. At the time, it was exclusively a men’s tournament and for residents of France only. It was in 1897 that the very first ladies’ tournament was introduced.

The French Championships became international in 1925. This first Grand Slam event was played at the Stade Français in Saint-Cloud, France. The tournament was still was not open at the time, as the participants were restricted to amateurs only.

The French Championship matches were played as the best-of-three sets format until best-of-five sets was adopted in 1902 or 1903.

In 1928, a tennis stadium was built and named after France’s war hero, Roland Garros. Stade Roland Garros has been the French Open’s home since.

French Open Facts

• The French Open is officially called Les Internationaux de France de Roland-Garros (the “French Internationals of Roland Garros”) or simply Roland Garros, after the pioneering French aviator and fighter pilot during the first World War. Garros didn’t play tennis and was never associated with the sport in any way.

• Roland Garros is the only Grand Slam tournament played on clay courts.

• Stade Roland Garros, the stadium hosting the French Open, was built in 1928 to host France’s first defense of the Davis Cup. It is a 13.5-hectare complex with 20 courts, a large restaurant and bar complex, and a tennis museum. It is the smallest of all Grand Slam venues.

• 1940 is the only year in the French Open history when no competition was held. This was due to World War II.

• The French Open was the first Grand Slam tournament to open to non-amateur players. This took place in 1968.

• The winner of the women’s singles event receives the Coupe Suzanne Lenglen, named after Suzanne Lenglen, who was the greatest female player in French tennis history.

• In the men’s singles, the champion receives Coupe des Mousquetaires, named after “The Four Musketeers” of French tennis: Jean Borotra, Jacques Brugnon, Henri Cochet, and René Lacoste.

• The French Open is hard to win for most tennis players. Many notable players win multiple Grand Slam events but never the French Open.

Switzerland’s Roger Federer, 20-time Grand Slam winner and considered one of the greatest tennis players of all time, has won the Roland Garros only once – in 2009. American Pete Sampras, who has 14 Grand Slam championship titles, never won the French Open.

Notable Winners of French Open

H. Briggs

The very first French Championship winner, H. Briggs, was a resident of Paris but he competed for British Isles, defeating P. Baigneres.

Adine Masson

Adine Masson defeated P. Girod with 6-3 6-1 in 1897, becoming the very first ladies’ tournament champion.

Suzanne Lenglen

Suzanne Lenglen won the French Championships 6 times between 1920 and 1926. She was the first Grand Slam title winner in the women’s singles, which took place in 1925.

Max Decugis

In the early stages of the French Open, French players dominated the tournament. Max Decugis was the most dominant of all, winning 8 titles before the outbreak of World War I.

René Lacoste

René Lacoste was the winner of the first French Championships Grand Slam title in the men’s singles in 1925. Known for his fashion brand Lacoste, Lacoste had 3 French Championship titles in his tennis career.

Don Budge

In 1938, American Don Budge became the first player – male or female, and still the only American male – to win all 4 Grand Slams in a single year. He beat his Czech opponent, Roderich Menzel, in the 1938 French Open finals.

Althea Gibson

The first African-American to win a Grand Slam title was Althea Gibson. She won the French Championships, beating UK’s Angela Buxton, in 1956.

Chris Evert

American Chris Evert, with 7 Coupe Suzanne Lenglens, holds the most French Open championship titles in the women’s singles.

Margaret Court

In 1970, Australia’s Margaret Court became the first woman to win all 4 Grand Slam titles in the same calendar year. She defeated West Germany’s Helga Masthoff in the 1970 French Open finals.

Andrés Gimeno

Spain’s Andrés Gimeno became the oldest French Open champion when he bagged the title in 1972 at 34 years and 9 months old.

Steffi Graf

The term “Golden Slam” or “Golden Grand Slam” was created in 1988, when German Steffi Graf won all 4 Grand Slam titles and the gold medal in tennis at the Summer Olympics in the same year. She defeated Russia’s Natasha Zvereva in the 1988 Roland Garros finals.

Michael Chang

The youngest male player in the Open Era to win the Roland Garros is the American Michael Chang, who won the finals in 1989 at 17 years, 3 months and 20 days.

Monica Seles

Yugoslavia’s Monica Seles won her first Grand Slam tennis tournament in the French Open women’s singles in 1990, becoming the tournament’s youngest female champion at 16 years and 5 months.

Seles would go on to win two more Roland Garros titles for the next 2 consecutive years. In 1993, she became a victim of stabbing by a deranged fan in Hamburg, Germany, prompting her to take a break from tennis, thus, breaking her Grand Slam winning streak.

Mary Pierce

Mary Pierce was the last French national, male or female, to win the Roland Garros. She defeated her Spanish opponent, Conchita Martínez, to win the Grand Slam title in women’s singles in 2000.

Rafael Nadal

Spain’s Rafael Nadal, one of the greatest tennis players of all time, is dubbed the “King of Clay,” having lost only three times in his 108 matches in over 16 years in the French Open. He holds the record for the most Roland Garros titles – 13.

Most sports analysts say this is a hard feat to repeat, in the French Open or any other Grand Slam tournament. So it looks like this record will hold for a very long time if not forever.

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