All You Want To Know About French Open

Information About French Open

Founded on: 1891

Host City: Paris, France

Venues:

• Ile de Puteaux (Some years between 1991 and 1908)
• Tennis Club de Paris, Auteuil (Some years between 1895 and1908)
• Racing Club de France (Some years between 1891 and 1908 and all the years from 1910 to 1924, 1926)
• Societe Athletique de la Villa Primrose, Bordeaux (1909)
• Stade Françoise (1925 and 1927)
• Stade Roland Garros (Since 1928 till present)

Surface: Clay (Sand surface when the championship used to play at Ile de Puteaux)

Prize Money: €34,367,215 € (2021)

What is the French Open?

The French Open is one of the four Grand Slam tournaments of Tennis. It is played mostly during the third and fourth week of May every year or sometimes during the last week of May and the first week of June also. The venue where the French Open is played is called Roland Garros, which has been named after the French aviator Roland Garros. It is the premier clay court championship of tennis and its red clay surface differentiates it from the rest of the three Grand Slams like the Australian Open, US Open, and Wimbledon. The French Open is also called one of the most demanding tennis tournaments as it has a different surface and also it has five-set men’s singles matches without a tie break in the final set.

French Open History

In the year 1891 a national tournament started in France, but only members of the different French Clubs were allowed to play. The first winner of such a tournament was Briton-H. Briggs, who used to live in Paris. The first-ever women’s singles tournament in French Open was held in the year 1897 and mixed doubles event was added in 1902 and women’s doubles was added in 1907.

In the period of 1915–1919, no tournament was organized due to World War I.

In 1925, the French Championships became open to all amateurs internationally and was designated a major championship by the International Lawn Tennis Federation. It was held at the Stade Français in Saint-Cloud (site of the previous World Hard Court Championships) in 1925 and 1927, on clay courts. In 1926 the Croix-Catelan of the Racing Club de France hosted the event in Paris, site of the previous French club members only tournament, also on clay.

Another clay court tournament, called the World Hard Court Championships, is sometimes considered the true precursor to the modern French Open as it admitted international competitors. This was held at Stade Français in Saint-Cloud, from 1912 to 1914, 1920, 1921 and 1923, with the 1922 event held in Brussels, Belgium. Winners of this tournament included world No. 1s such as Tony Wilding from New Zealand (1913, 1914) and Bill Tilden from the US (1921). In 1924 there was no World Hard Court Championships due to tennis being played at the Paris Olympic Games.

After the Mousquetaires or Philadelphia Four (René Lacoste, Jean Borotra, Henri Cochet, and Jacques Brugnon) won the Davis Cup on American soil in 1927, the French decided to defend the cup in 1928 at a new tennis stadium at Porte d’Auteuil. The Stade de France had offered the tennis authorities three hectares of land with the condition that the new stadium must be named after the World War I aviator hero Roland Garros. The new Stade de Roland Garros (whose central court was renamed Court Philippe Chatrier in 1988) hosted that Davis Cup challenge. On May 24, 1928 the French International Championships moved there, and the event has been held there ever since.

During World War II, the Tournoi de France was not held in 1940 and from 1941 through 1945 it took place on the same grounds, but those events are not recognized by the French governing body, the Fédération Française de Tennis.

In 1946 and 1947, the French Championships were held after Wimbledon, making it the third Grand Slam event of the year. In 1968, the French Championships became the first Grand Slam tournament to go open, allowing both amateurs and professionals to compete.

Since 1981, new prizes have been presented: 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).

In another novelty, since 2006 the tournament has begun on a Sunday, featuring 12 singles matches played on the three main courts. Additionally, on the eve of the tournament’s opening, the traditional Benny Berthet exhibition day takes place, where the profits go to different charity associations. In March 2007, it was announced that the event would provide equal prize money for both men and women in all rounds for the first time.

In 2010, it was announced that the French Open was considering a move away from Roland Garros as part of a continuing rejuvenation of the tournament. Plans to renovate and expand Roland Garros have put aside any such consideration, and the tournament remains in its long time home.

21st Century Expansion

From 2004 to 2008, there were plans to developed to build a covered stadium with a roof, as complaints continued over delayed matches. Various proposals were put forward to expand the facility or to move the French Open to a completely new, 55-court venue outside of Paris city limits.

In 2011 the decision was taken to maintain the tournament within its existing venue. The expansion project called for a new stadium to be built alongside the historical Auteuil’s greenhouses and expansion of old stadiums and the tournament village. A wide-ranging project to overhaul the venue was presented in 2011, including building a roof over Court Philippe-Chatrier, demolishing and replacing Court No. 1 with a grassy hill for outdoors viewing, and geographical extension of the venue eastward into the Jardin des Serres d’Auteuil.

Legal opposition from environmental defence associations and other stakeholders delayed the works for several years as litigation ensued. In particular, the city council voted in May 2015 against the expansion project, but on 9 June 2015 Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo announced the signing of the construction permits, with work scheduled to begin in September of that year and conclude in 2019.

In December 2015, the Administrative Court of Paris once again halted renovation work, but the French Tennis Federation won the right to proceed with the renovation on appeal.

Renovation work finally commenced at the close of the 2018 edition of the tournament. Redeveloped seating and a retractable roof was constructed for Court Philippe-Chatrier and the new 5,000-seat Court Simonne-Mathieu was opened, having been named after France’s second-highest achieving female tennis player, and noted for its innovative use of greenhouse encasing architecture. The renewal of the venue has been generally well received by the players and the public.

The 2020 edition of the tournament, which was the first to be assisted by the roof over Philippe-Chatrier, was postponed to late September and early October and was played in front of limited spectators, due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Floodlights were also installed over each of the courts in the precinct, allowing the tournament to facilitate night matches for the first time. In 2021, the tournament was back in late May and early June.

Clay Court Specialty

Clay courts are most definitely slower than the grass courts and hard courts plus they also produce a high bounce compared to those two other surfaces. Sometimes the clay courts do not offer the big serves and serve and volleyers which makes life hard for the players who want to dominate the game. Probably this is why some of the greatest of tennis players could not win a single French Open title in their entire career.

French Open Format

Point Distribution

Senior

Wheelchair

Prize Money

Greatest Tennis Players Who Never Won French Open

• John McEnore
• Stefan Edberg
• Venus Williams
• Andy Roddick
• Martina Hingis
• Lindsay Davenport
• Boris Backer

Most Successful Tennis Players At French Open

• Rafael Nadal
• Ivan Lendl
• Bjorn Borg
• Justine Henin
• Mats Willander

French Open Champions

French Open Men’s Singles Champions

French Open Women’s Singles Champions

French Open Men’s & Women’s Doubles Champions

French Open Mixed Doubles Champions