French Open

French Open

The French Open is the second of the four annual Grand Slam tournaments. It is held at the Stade Roland-Garros in Paris, France, in late May each year. The first women’s singles tournament, with four entries, was held in 1897.

About French Open in brief

Summary French OpenThe French Open is the second of the four annual Grand Slam tournaments. It is held at the Stade Roland-Garros in Paris, France, in late May each year. The first women’s singles tournament, with four entries, was held in 1897. Since 2006 the tournament has begun on Sunday, featuring matches played on the three main courts. 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. The tournament remains in its long-time home at Roland Garros, but plans to renovate and expand the facility have been put aside for the time being. The event is widely considered to be the most physically demanding tennis tournament in the world, with the seven rounds needed for a championship, the slow-playing surface and the best-of-five-set men’s singles matches. In 1891 the Championnat de France, or French Championships, was only open to tennis players who were members of French clubs. In 1925, the French Championships became open to all amateurs internationally and was designated a major championship by the ILTF. Since 1981, new prizes have been presented: the Prix Orange, the Prix Citron and the Prix Bourgeon. The opening day of the tournament takes place on the eve of the traditional Benny Berthet exhibition day, where the profits go to different charity associations.

The first winner was H. Briggs, a British who resided in Paris and was a member of the Club Stade Français. In the final he defeated P. Baigneres in straight sets. The mixed doubles event was added in 1902 and the women’s doubles in 1907. The French Open was the lone non-grass major tournament before 1975, when the US Open became the only other Grand Slam tournament to be held on grass. The Australian Open, Wimbledon and US Open are the other three Grand Slam tennis tournaments held on clay. The Open is currently the only Grand Slam event held on a clay court surface, and it is the conclusion of the spring clay court season. It has been held in Paris since 1928, when it moved there from 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 hero pilot RolandGarros. The new Stadede Roland Garro hosted that Davis Cup challenge. In May 1928 the French International Championships moved there, and the event has not been held there ever since. In 1946 and 1947, theFrench Championships were held after Wimbledon, making it the third Grand slam event of the year.