French Tennis Open

It is highly unimaginable that people will not have heard of the French Tennis Open championship, because it is a competition which is a regular topic of conversation. it is propbably second in fame only to Wimbledon.

French Tennis Open

In French the name of the French Tennis Open competition is 'Les Internationaux de France de Roland Garros' or 'Tournoi de Roland Garros'. This tournament, which lasts for about two weeks is held in Paris at the Roland Garros Stadium, from which it got its name.

The French Tennis Open is one of the most publicised and broadcast sports events throughout the entire world and many VIPs go to it.

The attendees are fanatics who wait with baited breath on every stroke, especially when there is a tight struggle between two players, doing their best to win. Even TV viewers actually get a feeling of being there live.

The French Tennis Open championship is the second on the annual schedule of the Grand Slam tournaments and its history stretches back to the year of 1891 when it became an international competition.

At that time it was called the 'International Championship of Tennis of France' or 'Championat de France International de Tennis' in French.

Initially, only players that were registered or licensed in France were permitted to participate in this competition, but things took a different turn in 1925, when the French tennis open tournament was finally accessible to foreign players.

In 1912, the ground the players used was made of red brick dust. Actually the crushed brick was formed into red clay that covered the ground, which until then would have been a green lawn.

The public popularity of the French tennis open tournament held at the Roland Garros stadium, dates back to a competition between the Philadelphia Four (Rene Lacoste, Jean Borotra, Henri Cochet and Jacques Brugnon) who won the Davis Cup in 1927. It was the trigger of the desire in the French to defend their cup in future competitions.

This new tournament was designed to bring the cup back home and was held at a stadium named after the World War I pilot Roland Garros. Since then the name has stuck.

Nowaday, if you want to get a good seat at the French tennis open, you will either have to book it wellin advance or pays a fortune to a ticket tout or agency.

The term 'open' was has been used from 1968, when the tournament allowed both amateurs and professionals alike who wanted to test their skills at tennis.

Since then the French Tennis Open tournament has also brought some novelties in terms of prizes.

Apart from the regular winners' prizes, they also give prizes called 'Prix Orange' for the most correct and press-friendly player, 'Prix Citron' for the player with the strongest personality and 'Prix Burgeon' for the best new-comer of the year to the French tennis open.