The rating of a professional athlete is determined by the number of awards he has won. However, it is not only the number that matters, but also the level and prestige of the competition. Winning the Olympic Games in any sport is the highest achievement. In the world of tennis, the Grand Slam tournaments are an important event. 4 annual events are united under this name: Australian Open, Wimbledon in Great Britain, US Open and French Open. The latter tennis players and their fans are otherwise called "Roland Garros".
The tennis championship - the predecessor of the modern Roland Garros - took place in 1891. It was a one-day competition, divided into men's and women's tournaments. Only French citizens were allowed to participate: professional tennis players or members of amateur clubs. The tournament did not gain worldwide popularity then, because foreign athletes could not play in it.
The international championship of France became in the twenties of the last century. It was then that the French won the prestigious Davis Cup, leaving far behind the recognized leaders - the US tennis players. The winners had to accept their rivals in their field. But in France there was no stadium that would meet world requirements at that time.
At the insistence of the public and the French Tennis Federation, the government allocated 3 hectares of land near Porte d'Auteuil for the construction of a new sports arena. In 1928, all work was completed. The stadium, built using the most modern technologies of that time, received the first athletes and spectators.
The tennis complex was named in honor of the hero of France - the pilot Roland Garros. This pioneer of aviation, a career soldier, is famous for the fact that for the first time he was able to fly over the Mediterranean Sea without landing or refueling. Garros' plane was shot down by enemy pilots several weeks before the end of the First World War. He died, but his name became known all over the world.
The courts of the Roland Garros stadium were coated with a special mixture from the very beginning. Clay, sand and crushed bricks, mixed in optimal proportions, guarantee a good bounce of a tennis ball. It is easy for athletes to walk and slide on a thin layer of soil. The red-brown color of the court surface has become the hallmark of the Roland Garros tournament.
There is also a tragic page in the history of the French Tennis Open. During the Second World War, the competition was interrupted for 5 years. On the territory of the Roland Garros stadium, the Nazis organized a transfer point for prisoners of concentration camps.
Since the beginning of the 50s, the popularity of tennis in the world began to grow rapidly. In 1968, the French Roland Garros Championship was included in the Grand Slam series. Along with amateurs, professional tennis players from different countries have received the right to participate in it. The first champions of the revamped Roland Garros were Ken Roswell and Nancy Ritchie.
More than 400 thousand spectators manage to visit 20 tennis courts of the stadium during the days of the Roland Garros tournament. They often witness the establishment of new world records. So, it was here in 2004 that the longest tennis competition between Fabrice Santoro and Anro Clement took place. It took them a total of 6 hours and 35 minutes to distribute the prizes among themselves.
Over the years, the Parisian courts have lit the bright "stars" of tennis. Thus, the Swedish athlete Bjorn Borg won the Roland Garros six times in a row. Here Brazilian Gustavo Cuerten achieved his first success in 1997. In the women's part of the tournament, the absolute record (7 wins) belongs to the American Chris Evert. German Stefi Graf has received the highest Roland Garros award 6 times in 12 years. Monica Seles won her rivals three times.
Currently, the French Open Championship is one of the most important international competitions. Every tennis player dreams of winning it. However, not everyone succeeds in this. The complexity of Roland Garros lies in the specificity of the court surface. This is the last Grand Slam tournament to be held on clay. In addition, the structure of a tennis match requires athletes to have good stamina and high technique. Five sets without a break on a "slow" court are a real test of the professionalism of the players and their coaches.