Roland Garros - The French Open

First Played:

Men: 1891; Women: 1897; International: 1925.

Location:

Paris, France.

Court Surface:

Red clay.

Time of Year:

Late May into early June.

Sizes of Draws:

• Men's and Women's Singles: 128
• Men's and Women's Doubles: 64
• Mixed Doubles: 32

Principal Stadium or Court:

Court Philippe Chatrier

The red clay of Roland Garros is much slower than the court surfaces found at the other three Grand Slam tournaments. On a slower surface, more of the ball's forward speed is converted to upward bounce, giving the hitter slightly more time and a higher point of contact. This favors baseline players, especially those who use heavy topspin, which requires a relatively long swing from below to above the point of contact.

Clay takes enough speed out of the serve to give the receiver a much better chance to hit a strong return, tipping the odds against serve-and-volleyers. Some serve-and-volley players, like Martina Navratilova, have managed to win French Open singles titles, but even great players like Pete Sampras, who won each of the other Grand Slams more than once, could not overcome the reduced potency of power shots, especially the serve, on clay. Faring much better at Roland Garros have been steady, precise groundstroke specialists like Chris Evert, who won the singles title a record seven times.

Much as it might frustrate a power player not to be able to end points quickly, many tennis fans find the longer points of the French Open the most fun to watch. Players must often use sharp angles and deft drop shots to, in effect, enlarge the court, compensating for the greater time the opponent has by giving her a longer distance to run. As a result, Roland Garros often showcases the most spectacular defensive play of the tennis year, with players like Arantxa Sanchez-Vicario winning titles largely on their retrieving abilities.

French Open - Men's Singles Past Winners
French Open - Women's Singles Past Winners
French Open - Men's Doubles Past Winners
French Open - Women's Doubles Past Winners
French Open - Mixed Doubles Past Winners