French Open

The French Open (Tournai de Roland Garros) is the second Grand Slam on the Tennis calendar and is the only Grand Slam still held on clay. Held in the beautiful city of Paris, the Roland Garros was first held in 1891 under the name ‘French Open Championships’, it was open only to the members who were part of the French clubs. Named after the World War I pilot, the Stade de Roland Garros has been playing host to the Roland Garros since 1928 along with the Philippe Chatrier court which was named after a famous French player.

The tournament which marks the end of the clay season is the most physically demanding tournament among the Grand Slams. Played on the clay surfaces where the ball tends to slow down and bounce a bit more, the French Open has proved to be a big hurdle for some of the all time legends of the game. Considered by many as the greatest player ever, Pete Sampras does not have a single French Open in his collection of 14 Grand Slams. Among other greats, John McEnroe and Stefan Edberg have never won the Roland Garros.

In the Open Era, Bjorn Borg leads the list of winners with 6 French Open titles followed by the reigning champion and World No1 Rafael Nadal who won 4 consecutive titles from 2005-08 and also in 2010. Among the women, Chris Evert has 7 Roland Garros titles while Justine Henin Hardenne leads the list amongst the current players with 4 titles.

The Swiss master Roger Federer, although has won the French Open in 2009, has never been as dominating as he usually is elsewhere and has never beaten Nadal in Paris. Come 2011and he will be looking to turn around this record while Nadal will be looking to level Borg’s record of 6 titles and truly prove that he is the King of Clay.

Tags: Bjorn Borg, Clay, Clay Court, French Open, French Open Championships, Grand Slam, King Of Clay, Paris, Rafael Nadal, Roland Garros, Tennis