The French Open, also known as Roland-Garros, is an annual tennis tournament held over two weeks in May and June. Established in 1891 and played since 1928 on outdoor red clay courts at the Stade Roland Garros in Paris, France,[1] the French Open is (since 1925) one of the four Grand Slam tournaments played each year, the other three being the Australian Open, Wimbledon, and the US Open. Organised by the Fédération Française de Tennis (FFT), the French Open is the second of the four Grand Slam tournaments of the year to be played.[2] In 1968, it was the first Grand Slam tournament to open to non-amateur players.
Location | Paris[a] France |
---|---|
Venue | Stade Roland Garros |
Governing body | Fédération Française de Tennis (FFT) |
Created | 1891 (established) 1925 (Grand Slam event) |
Editions | 128 events (2024) 94 Grand Slam events (since 1925) 57 events (Open Era) |
Surface | Red clay (since 1908) Sand / Clay (1892–1907) Grass (1891) |
Trophy | Coupe des Mousquetaires |
Website | French Open champions |
Most titles | |
14: Rafael Nadal | |
Current champion | |
Carlos Alcaraz (First title) |
The winner of the men's singles event receives the Coupe des Mousquetaires, named after The Four Musketeers of French tennis: Jean Borotra, Jacques Brugnon, Henri Cochet, and René Lacoste.[3] The event was not held from 1915 to 1919 because of the First World War and was held unofficially as the Tournoi de France under German occupation from 1941 to 1944, during the Second World War.[4]
Rafael Nadal has won 14 French Open titles which is a record for any player, male or female, in any major tournament. He also holds the record for the most consecutive wins in the Open Era, with five from 2010 to 2014.[5] Max Decugis won eight French Championships prior to the Open Era.[6] Michael Chang became the youngest player in the Open Era to win the French Open when he took the title in 1989 at 17 years, 3 months and 20 days.[7] In contrast, Novak Djokovic is the oldest champion of the Open Era, who won the 2023 French Open at 36 years, twenty days.[8] French players have won the most French Open men's singles titles, with 38 victories, followed by players from Spain (20) and Australia (11). The current champion is Carlos Alcaraz, who beat Alexander Zverev in the 2024 final.[9]
History
The French Open was established in 1891 and was originally known as the French Championships.[10] The tournament was only open to French players or foreign players who were a member of a French club during the first 34 years of its existence.[11] The first winner of the Championship was the British player H. Briggs, a member of Club Stade Français which entitled him to compete.[12] Records show matches were played as the best-of-three sets format until 1902 or 1903, when best-of-five sets was adopted. French players were dominant in the early stages of the tournament, in particular Max Decugis, who won eight titles before the outbreak of the First World War.[13]
Between 1924 and 1932 the title was won by a member of The Four Musketeers. The championship started to attract the best players after it became an international event in 1925, which was won by René Lacoste. France's victory in the 1927 Davis Cup increased interest in the tournament and required a new stadium to be built. Previously the tournament had alternated between Racing Club and La Faisanderie, before the Stade Roland Garros was built in 1928.[14] Henri Cochet won the first tournament at the new venue.[15]
Jack Crawford's victory in 1933 was the first time a foreign player had won the tournament since 1891. Following his victory, no French players won the title up until 1940, when the tournament was suspended following the outbreak of the Second World War. Don Budge's victory in 1938 was notable, as he won all of the Grand Slam tournaments during the year.[16] Though the event was suspended in 1940, it was held unofficially under the guise of the Tournoi de France. Bernard Destremau won the first two events, while Yvon Petra won three from 1942 to 1945. These results are not recognised by the FFT or other major international organisations and are considered unofficial.[4] Marcel Bernard won the first event after the end of the war in 1946; he was the only Frenchman to win the event before the advent of the Open era in 1968.[13]
No one player dominated the event during this period. Only five players, Frank Parker, Jaroslav Drobný, Tony Trabert, Nicola Pietrangeli and Roy Emerson, won multiple titles.[13] The tournament became an Open in 1968, as professional players were allowed to compete with amateurs, previously only amateurs could compete in the Grand Slam tournaments.[17] The tournament, won by Australian Ken Rosewall, was the first Grand Slam tournament to be played in the Open era.[18]
Swede Björn Borg won the majority of the tournaments in the early years of the Open era. He won consecutive titles in 1974 and 1975, before winning four successive titles from 1978 to 1981.[19] Yannick Noah became the first Frenchman to win the event since 1946, when he won in 1983.[20] Ivan Lendl won his first title in 1984, before losing the following year to Wilander in the final and won two consecutive titles in 1986 and 1987.[19] Michael Chang became the youngest man to win the French Open when he beat Stefan Edberg in 1989.[21]
American Jim Courier won consecutive titles in 1991 and 1992 before Spaniard Sergi Bruguera repeated the feat in 1993 and 1994.[22][23] Gustavo Kuerten won three titles in 1997, 2000 and 2001.[19] 2005 marked Rafael Nadal's first French Open; he won four consecutive titles from 2005 to 2008.[24] Nadal was beaten in the round of 16 of the 2009 tournament by Robin Söderling who lost to Roger Federer in the final.[25] Nadal regained the title in 2010 and defended his crowns in 2011, 2012, 2013, and 2014. In the 2015 event, he was knocked out in the quarter-finals by Novak Djokovic, who eventually lost in the final to Stan Wawrinka.[26] Nadal would again win four straight titles from 2017 to 2020.
Finals
† A French club members only tournament called the French Championships. Non-Grand Slam event.[b] |
†† Disputed champions: Not sanctioned or recognised by the FFT. Non-Grand Slam event.[c] |
French Championships
French Open
Statistics
Multiple champions
- Competitions prior to 1925 opened only to French tennis club members and French nationals (denoted in italics).
Champions by country
Country | Amateur Era | Open Era | All-time | First title | Last title |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
37 | 1 | 38 | 1892 | 1983 | |
2 | 21 | 23 | 1961 | 2024 | |
9 | 2 | 11 | 1933 | 1969 | |
7 | 4 | 11 | 1938 | 1999 | |
1 | 9 | 10 | 1957 | 1988 | |
0 | 5 | 5 | 1970 | 1987 | |
3 | 0 | 3 | 1934 | 1937 | |
2 | 1 | 3 | 1959 | 1976 | |
0 | 3 | 3 | 1997 | 2001 | |
0 | 3 | 3 | 2016 | 2023 | |
2 | 0 | 2 | 1891 | 1935 | |
2 | 0 | 2 | 1951 | 1952 | |
0 | 2 | 2 | 1977 | 2004 | |
0 | 2 | 2 | 2009 | 2015 | |
1 | 0 | 1 | 1947 | 1947 | |
0 | 1 | 1 | 1973 | 1973 | |
0 | 1 | 1 | 1990 | 1990 | |
0 | 1 | 1 | 1995 | 1995 | |
0 | 1 | 1 | 1996 | 1996 |
See also
French Open other competitions
- List of French Open women's singles champions
- List of French Open men's doubles champions
- List of French Open women's doubles champions
- List of French Open mixed doubles champions
Grand Slam men's singles
- List of Australian Open men's singles champions
- List of Wimbledon gentlemen's singles champions
- List of US Open men's singles champions
- List of Grand Slam men's singles champions
Other events
Notes
- ^ In 1909 the tournament was held at the Société Athlétique de la Villa Primrose in Bordeaux.
- ^ The World Hard Court Championships which was held in Paris on clay courts, has often been considered the true precursor to the French Open.
- ^ a b Due to World War II, the tournaments held from 1941 to 1945 are not officially recognized by the Fédération Française de Tennis. Consequently, despite being listed by a few sources, the champions from those years are not included in the official statistics. They are listed here as a historical note.[27][10][28][29]
- ^ a b The dash means that the result or score is unknown because there are no available sources for this information Pre-1914.[31]
- ^ One win by a player from the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland (1801–1922), plus one win by a player from the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland (1922–present).
- ^ The tournament was not held from 1915 to 1919 because of World War I.[10]
- ^ Set score in parentheses indicates a tiebreaker score.
- ^ Czechoslovakia (TCH, 1918–1992), does not include the totals of Czech Republic (CZE, 1993–present) and Slovakia (SVK, 1993–present).
Footnotes
General
- "Past Champions (Men & Women)". Roland Garros. Archived from the original on 2 August 2022. Retrieved 23 April 2020.
- "French Open Men's champions". GrandSlamHistory. Archived from the original on 8 May 2021. Retrieved 4 June 2021.
Specific
- ^ "The Origins of the Tournament". Roland Garros. Archived from the original on 10 September 2015. Retrieved 25 July 2015.
- ^ "Grand Slam Overview". International Tennis Federation (ITF). Archived from the original on 13 June 2021. Retrieved 23 July 2015.
- ^ Bowers, Chris (27 February 2009). "The New Musketeers". Davis Cup. Archived from the original on 6 October 2012. Retrieved 16 July 2015.
- ^ a b Fetter, Henry D. (6 June 2011). "The French Open During World War II: A Hidden History". The Atlantic. Archived from the original on 10 September 2012. Retrieved 23 July 2015.
- ^ Newbery, Piers (8 June 2014). "Rafael Nadal beats Novak Djokovic to win ninth French Open title". BBC Sport. Archived from the original on 7 September 2015. Retrieved 15 July 2015.
- ^ Clarey, Christopher (22 May 2014). "A Century Ago, a French Title Collection to Rival Rafael Nadal". The New York Times. Archived from the original on 12 June 2018. Retrieved 15 July 2015.
- ^ Lynch, Steven (29 May 2015). "Rafael Nadal the youngest French Open winner?". ESPN. Archived from the original on 16 July 2015. Retrieved 15 July 2015.
- ^ "Novak Djokovic wins French Open, record 23rd Grand Slam men's singles title". OlympicTalk | NBC Sports. 2023-06-11. Archived from the original on 2023-06-11. Retrieved 2023-06-11.
- ^ Jurejko, Jonathan (11 June 2023). "Novak Djokovic beats Casper Ruud to win Paris title and claim 23rd major". BBC Sport. Archived from the original on 13 June 2023. Retrieved 13 June 2023.
- ^ a b c "Past Winners and Draws". fft.fr. Fédération Française de Tennis. Archived from the original on 2007-08-08. Retrieved 2009-07-02.
- ^ "French Open History". Tennis. Tennis Media Company. 16 August 2012. Archived from the original on 22 July 2015. Retrieved 18 July 2015.
- ^ Gillmeister 1998, p. 225.
- ^ a b c "Roland Garros past single winners". CNN. 23 May 2008. Archived from the original on 24 July 2015. Retrieved 19 July 2015.
- ^ Lewis, Gabrielle (23 May 2002). "French Open History". BBC Sport. Archived from the original on 15 September 2007. Retrieved 21 July 2015.
- ^ "Henri Cochet is dead; French Tennis Leader". The New York Times. 3 April 1987. Archived from the original on 8 January 2014. Retrieved 26 July 2015.
- ^ Gray, Michael (28 January 2000). "Donald Budge". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 9 May 2014. Retrieved 26 July 2015.
- ^ Ford, Bonnie D. (12 October 2008). "Reform to an Open status altered the course of tennis history". ESPN. Retrieved 27 July 2015.
- ^ Henderson, Jon (15 June 2008). "Now I'd choose tennis". The Observer. Archived from the original on 10 July 2017. Retrieved 25 July 2015.
- ^ a b c "Rafael Nadal, Bjorn Borg, Ivan Lendl and the seven kings of clay". Sky Sports. 22 May 2015. Archived from the original on 15 June 2015. Retrieved 25 July 2015.
- ^ Gross, Jane (6 June 1983). "Noah captures French crown". The New York Times. Archived from the original on 24 May 2015. Retrieved 5 August 2015.
- ^ Gittings, Paul (8 June 2012). "Chang's 'underhand' tactics stunned Lendl and made Tennis history". CNN. Archived from the original on 1 August 2015. Retrieved 25 July 2015.
- ^ "Topics of The Times – An American in Paris". The New York Times. 10 June 1992. Archived from the original on 22 December 2015. Retrieved 25 July 2015.
- ^ Roberts, John (6 June 1994). "Bruguera towers above tired Berasategui". The Independent. Archived from the original on 25 September 2015. Retrieved 25 July 2015.
- ^ Newberry, Piers (8 June 2008). "Nadal storms to fourth French win". BBC Sport. Archived from the original on 17 September 2008. Retrieved 25 July 2015.
- ^ Ornstein, David (7 June 2009). "Federer claims historic Paris win". BBC Sport. Archived from the original on 14 August 2017. Retrieved 25 July 2015.
- ^ "Novak Djokovic beats Andy Murray to win first French Open title". BBC Sport. 5 June 2016. Archived from the original on 5 June 2016. Retrieved 5 June 2016.
- ^ "French Open Singles Champions". USA Today. 2001-06-10. Archived from the original on 2011-06-04. Retrieved 2012-07-10.
- ^ "Event Guide / History / Past Winners 1891 – 2011". rolandgarros.com. IBM, Fédération Française de Tennis. Archived from the original on 2018-01-23. Retrieved 2016-03-05.
- ^ The Encyclopedia Of Tennis: 100 Years Of Great Players And Events; by Max Robertson and Jack Kramer. 1974 edition, page 375. Source for finalists and scores
- ^ "Tennis - French Open men's singles - Grand Slam tournament". www.sport-histoire.fr. Archived from the original on 2022-09-15.
- ^ a b c "French Open Men's Singles". Grand Slam History. Archived from the original on 2015-08-15. Retrieved 2009-11-04.
- ^ "Le Matin : derniers télégrammes de la nuit du 3 août 1942 (Numéro 21244)". gallica.bnf.fr (in French). BnF. 3 August 1942. Archived from the original on 2020-06-21. Retrieved 2020-04-23.
- ^ "Le Matin : derniers télégrammes de la nuit du 2 août 1943 (Numéro 21551)". gallica.bnf.fr (in French). BnF. 2 August 1943. Archived from the original on 2020-06-22. Retrieved 2020-04-23.;
- ^ "Le Matin : derniers télégrammes de la nuit du 7 août 1944 (Numéro 21862)". gallica.bnf.fr (in French). BnF. 7 August 1944. Archived from the original on 2020-06-28. Retrieved 2020-04-23.
Sources
- Gillmeister, Heiner (1998). Tennis: A Cultural History (Repr. ed.). London: Leicester University Press. ISBN 978-0718501952.
- Robertson, Max; Kramer, Jack (1974). The Encyclopedia Of Tennis: 100 Years Of Great Players And Events. Studio. ISBN 978-0670294084.