Quick Facts from Roland Garros

Written by: on 28th May 2012
Italian Open Tennis Tournament in Rome
Quick Facts from Roland Garros

epa03225739 Spanish tennis player Rafael Nadal returns the ball to his compatriot David Ferrer in their semi final match at the Italian Open Tennis Tournament, in the Central Stadium at the Foro Italico in Rome, Italy, 19 May 2012. Nadal won 7-6 and 6-0. EPA/ETTORE FERRARI  |

(Courtesy of ITF)

Dates

27 May – 10 June 2012

Venue

Roland Garros

Paris, France

Surface

Outdoor red clay

Main stadiums

Court Philippe Chatrier – 14,840 capacity

Court Suzanne Lenglen – 10,068 capacity

Official website

RolandGarros.com

Title holders

Men’s singles

Rafael Nadal (ESP)

Men’s doubles

Max Mirnyi (BLR) / Daniel Nestor (CAN)

Women’s singles

Li Na (CHN)

Women’s doubles

Andrea Hlavackova / Lucie Hradecka (CZE)

Mixed doubles

Casey Dellacqua (AUS) / Scott Lipsky (USA)

Boys’ singles

Bjorn Fratangelo (USA)

Boys’ doubles

Andres Artunedo Martinavarr / Robert Carballes Baena (ESP)

Girls’ singles

Ons Jabeur (TUN)

Girls’ doubles

Irina Khromacheva (RUS) / Maryna Zanevska (UKR)

History

Early days

Established in 1891 as a one-day men’s singles championships reserved for members of the French clubs, Roland Garros (the French Open) was first held at the Stade Francais club in Paris. The tournament opened its doors to women in 1897 and internationals in 1925. The French Internationals were born and staged alternately at Stade Francais and Racing Club de France until the Roland Garros stadium was built in 1928.

What’s in a name

The French Musketeers and their famous Davis Cup triumph over USA in 1927 required a stadium worthy of stature for their rematch the following year. The Stade Francais handed over three hectares of land near Porte d’Auteuil to the FrenchTennis Federation, on one condition – that the new stadium would be named after one of their most renowned members, Roland Garros, a concert pianist and First World War aviation hero who had died ten years earlier.

Grounds

The Roland Garros site is today made up of two main show courts, the 15,000-capacity Philippe Chatrier Court and Suzanne Lenglen Court and 20 other courts. Plans are underway for an expanded and modernised site to be opened in 2016, including a revamped Philippe Chatrier Court equipped with retractable roof.

Surface

The famous red clay of Roland Garros is actually made up of white limestone, dusted with several millimetres of powdered red brick dust. Beneath the three-inch limestone layer is six inches of volcanic rock, a three-foot layer of sand, all sitting on a bed of concrete. When Roland Garros icon Gustavo Kuerten retired from tennis at the 2008 tournament, he was presented with an encased cross-section of the court as a souvenir.

All-time greats – men

In 2011, Rafael Nadal joined Bjorn Borg as the greatest men’s singles champions at Roland Garros in the history of the event, both owning six titles apiece. Musketeer Henri Cochet dominated the tournament’s fledgling days, winning four between 1925 and 1932, while modern-day greats include three-time winners Mats Wilander, Ivan Lendl and Gustavo Kuerten.

All-time greats – women

Chris Evert owns the most Roland Garros titles with seven, closely followed by Steffi Graf’s six. Monica Seles and Justine Henin are the only women in the Open Era to have won three in a row, Seles doing so in 1990-1992 and Henin in 2005-2007 after winning her maiden title in 2003.

Topics: , , , , , , , , ,








10sBalls Top Stories

In Case You Missed It

EUGENIE BOUCHARD NAMED 2018 TENNIS CANADA FEMALE PLAYER OF THE YEAR / EUGENIE BOUCHARD NOMMÉE JOUEUSE DE L’ANNÉE 2018 DE TENNIS CANADA thumbnail

EUGENIE BOUCHARD NAMED 2018 TENNIS CANADA FEMALE PLAYER OF THE YEAR / EUGENIE BOUCHARD NOMMÉE JOUEUSE DE L’ANNÉE 2018 DE TENNIS CANADA

Tennis Canada announced on Wednesday that Eugenie Bouchard is the winner of the 2018 Excellence Awards in the Female Player of the Year and Singles Player of the Year categories.
TENNIS NEWS • CALIFORNIA CHAMPIONSHIPS • TOMMY HAAS, TAYLOR FRITZ, STEVE JOHNSON, MARDY FISH AND MORE thumbnail

TENNIS NEWS • CALIFORNIA CHAMPIONSHIPS • TOMMY HAAS, TAYLOR FRITZ, STEVE JOHNSON, MARDY FISH AND MORE

Time to get tickets to watch! Surly you have heard about The Largest Open Tennis Event in America!
TENNIS NEWS • RAFA NADAL CONFIRMS RETURN TO PRACTICE, EYES ABU DHABI EXHIBITION AND AUSTRALIAN SUMMER thumbnail

TENNIS NEWS • RAFA NADAL CONFIRMS RETURN TO PRACTICE, EYES ABU DHABI EXHIBITION AND AUSTRALIAN SUMMER

According to Uncle Toni, Rafael Nadal was supposed to be back at practice on either Dec. 4 or 5. Well, better late than never!
Conchita Martínez prepara la temporada 2019 de Karolina Pliskova en Tenerife thumbnail

Conchita Martínez prepara la temporada 2019 de Karolina Pliskova en Tenerife

Española y checa ya trabajaron juntas durante el pasado Open de Estados Unidos
ALEJANDRO’S FAVORITE PHOTOS FOR 10SBALLS FROM SOME OF THIS YEAR’S TOURNAMENTS thumbnail

ALEJANDRO’S FAVORITE PHOTOS FOR 10SBALLS FROM SOME OF THIS YEAR’S TOURNAMENTS

Jelena Ostapenko of Latvia hits a forehand to Kaia Kanepi of Estonia during her second round match at the Nature Valley International tennis tournament in Eastbourne, Great Britain, on Tuesday, June 26, 2018.