French Open Trivia

French Open

The French open officially known as the Tournoi de Roland-Garros is the second Grand Slam event of the year.

Here are some trivia about the event:

• The French Open is played in Roland Garros, named after World War I pilot Roland Garros.
• The event began as a national tournament in 1891 open only to French tennis club players.
• In 1925, the French Championships became open to all amateurs internationally and at the same time commenced being a major championship.
• From 1946 through 1947, the French Championships were held after Wimbledon, making it the third Grand Slam event of the year.
• In 1968, the French Championships became the first Grand Slam tournament to go "open", allowing both amateurs and professional players to compete.
• Since 1981, new prizes have been presented: the Prix Orange (for the player demonstrating the best sportsmanship and cooperative attitude with the press), the Prix Citron (for the player with the strongest character and personality) and the Prix Bourgeon (for the tennis player revelation of the year).
• In another novelty, since 2006 the tournament has begun on a Sunday, featuring 12 singles matches played on the three main courts.
• In March 2007, it was announced that the event would provide equal prize money for both men and women in all rounds for the first time.
• It was announced in March 2007 that the event will provide equal prize money for both men and women in all rounds.
• Monica Seles and Michael Chang are the youngest champions in the open era.
• When Swiss Roger Federer won his first French Open title in 2009, he equalled Pete Sampras's record of 14 grand slam titles and became the sixth man to win all four majors.
• When Rafael Nadal won the 2013 French Open, he became the first man to win the same Grand Slam event eight times.