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Independent Singapore
27-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Independent Singapore
126 years of legacy: Know the story of how Roland-Garros became legendary
INTERNATIONAL: The Roland-Garros started around 126 years ago, and it has now become one of tennis' most famous events in the world. It has also become a big part of France's sports history. How did this legendary sports event start? The history of Roland Garros Roland-Garros began in 1891 with a tournament called the 'French Clay-Court Championships.' During that time, only players from French clubs could participate, and the matches were held at different venues such as Stade Français, Parc de Saint-Cloud, and the Racing Club de France. One of the well-known players during the early years was Max Decugis, who won the title eight times between 1903 and 1914. Changes began in 1925 when the event opened its doors to international players and became the 'French Open.' However, despite the participation of other nationalities, French players continued to shine. Back then, Suzanne Lenglen dominated the women's side, winning six titles from 1920 to 1926 and becoming tennis's first true superstar. Moreover, on the men's side, athletes called the 'Four Musketeers,' which include Henri Cochet, René Lacoste, Jean Borotra, and Jacques Brugnon, had won 10 singles titles between 1922 and 1932. In 1927, a huge moment occurred with a Davis Cup victory, which led to the construction of a new stadium. The new stadium was named after Roland Garros, a French aviation pioneer who died during World War I. From then on, players from English-speaking countries began to dominate the tournament after a break during World War II. Americans and Australians, including stars like Rod Laver, Ken Rosewall, and Margaret Court, had made their name known in the competition. Court still holds the record for the most Roland-Garros titles, 13 in total from 1962 to 1973 in the singles, doubles, and mixed doubles categories. Tennis legends throughout the years In 1968, tennis became a professional sport, making Roland-Garros even more relevant. The stadium expanded from five to ten courts in 1979, followed by more upgrades in the 1980s and early 1990s. The stadium has grown to 8.5 hectares with 20 courts, including two main arenas: Philippe-Chatrier and Suzanne-Lenglen. See also 7,308 confirmed participants for OCBC Cycle's 15th anniversary These courts saw great champions like Ivan Lendl, Mats Wilander, Monica Seles, and Gustavo Kuerten win three titles, Justine Hénin win four, and Steffi Graf win six. More so, Swedish star Björn Borg won six titles, while American Chris Evert claimed seven, setting a women's record during that time. French players also made history–Françoise Dürr (1967), Yannick Noah (1983), and Mary Pierce (2000). However, Spain began to dominate in the 1990s. Athletes like Arantxa Sánchez, Sergi Bruguera, Carlos Moyá, Albert Costa, and Juan Carlos Ferrero paved the way for the legendary Rafael Nadal, from 2005 to 2014. Many top players also had a difficult time winning the French Open. Players like Bill Tilden, Jimmy Connors, John McEnroe, Pete Sampras, Martina Hingis, and Venus Williams have never won a trophy. Novak Djokovic finally broke through in 2016 after falling short in three finals. He completed a non-calendar-year Grand Slam and made his own mark on the tournament's history. In 2025, who is eligible to join the Roland-Garros? The highest-ranked athletes get direct entry into the main tournament. More so, 32 players were chosen as 'seeds' before the draw to ensure they don't play against each other in early rounds. These seedings are based on the athletes' world rankings, which are based on the points they earn in other tournaments. The tournament organisers also give out wildcard entries to promising local or well-known players whose rankings have fallen. This season's French Open is happening in Paris from May 25 to Jun 8, 2025. For a detailed schedule and live coverage links, you can visit the official Roland Garros website.
New York Times
26-05-2025
- Sport
- New York Times
Our venue: Stade Roland Garros
Follow live coverage from the second day of the French Open at Roland Garros, as the first round continues to play out in Paris Getty Images Named after the French aviator, Roland Garros lies in Paris's 16th arrondissement and is the only major to be played on clay courts. The name of the stadium is used interchangeably with the tournament's official title of the French Open, with 20 courts making up the stadium complex. The biggest is Court Philippe-Chatrier, which has a 15,000 seat capacity. It was completed in 1928 as France prepared to defend its Davis Cup title at a peak period for tennis in the country dominated by the 'Four Musketeers' (Jean Borotra, Jacques Brugnon, Henri Cochet and René Lacoste). One stand is named after each of the tennis Musketeers at Court Philippe-Chatrier. Getty Images Every sporty kid dreams of the moment — lifting a trophy in front of adoring fans. Well, in the men's tournament at the French Open, that means lifting the Coupe des Mousquetaires. The silver bowl-shaped trophy is named after four of France's famous tennis players known as the Four Musketeers (Jean Borotra, Jacques Brugnon, Henri Cochet and Rene Lacoste). As for the women's singles champion, she collects the Coupe Suzanne Lenglen — named after the female French tennis player who was the inaugural world No. 1 from 1921 to 1926. That's some history behind both trophies. It's a pretty tidy sum for those lucky enough to be crowned champions. Both the men's and the women's singles champions will take home an equal prize pot of €2.55 million (£2.33 million / $3.09 million). That's an increase from the €2.4 million (£2.02 million / $2.72 million) won by Iga Świątek and Carlos Alcaraz last year. But the winners' trophy and a place in history is the real prize for most players. The story goes that Sabalenka started playing tennis by chance as a child — and it's a pretty good piece of fortune that she did. Three major titles, 20 WTA Tour titles and the current No. 1 WTA ranking later and it's safe to say her commitment to that moment of chance has paid off. Sabalenka's best French Open finish is in the semifinal in 2023, so she will be looking to go one further this year to put herself another step closer to a career Grand Slam. In a warm up for the competition at the Italian Open, she was knocked out in the quarterfinals by Zheng Qinwen in straight sets, but she advanced to the second round yesterday with a 6-1, 6-0 victory over Kamilla Rakhimova. The Athletic It's a busy time in the sports world — and the calendar is only getting busier as we head into the summer. The Premier League season might be over but we have the Club World Cup and the Women's Euros to look forward to. Plus the Formula One and MLB seasons continue and Wimbledon isn't far away either. The Athletic is your one-stop shop to follow all those, and more, with our industry-leading sports coverage. So what are you waiting for? Sign up on an exclusive offer here. We'll be bringing you live updates and analysis throughout today's action (and plenty in the build-up, too) but if you want to catch Roland Garros live, here's all the information you need: U.S.: TNT Sports, Max TNT Sports, Max UK: TNT Sports TNT Sports Canada: TSN TSN France: Sport, Amazon Prime Getty Images The first round matches in both the men's and women's singles begin today at 11 a.m. CEST, which is 10 a.m. BST in London. That works out at 5 a.m. ET on the east coast of the U.S. and 2 a.m. PT on the west coast. This evening's session will start no earlier than 8:15 p.m. CEST in Paris, which is 7:15 p.m. BST, 2:15 p.m. ET, and 11:15 a.m. PT. Hello and welcome along to today's coverage of the second day of the French Open at Roland Garros! And what a tournament we should have in store at this, the second major of the year and the only one to be held on clay. We have a full slate of matches at this early stage of the competition in the men's and women's singles, so stick around for all the latest news, analysis, and match updates from around the courts as play gets underway. Page 2
