Paris - France
2024-05-26 / 2024-06-09
The “French Championship on Clay” was founded in Paris in 1891. It was not until 1925 that the tournament opened up to foreigners, becoming the “France Internationals”. Suzanne Lenglen won six times between 1920 and 1926. The “Four Musketeers” ‒ Henri Cochet, René Lacoste, Jean Borotra and Jacques Brugnon ‒ accounted for 10 singles titles between 1922 and 1932. Their victory for Frances in the 1927 Davis Cup led to the construction of the Roland Garros stadium, which was named for the aviation pioneer and World War I hero. Then, Bjorn Borg (6 titles) and Chris Evert (7 titles) dominated the tournament in the Golden Age of tennis in the 1980s. But now, rather than the Swede or the American, the name most closely associated with Roland-Garros is that of Rafael Nadal. In 15 appearances, the Mallorcan has earned the title 13 times. His record is likely to stand the test of time, especially since he could still improve upon it. Indeed, at the 2020 edition the Spaniard annihilated his rivals, including world number one Novak Djokovic in the final.
