The final matches of the prestigious French Open will take place on Sunday, 5 June on the Philippe-Chartier Court at Roland-Garros in France.
The tournament, which has been running since 1891, has welcomed the world’s best tennis players to Paris in the hopes of taking that Grand Slam title.
1. Roland Garros
The tennis arena that hosts the annual French Open is named Roland-Garros which is why the names are often used interchangeably. Garros was a French pilot who flew solo over the Mediterranean and died in World War I. He was also a classmate of Emile Lesueur, president of the Stade Francais at the time, who put forward the name. The arena was opened in 1928 to continue promoting France’s tennis success after the country won the Davis Cup in 1927.
2. Clay courts
The French Open is the only Grand Slam to be played on clay courts, made more noticeable by the bright orange colour. Clay is considered both the most physically demanding and the most subtle of all surfaces in terms of technique.
3. King of the Clay
The clay court has been one of the most difficult to dominate – until Spaniard, Rafael Nadal came along. To date, Nadal has won 13 French Open singles titles, with Chris Evert holding the women’s record at 13. It should come as no surprise that Nadal will feature in the final on Sunday, when he takes on German tennis player, Alex Zverev. Nadal has played an impressive 113 matches at Roland Garros and won 110 of them.
4. Oldest and youngest
Unlike many sports, tennis is one sport that can be played across a number of ages – provided players have the mental capacity.
When it comes to the youngest winners of all time, Michael Chang took the men’s title in 1989 at the age of 17 with 16-year-old Monica Seles taking the women’s title the following year.
On the other side of the spectrum is Andres Gimeno who won the title at 34 years and 10 months in 1972, while Serena Williams takes the top women’s spot in 2015 at 33 years and 8 months.
5. Night sessions
During the pandemic, Roland Garros was kitted out with a covered roof and floodlights, allowing for night sessions in 2021 – although with crowd restrictions in place.
Finally, this year, the French are able to put the new additions to good use with full crowds enjoying the late-night sessions. The likes of Serena Williams, Iga Swiatek, Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal, Roger Federer, Stefanos Tsitsipas and Daniil Medvedev have all competed in night-session matches at Roland Garros.
6. Prize money
Winning this Grand Slam title comes with more than just prestige as this year’s prize money has increased by 6.8% since pre-pandemic levels. The total prize money is €43.6 million with the single’s winners taking €2.2 million each, the two finalists earning 1.1 million, while first-round losers will receive €60 000 – up 35% since 2019.
7. Out of action
Injuries have put quite a few notable tennis players out of action for this year’s French Open, among them 22-time Grand Slam Winner, Roger Federer; and 23-time Grand Slam winner Serena Williams.
The two have been out since last Wimbledon due to injuries. Serena’s sister, Venus, will also be out, as well as Andy Murray, although he’s set to play at Wimbledon.
Don’t miss out on any of the tennis action this weekend!
HAVE YOUR SAY
Like our Facebook page and follow us on Twitter.
For news straight to your phone invite us:
WhatsApp – 060 784 2695
Instagram – zululand_observer
