History of Roland Garros

The Early Years: A Closed Championship (1891–1924)

The tournament that would become the French Open began in 1891 under the name the "Championnat de France de Tennis." In these early decades, it was a strictly domestic affair — open only to players who were members of French clubs. International players, no matter how talented, were barred from entry.

This rule reflected the competitive protectionism common in late 19th and early 20th century sports governance. France's club culture was strong, and the championship was seen as a national celebration rather than a global contest. Winners during this era are largely forgotten outside tennis history circles, though the competition was fiercely contested among French club players.

The dominant force in women's tennis during the tournament's closed era was Suzanne Lenglen, who won the title six times between 1920 and 1926. Lenglen was one of the first truly global tennis celebrities — a charismatic, flamboyant competitor whose style and skill attracted enormous crowds. She is considered one of the greatest players in the sport's history and is honored today by the tournament's second-largest court bearing her name.

Opening to the World (1925–1967)

In 1925, the tournament opened its doors to players of all nationalities. The change was immediate and dramatic: within a few years, the field was transformed from a French club competition into a genuine international Grand Slam event.

The tournament found its permanent home at Stade Roland Garros in 1928, built specifically to host France's Davis Cup tie against the United States. Roland Garros the man — a celebrated French aviator who was the first to fly across the Mediterranean Sea, in 1913, before being killed in aerial combat in 1918 — gave his name to the stadium and, by extension, to what would become the world's most famous clay court arena.

The interwar period produced some of the tournament's most colorful champions. Henri Cochet and René Lacoste (the tennis player who later founded the Lacoste clothing brand) were among France's celebrated "Four Musketeers" — a group of four French players who dominated Davis Cup and Grand Slams during the 1920s and 30s. The Musketeers' Cup trophy, awarded to the men's singles champion each year, honors their legacy.

After World War II, the tournament resumed and the international field grew stronger. American players began asserting dominance — notably, Doris Hart and Shirley Fry made Roland Garros a destination for the world's best women's players through the late 1940s and 1950s.

The Open Era: Roland Garros for Everyone (1968–present)

Tennis's most important structural change came in 1968, when Grand Slams opened to professional players. Prior to 1968, professionals were barred from Grand Slams — only amateurs could compete. The result was that many of the world's best players (who turned professional to earn a living) couldn't compete at the biggest events. The 1968 "Open Era" changed all that, and Roland Garros has been a fully open competition ever since.

The Open Era immediately elevated the quality and drama of the French Open. Professionals brought new levels of fitness, technique, and tactical sophistication that had been missing from the amateur game. The clay court became a true test of the best players in the world.

Björn Borg: The Ice Man (1974–1981)

The first modern superstar of Roland Garros was Sweden's Björn Borg, who won six French Open titles between 1974 and 1981 (including a remarkable run of six consecutive titles from 1978 to 1981). Borg combined extraordinary baseline consistency, heavy topspin, and unnerving calmness — his nickname "The Ice Man" reflected his almost expressionless demeanor on court. He remains one of the templates for clay court excellence: patient, physical, relentless.

Chris Evert and Steffi Graf: Dominance on the Women's Side

Chris Evert won the women's title seven times at Roland Garros — a record that stood for decades. Playing from the late 1970s through the late 1980s, Evert was the quintessential clay court baseliner: consistent, tactical, and almost impossible to force into errors. Her record at Roland Garros — 72 wins and just 3 losses over her career — remains one of the most dominant performances in Grand Slam history.

Steffi Graf won Roland Garros six times, and her 1988 calendar Grand Slam (winning all four majors in a single year) included a dominant French Open campaign. Graf added explosive athleticism and a devastating forehand to Evert's model of consistency, creating a style that dominated women's tennis for a decade.

The Modern Clay Era: Kuerten, Agassi, and Newcomers

Brazil's Gustavo Kuerten — "Guga" — was the great populist champion of the late 1990s and early 2000s, winning three Roland Garros titles (1997, 2000, 2001) and capturing the imagination of a generation of South American tennis fans. His emotional heart-drawing on the clay after his 2001 title, in front of an adoring crowd, remains one of the tournament's most iconic moments.

Andre Agassi, who struggled on clay early in his career, ultimately won Roland Garros in 1999 as part of his remarkable late-career renaissance — becoming one of only a handful of players to win all four Grand Slams.

Rafael Nadal: The King of Clay (2005–2022)

No discussion of Roland Garros history is complete without Rafael Nadal. The Spaniard won 14 French Open titles — a record so dominant it defies easy comparison with any other player-tournament relationship in sports. His record at Roland Garros across his career was 112 wins and 4 losses — a winning percentage above 96%. He won his first title in 2005 as a 19-year-old and his last in 2022, an almost incomprehensible 17-year span at the top of clay court tennis.

Nadal's dominance stemmed from a combination of extreme topspin (his groundstrokes bounce well above shoulder height on clay), exceptional athleticism and footwork, relentless defensive retrieval, and an extraordinary mental resilience in long, physical matches. On clay, these attributes produced a player who appeared almost invincible. He lost at Roland Garros only four times in his career: to Robin Soderling in 2009 (the first time anyone had beaten him there), to Novak Djokovic in 2015, to Djokovic again in 2021 in the semifinals, and to Alexander Zverev in 2022 when hampered by injury.

The Swiatek Era (2020–present)

Iga Swiatek announced herself to the world with an unexpected Roland Garros title in 2020 at just 19 years old — winning from the unseeded position and dropping just one set across the entire tournament. She has since won multiple additional French Open titles, cementing herself as the dominant women's clay court player of her generation. Her heavy topspin, elite movement, and tactical intelligence on clay bear comparison to Nadal's game on the same surface.

The New Generation: Alcaraz, Sinner, and Beyond

The men's game has entered a new generational shift following Nadal's retirement and Novak Djokovic's gradual step back. Carlos Alcaraz of Spain — often described as the heir to Nadal's clay court legacy — and Jannik Sinner of Italy have emerged as the dominant forces in men's tennis. Alcaraz's athleticism, variety, and ability to construct points on clay make him a natural Roland Garros champion for the years ahead. The rivalry between Alcaraz and Sinner at Roland Garros is expected to define the next decade of the tournament's history.