French Open

French Open, major tennis tournament held annually in Paris, France. The tournament takes place in late May and early June and is played on clay courts. Competitions include men’s and women’s singles, men’s and women’s doubles, and mixed doubles (teams of one man and one woman). The French Open is part of the so-called grand slam of tennis, along with the Australian Open, Wimbledon, and the United States Open.

The French Championships began in 1891 as a competition between French club players, and women began to take part in 1897. In 1925 players from other countries were allowed to compete for the first time. Two years later the French national team beat the United States in the Davis Cup, the prestigious international team event. Needing a larger venue to host their defense of the cup, the French built Stade Roland Garros in a section of the city known as Porte d'Auteuil. Since 1928 the tournament has been held at this stadium, named after a French aviator who was killed in World War I (1914-1918).

As in the other grand slam events, professional players were barred from participation until the late 1960s. After dropping this restriction, the tournament became the French Open in 1968. The stadium underwent renovation beginning in 1999. The French Open’s all-time men’s champion (during international competition) is Sweden’s Bjorn Borg, who won the singles title six times in the 1970s and early 1980s. The all-time women’s champion is Chris Evert of the United States, who won the singles title seven times from 1974 to 1986.