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Roland Garros 2005 French Open | Tennis Wagering

History Of Roland Garros

Roland Garros a never-ending story

How did Roland-Garros come to be? Why is it named after an aviator? In what year was the tournament first held? Who are the legends of the game to have inscribed their name on the Coupe des Mousquetaires trophy? We take a fond look back at the long and glorious history of the world's greatest clay-court championship.

The stadium that stages one of the world's four major tennis tournaments was built in 1928, but the French men's singles championship goes back much further than that. Originally reserved for members of French clubs, it was first held on the courts of Stade Français club in Paris in 1891. The women's singles were added six years later, it was not until 1925 that the French Tennis Federation decided to open the event to the best foreign players. Thus, the French Internationals were born, and staged alternately at Stade Français and Racing Club de France until the Roland-Garros stadium came into being in 1928.

These Musketeers need a stadium!

1927 was a milestone for French tennis, the year the celebrated French Musketeers (Jacques "Toto" Brugnon, Jean Borotra, Henri Cochet and René Lacoste) pulled off one of the biggest shocks in 20th century sport. The famous foursome upset all the odds by winning the Davis Cup on American soil, and in doing so set up a rematch in 1928, in Paris. Obviously, such a major sporting occasion required a stadium worthy of its stature, and so it was that the Stade Français handed over three hectares of land near Porte d'Auteuil to the French Tennis Federation. The only condition to the offer of land was that the new stadium should bear the name of one of Stade Français' most renowned former members, Roland-Garros, who had died some ten years earlier. Roland-Garros was an aviation pioneer who, on 23 September 1913, had become the first man to fly a plane over the Mediterranean. The 1928 French Internationals were the first event to be held in the new stadium, just before the Musketeers took centre-stage to beat the Americans in their long-awaited rematch.

Borg and Evert take up residence at "Roland"

The late 1970s and early 1980s were a magical era for tennis in general, and Roland-Garros in particular. Centre court delighted in a succession of breathtaking displays by the peerless Björn Borg (who won the title a record six times). Other greats of the men's game to have graced the courts of Roland-Garros have included Ivan Lendl, Mats Wilander and more recently Gustavo Kuerten, all of whom have contributed to the legendary reputation of the French Open Championships. The women's singles has had its great champions too: Chris Evert, who had the upper hand in a series of magnificent battles with Martina Navratilova over the years, Steffi Graf, who captured the hearts of the French fans in the twelve years between her first and sixth (and last) title in 1999 and Monica Seles, who was unstoppable in 1990, 91, and 92.

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Record Breakers

NUMBER OF TITLES

MENS
All competitions: Cochet, 9 titles (4 singles, 3 doubles, 2 mixed doubles).
Singles: Borg, 6 titles; Cochet, 4 titles; Lacoste, Kuerten, Wilander and Lendl, 3 titles.
Consecutive singles titles: Borg, 4.
Doubles: Emerson, 6 titles.

LADIES
All competitions: Smith-Court, 13 titles (5 singles, 4 doubles, 4 mixed doubles).
Singles: Evert, 7 titles; Graf, 6 titles.
Consecutive singles titles: Wills-Moody Sperling and Seles, 3.
Doubles: Navratilova, 7 titles.

YOUNGEST WINNERS OF THE SINGLES TITLE

MENS
Chang (1989): 17 and 3 months.
Wilander (1982): 17 and 9 months.
Borg (1974): 18.

LADIESSeles (1990): 16 and 6 months.
Sanchez (1989): 17 and 5 months.
Graf (1987): 17 and 11 months.

OLDEST WINNERS OF THE SINGLES TITLE

MENS Gimeno (1972): 34 and 10 months.
Rosewall (1968): 33 and 7 months.
Parker (1949): 33 and 4 months.

LADIES Kormoczy (1958): 33.
Adamson-Landry (1948): 31 and 6 months.
Evert (1986): 31 and 5 months.

WINNERS WITHOUT LOSING A SET

MENS
Two: Nastase (1973, best-of-three sets in the first two rounds), Borg (1978, 1980).

LADIES
Twelve, including Helen Wills-Moody (1928, 1929, 1930, 1932).

WINNERS WHO SAVED A MATCH POINT

MENS
Lacoste (1927, 2 in the final), Van Cramm (1934, 1 in the final), Laver (1962, 1 in the quarter-finals), Panatta (1976, 1 in the first round), Kuerten (2001, 1 in the last sixteen), Gaudio (2004, 2 in the final).

LADIES
Osborne du Pont (1946, 2 in the final). Smith-Court (1962, 1 in the final), Myskina (2004, 1 in the final).

LEFT-HANDED WINNERS

MENS
10, the latest being Muster (1995).

LADIES
10, the latest being Seles (1992).

NON-SEEDED WINNERS

MENS
Bernard (1946), Wilander (1982), Kuerten (1997), Gaudio (2004).

LADIES
Scriven (1933)

WINNERS OF THE JUNIOR TITLE BEFORE GOING ON TO WIN SENIOR TITLE

MENS
Rosewall (junior: 1952; senior: 1953 and 1968). Emerson (junior: 1954; senior: 1963 and 1967). Gimeno (junior: 1955; senior: 1972). Lendl (junior: 1978; senior: 1984, 1986, 1987). Wilander (junior: 1981 ; senior: 1982, 1985, 1988).

LADIES
Dürr (junior: 1960; senior: 1967). Jausovec (junior: 1973; senior: 1977). Mandlikova (junior: 1978; senior: 1981). Capriati (junior: 1989; senior: 2001). Henin-Hardenne (junior: 1997; senior: 2003).

COUNTRY BOASTING HIGHEST NUMBER OF WINNERS

MENS
Australia and USA: 11 titles. France and Sweden: 10 titles. Spain: 8 titles.

LADIES
USA: 27 titles. Germany: 10 titles.

LONGEST FINALS

MENS
In games- Before the introduction of the tie-break, Lacoste b. Tilden (1929), 61 games (6/4, 4/6, 5/7, 6/3, 11/9). Since the introduction of the tie-break (1973), Lendl b. McEnroe (1984), 51 games (3/6, 2/6, 6/4, 7/5, 7/5). In time- Wilander b. Vilas (1982), 4hrs 42mins (1/6, 7/6, 6/0, 6/4).

LADIES
In games- Before the introduction of the tie-break, Mortimer b. Knode (1955), 38 games (2/6, 7/5, 10/8). Since the introduction of the tie-break (1973), Graf b. Sanchez (1996), 40 games (6/3, 6/7, 10/8). In time- Graf b. Sanchez (1996), 3 h 04 (6/3, 6/7, 10/8).

LONGEST MATCHES

MENS
In games- Before the introduction of the tie-break, Sturgress b. McGregor (semi-finals, 1955), 76 games (10/8, 7/9, 8/6, 5/7, 9/7). Since the introduction of the tie-break (1973), Agenor b. Prinosil (2nd round, 1994), 71 games (6/7, 6/7, 6/3, 6/4, 14/12), Santoro b. Clement (1rst round 2004), 71 games (6/4, 6/3, 6/7, 3/6, 16/14). In time- Santoro b. Clement (1rst round 2004), 6h33 (6/4, 6/3, 6/7, 3/6, 16/14).

LADIES
In games- Before the introduction of the tie-break, Melville b. Teeguarden (3rd round, 1972), 56 games (9/7, 4/6, 16/14). Since the introduction of the tie-break (1973), Jordan b. Minter (1st round, 1984), 46 games (7/5, 4/6, 13/11). In time- Buisson b. Van Lottum (1st round, 1995), 4hrs 7mins (6/7, 7/5, 6/2).

RECORDS FOR MATCHES PLAYED AND WON

MENS
Vilas, 73 matches, 56 wins, 17 losses.

LADIES
Graf, 94 matches, 84 wins, 10 losses.

HIGHEST NUMBER OF DEFEATS IN THE FINAL

MENS
3, Drobny (1946, 1948, 1950) and Vilas (1975, 1978, 1982).

LADIES
6, Mathieu (1929, 1932, 1933, 1935, 1936, 1937).

RECORD NUMBER OF PARTICIPATIONS AT ROLAND GARROS

MENS
20, Jauffret (1961-1980).

WOMEN
19, Varin (1934-1965)

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