French Open Trivia

the French Open is officially known as the Tournoi de Roland-Garros (translated as the "Roland Garros Tournament")
The event is named after the stadium it is played in, which is in turn named after a World War I pilot named Roland Garros.
The event began as a national tournament in 1891.
The French Open tennis tournament was once played on grass.

In 1968, the French Championships became the first Grand Slam tournament to go "open", allowing both amateurs and professional players to compete
Tthe 1953 French tournament was played on indoor wood at the Palais des Sports, and may not have been considered at the time as an official French Pro.
The first French Open (won by Australian Ken Rosewall) was held on May-June 1968, while the last French Pro (won by Australian Rod Laver) took place a few weeks later, in July 1968.
It was announced in March 2007 that the event will provide equal prize money for both men and women in all rounds.
When Swiss Roger Federer won his first French Open title in 2009, he equalled Pete Sampras's record of 14 grand slam titles and became the sixth man to win all four majors.

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