The last of the big 4 tennis grand slams that I will write about is the French Open Championships, also referred to as the "Roland-Garros". This is the second time I have followed this tournament, which is currently now in the semi-final stage. Unfortunately I have not been able to stream it as much as I did last year due to recent network blockades at work. Nonetheless I am following all of my favorite players and will give a brief overview of this historic grand slam tournament.
Roland Garros Tournament
The tournament was first established in 1891 and is hosted by the city of Paris. The main venue is named after a heroic WWI French aviator named Roland Garros, of which the tournament is also referred to as. It is the only major tournament to be played on a clay court, as opposed to the hard and grass courts. The clay court slows the ball down and for this reason is considered one of the most physically demanding of the Grand Slams.
In 1891 the tournament began only for elite members of French clubs, and the dominant player of the time was Max Decugis. The women's tournament began in 1897 and Adine Masson went on to dominant the early years of the tournament. In 1925 the tournament was opened to international professional tennis players and thus it became considered as an "Open" tournament. The Roland Garros venue was dedicated in 1927 and shortly after the tournament became named after him.
During the 1960s, Margaret Court went on to dominate the females tournament and to this day is the most decorated champion of the French Open with 13 titles. Bjorn Borg dominated the tournament on the men's side during the 1970s. By the early 2000s Raphael Nadal and has gone on to win it a record 11 times to become the undisputed master of the clay court. He is still however several grand slam title behind Roger Federer and has Novak Djokovic hot on his tail.
2019 Tournament
Unfortunately this year I have been unable to watch every match as much as I would like due to my recent busy role with NTT/Corteva. However I have followed the tournament online as much as I could and have been able to catch a few matches. Just this past weekend I watched Dominic Thiem defeat the mighty Novak Djokovic in a thrilling 5th set. This loss for Novak meant he would not being winning his 4th consecutive Grand Slam (after winning Wimbeldon, the US Open, and the Australian Open). I also watched the final as Nadal once again faced Thiem in the final and went on to win his 3rd consecutive French Open.
Some of the usual big names made decent runs into the quarter-finals such as Zverev, Del Potro (1 title), Tsitsipas, Nishikori, and Wawrinka (2 titles). And the great Roger Federer made it into the semi-finals to face Nadal for the 13th time in a Grand Slam, however Nadal easily won. He has been in perfect form the entire tournament and has once again proved why he is the king of the clay court. He is also no doubt the king of the French Open, having won it a record 12 times now. This being Nadal's 18th Grand Slam title, he is only two behind Roger Federer now.
On the women's side there was yet again a new Grand Slam champion, this being the young Australian, Ashleigh Barty. It is her first ever major title, as she defeated Marketa Vondrousova from Czech Republic in straight sets. The women have now had 9 different major champions in the past 3 years, compared to the men's 3 recurring champions (Federer, Nadal, and Djokovic). Serena Williams no longer appears to be the domineering female as she has not won a grand slam since the Australian Open of 2017 after she had her first child.
Other notable female stars and past champions made their usual decent runs. One of my favorites, 2 time champion Garbine Muguruza was defeated in the 4th round by US Open Champion, Sloan Stephens. Some other stars who made it as far as the quarter finals were Simona Halep (1 title), Petra Martic, and the fiery American Madison Keys who has still yet to win her first grand slam. The young American Amanda Anisimova made it to her first ever semi final yet lost to Barty, while the British star Johanna Konta made it to her 3rd Semi-Final and fell short still without a title to her name. The 2 time Grand Slam champion, Japaense star, Naomi Osaki fell short in the 3rd round.
Past Tournament Champions
Roland Garros Tournament
In 1891 the tournament began only for elite members of French clubs, and the dominant player of the time was Max Decugis. The women's tournament began in 1897 and Adine Masson went on to dominant the early years of the tournament. In 1925 the tournament was opened to international professional tennis players and thus it became considered as an "Open" tournament. The Roland Garros venue was dedicated in 1927 and shortly after the tournament became named after him.
During the 1960s, Margaret Court went on to dominate the females tournament and to this day is the most decorated champion of the French Open with 13 titles. Bjorn Borg dominated the tournament on the men's side during the 1970s. By the early 2000s Raphael Nadal and has gone on to win it a record 11 times to become the undisputed master of the clay court. He is still however several grand slam title behind Roger Federer and has Novak Djokovic hot on his tail.
2019 Tournament
Unfortunately this year I have been unable to watch every match as much as I would like due to my recent busy role with NTT/Corteva. However I have followed the tournament online as much as I could and have been able to catch a few matches. Just this past weekend I watched Dominic Thiem defeat the mighty Novak Djokovic in a thrilling 5th set. This loss for Novak meant he would not being winning his 4th consecutive Grand Slam (after winning Wimbeldon, the US Open, and the Australian Open). I also watched the final as Nadal once again faced Thiem in the final and went on to win his 3rd consecutive French Open. Some of the usual big names made decent runs into the quarter-finals such as Zverev, Del Potro (1 title), Tsitsipas, Nishikori, and Wawrinka (2 titles). And the great Roger Federer made it into the semi-finals to face Nadal for the 13th time in a Grand Slam, however Nadal easily won. He has been in perfect form the entire tournament and has once again proved why he is the king of the clay court. He is also no doubt the king of the French Open, having won it a record 12 times now. This being Nadal's 18th Grand Slam title, he is only two behind Roger Federer now.
Other notable female stars and past champions made their usual decent runs. One of my favorites, 2 time champion Garbine Muguruza was defeated in the 4th round by US Open Champion, Sloan Stephens. Some other stars who made it as far as the quarter finals were Simona Halep (1 title), Petra Martic, and the fiery American Madison Keys who has still yet to win her first grand slam. The young American Amanda Anisimova made it to her first ever semi final yet lost to Barty, while the British star Johanna Konta made it to her 3rd Semi-Final and fell short still without a title to her name. The 2 time Grand Slam champion, Japaense star, Naomi Osaki fell short in the 3rd round.Past Tournament Champions
Year
|
Men (singles)
|
Women (singles)
|
1891
|
J. Briggs
|
|
1892
|
J. Schopfer
|
|
1893
|
L. Riboulet
|
|
1894
|
André Vacherot
|
|
1895
|
André Vacherot
|
|
1896
|
André Vacherot
|
|
1897
|
Paul Aymé
|
F. Masson
|
1898
|
Paul Aymé
|
F. Masson
|
1899
|
Paul Aymé
|
F. Masson
|
1900
|
Paul Aymé
|
Y. Prévost
|
1901
|
André Vacherot
|
P. Girod
|
1902
|
André Vacherot
|
C. Masson
|
1903
|
Max Decugis
|
F. Masson
|
1904
|
Max Decugis
|
Kate Gillou
|
1905
|
Maurice Germot
|
Kate Gillou
|
1906
|
Maurice Germot
|
Kate Gillou-Fenwick
|
1907
|
Max Decugis
|
Comtesse de Kermel
|
1908
|
Max Decugis
|
Kate Gillou-Fenwick
|
1909
|
Max Decugis
|
Jeanne Mattey
|
1910
|
Maurice Germot
|
Jeanne Mattey
|
1911
|
André Gobert
|
Jeanne Mattey
|
1912
|
Max Decugis
|
Jeanne Mattey
|
1913
|
Max Decugis
|
Marguerite Broquedis
|
1914
|
Max Decugis
|
Marguerite Broquedis
|
1915–19
|
not held
|
|
1920
|
André Gobert
|
Suzanne Lenglen
|
1921
|
Jean Samazeuilh
|
Suzanne Lenglen
|
1922
|
Henri Cochet
|
Suzanne Lenglen
|
1923
|
François Blanchy
|
Suzanne Lenglen
|
1924
|
Jean Borotra
|
Diddie Vlasto
|
1925*
|
René Lacoste (France)
|
Suzanne Lenglen (France)
|
1926
|
Henri Cochet (France)
|
Suzanne Lenglen (France)
|
1927
|
René Lacoste (France)
|
Kornelia Bouman (Neth.)
|
1928
|
Henri Cochet (France)
|
Helen Wills (U.S.)
|
1929
|
René Lacoste (France)
|
Helen Wills (U.S.)
|
1930
|
Henri Cochet (France)
|
Helen Wills Moody (U.S.)
|
1931
|
Jean Borotra (France)
|
Cilly Aussem (Ger.)
|
1932
|
Henri Cochet (France)
|
Helen Wills Moody (U.S.)
|
1933
|
John Crawford (Austl.)
|
Margaret Scriven (U.K.)
|
1934
|
Gottfried von Cramm (Ger.)
|
Margaret Scriven (U.K.)
|
1935
|
Fred Perry (U.K.)
|
Hilde Sperling (Den.)
|
1936
|
Gottfried von Cramm (Ger.)
|
Hilde Sperling (Den.)
|
1937
|
Henner Henkel (Ger.)
|
Hilde Sperling (Den.)
|
1938
|
Donald Budge (U.S.)
|
Simone Mathieu (France)
|
1939
|
William McNeill (U.S.)
|
Simone Mathieu (France)
|
1940–45
|
not held
|
|
1946
|
Marcel Bernard (France)
|
Margaret Osborne (U.S.)
|
1947
|
Jozsef Asboth (Hung.)
|
Patricia Todd (U.S.)
|
1948
|
Frank Parker (U.S.)
|
Nelly Landry (Belg.)
|
1949
|
Frank Parker (U.S.)
|
M. Osborne duPont (U.S.)
|
1950
|
Budge Patty (U.S.)
|
Doris Hart (U.S.)
|
1951
|
Jaroslav Drobny (Czech.)
|
Shirley Fry (U.S.)
|
1952
|
Jaroslav Drobny (Czech.)
|
Doris Hart (U.S.)
|
1953
|
Ken Rosewall (Austl.)
|
Maureen Connolly (U.S.)
|
1954
|
Tony Trabert (U.S.)
|
Maureen Connolly (U.S.)
|
1955
|
Tony Trabert (U.S.)
|
Angela Mortimer (U.K.)
|
1956
|
Lew Hoad (Austl.)
|
Althea Gibson (U.S.)
|
1957
|
Sven Davidson (Swed.)
|
Shirley Bloomer (U.K.)
|
1958
|
Mervyn Rose (Austl.)
|
Zsuzsi Kormoczi (Hung.)
|
1959
|
Nicola Pietrangeli (Italy)
|
Christine Truman (U.K.)
|
1960
|
Nicola Pietrangeli (Italy)
|
Darlene Hard (U.S.)
|
1961
|
Manuel Santana (Spain)
|
Ann Haydon (U.K.)
|
1962
|
Rod Laver (Austl.)
|
Margaret Smith (Austl.)
|
1963
|
Roy Emerson (Austl.)
|
Lesley Turner (Austl.)
|
1964
|
Manuel Santana (Spain)
|
Margaret Smith (Austl.)
|
1965
|
Fred Stolle (Austl.)
|
Lesley Turner (Austl.)
|
1966
|
Tony Roche (Austl.)
|
Ann Haydon Jones (U.K.)
|
1967
|
Roy Emerson (Austl.)
|
Françoise Durr (France)
|
1968
|
Ken Rosewall (Austl.)
|
Nancy Richey (U.S.)
|
1969
|
Rod Laver (Austl.)
|
Margaret Smith-Court (Austl.)
|
1970
|
Jan Kodes (Czech.)
|
Margaret Smith-Court (Austl.)
|
1971
|
Jan Kodes (Czech.)
|
Evonne Goolagong (Austl.)
|
1972
|
Andres Gimeno (Spain)
|
Billie Jean King (U.S.)
|
1973
|
Ilie Nastase (Rom.)
|
Margaret Smith-Court (Austl.)
|
1974
|
Björn Borg (Swed.)
|
Chris Evert (U.S.)
|
1975
|
Björn Borg (Swed.)
|
Chris Evert (U.S.)
|
1976
|
Adriano Panatta (Italy)
|
Sue Barker (U.K.)
|
1977
|
Guillermo Vilas (Arg.)
|
Mima Jausovec (Yugos.)
|
1978
|
Björn Borg (Swed.)
|
Virginia Ruzici (Rom.)
|
1979
|
Björn Borg (Swed.)
|
Chris Evert-Lloyd (U.S.)
|
1980
|
Björn Borg (Swed.)
|
Chris Evert-Lloyd (U.S.)
|
1981
|
Björn Borg (Swed.)
|
Hana Mandlikova (Czech.)
|
1982
|
Mats Wilander (Swed.)
|
Martina Navratilova (U.S.)
|
1983
|
Yannick Noah (France)
|
Chris Evert-Lloyd (U.S.)
|
1984
|
Ivan Lendl (Czech.)
|
Martina Navratilova (U.S.)
|
1985
|
Mats Wilander (Swed.)
|
Chris Evert-Lloyd (U.S.)
|
1986
|
Ivan Lendl (Czech.)
|
Chris Evert-Lloyd (U.S.)
|
1987
|
Ivan Lendl (Czech.)
|
Steffi Graf (W.Ger.)
|
1988
|
Mats Wilander (Swed.)
|
Steffi Graf (W.Ger.)
|
1989
|
Michael Chang (U.S.)
|
Arantxa Sánchez Vicario (Spain)
|
1990
|
Andres Gomez (Ecua.)
|
Monica Seles (Yugos.)
|
1991
|
Jim Courier (U.S.)
|
Monica Seles (Yugos.)
|
1992
|
Jim Courier (U.S.)
|
Monica Seles (Yugos.)
|
1993
|
Sergi Bruguera (Spain)
|
Steffi Graf (Ger.)
|
1994
|
Sergi Bruguera (Spain)
|
Arantxa Sánchez Vicario (Spain)
|
1995
|
Thomas Muster (Austria)
|
Steffi Graf (Ger.)
|
1996
|
Yevgeny Kafelnikov (Russia)
|
Steffi Graf (Ger.)
|
1997
|
Gustavo Kuerten (Braz.)
|
Iva Majoli (Cro.)
|
1998
|
Carlos Moya (Spain)
|
Arantxa Sánchez Vicario (Spain)
|
1999
|
Andre Agassi (U.S.)
|
Steffi Graf (Ger.)
|
2000
|
Gustavo Kuerten (Braz.)
|
Mary Pierce (France)
|
2001
|
Gustavo Kuerten (Braz.)
|
Jennifer Capriati (U.S.)
|
2002
|
Albert Costa (Spain)
|
Serena Williams (U.S.)
|
2003
|
Juan Carlos Ferrero (Spain)
|
Justine Hénin-Hardenne (Belg.)
|
2004
|
Gaston Gaudio (Arg.)
|
Anastasia Myskina (Russia)
|
2005
|
Rafael Nadal (Spain)
|
Justine Hénin-Hardenne (Belg.)
|
2006
|
Rafael Nadal (Spain)
|
Justine Hénin-Hardenne (Belg.)
|
2007
|
Rafael Nadal (Spain)
|
Justine Hénin-Hardenne (Belg.)
|
2008
|
Rafael Nadal (Spain)
|
Ana Ivanovic (Serb.)
|
2009
|
Roger Federer (Switz.)
|
Svetlana Kuznetsova (Russia)
|
2010
|
Rafael Nadal (Spain)
|
F. Schiavone (Italy)
|
2011
|
Rafael Nadal (Spain)
|
Na Li (China)
|
2012
|
Rafael Nadal (Spain)
|
Maria Sharapova (Russia)
|
2013
|
Rafael Nadal (Spain)
|
Serena Williams (U.S.)
|
2014
|
Rafael Nadal (Spain)
|
Maria Sharapova (Russia)
|
2015
|
Stan Wawrinka (Switz.)
|
Serena Williams (U.S.)
|
2016
|
Novak Djokovic (Serbia)
|
Garbiñe Muguruza (Spain)
|
2017
|
Rafael Nadal (Spain)
|
Jelena Ostapenko (Latvia)
|
2018
|
Rafael Nadal (Spain)
|
Simona Halep (Rom.)
|
*In 1925 opened to non-French participants.
|
||
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