Roland Garros: A Parisian love affair A city of passion, elegance and flair, Paris is the destination for the French Open at Roland Garros. First staged in 1891 as the Championnat de France, the two-week showpiece, played on iconic red clay, enthrals crowds with breathtaking rallies and feats of physical endurance KING OF CLAY: Rafael Nadal (below) is dominant at Roland Garros, winning 13 out of 17 singles titles since his tournament debut in 2005 Wins at Roland Garros (Open Era, men): Rafael Nadal ESP Matches W / L: 105 / 3 Novak Djokovic SRB 81 / 15 Roger Federer SUI 73 / 17 Guillermo Vilas ARG 57 / 17 Ivan Lendl CZE 53 / 12 Nadal holds record for most singles titles at individual Grand Slam – surpassing tally of Margaret Court who won 11 Australian Open titles Titles at single Grand Slam (Open Era, men): Australian Open Djokovic 9 Roland Garros Nadal 13 Wimbledon Federer 8 U.S. Open 5 Jimmy Connors, Pete Sampras, Federer Surface Clay court concept originated in 1880 when powdered terracotta was used in Cannes to cover grass courts wilting in heat ROLAND GARROS COMPOSITION Playing surface: Red brick dust Improves ball visibility – slippery top layer allows players to slide into shots Linking layer Crushed white limestone Cushion Clinker (coal residue) Loose aggregation At least 30cm of crushed gravel for stability Foundation Larger stones for drainage Comparison of surface impacts: Ball speed Consistency Height of bounce Clay Hardcourt Grass Slower ball speed encourages tactical rallies – topspin, slice, and drop shots all used to develop advantage 2021 winner Novak Djokovic Serbian returns to Grand Slam action after visa row prevented him competing at Australian Open in January. Third Roland Garros title would equal 21 majors won by Nadal Venue Court Simonne Mathieu 5,000-seater sunken arena Avenue Gordon Bennett Orangery Public services and gourmet restaurant Place des Mousquetaires Court Suzanne Lenglen Capacity: 10,000 Fonds des Princes Sunken 2,200-seater court Roland Garros Village Administration, reception areas and panoramic terraces Court Philippe Chatrier Capacity: 15,000 Retractable roof completed in 2020. Closes in 15 minutes, allowing all-weather play and night sessions Serres d’Auteuil CLAY COURT QUEENS All-time win ratio (%) 50.0 Chris Evert 94.0 Steffi Graf J 90.1 ustine Henin 85.5 Monica Seles 85.0 Martina Navratilova 81.4 Martina Hingis 81.3 Evert has best career win ratio on clay of any player (94%) – Nadal is on 91.2% Evert on clay: 312 Matches won 20 Lost Chris Evert Seven-time champion at Roland Garros. First two trophies won during 125-match winning streak on clay (1973-79) – Open Era record on single surface for any player, male or female Steffi Graf (inset) tops winners’ table in Paris Wins at Roland Garros (Open Era, women): Steffi Graf GER Matches W / L: 84 / 10 Chris Evert USA 72 / 6 Arantxa Sanchez ESP 72 / 13 Serena Williams USA 69 / 14 Conchita Martinez ESP 62 / 18 Timeline 1891: Inaugural French Clay-Court Championships, reserved exclusively for members of French tennis clubs. Tournament alternates between three venues in early years 1925: French Open born when tournament opens to international competition. French stars, including six-time champion Suzanne Lenglen (left), still dominate 1928 Court complex opens in Paris. Name honours Roland Garros, pioneer aviator killed in World War I 1932: Famous four “Mousquetaires” – René Lacoste, Jean Borotra, Henri Cochet and Jacques Brugnon (below) – bow out after sharing 10 titles over decade of dominance 1968: Hosts first Grand Slam of Open Era 1973: Margaret Court wins record 13th Paris title, totalling five singles and eight doubles 1974-86: Tennis legends Björn Borg and Chris Evert establish new era of clay court superiority 1979: Five new courts bring total to 10 – further expansions follow in 1986 and 1994 2000 Mary Pierce (right) is most recent French singles champion 2018-20: Major expansion includes complete demolition and rebuild of 90-year-old Court Philippe Chatrier to accommodate retractable roof Roll call of champions MOST CHAMPIONSHIPS (OPEN ERA) 2005-08, 2010-14, 2017-20 Rafael Nadal ESP 13 7 Chris Evert USA 1974, 75, 79, 80, 83, 85, 86 1974, 75, 78, 79, 80, 81 Bjorn Borg SWE 6 6 Steffi Graf GER 1987, 88, 93, 95, 96, 99 1982, 85, 88 Mats Wilander SWE 3 4 Justine Henin BEL 2003, 05, 06, 07 1984, 86, 87 Ivan Lendl CZE 3 3 Four players: 1997, 2000, 01 Gustavo Kuerten BRA 3 Margaret Court*, Arantxa Sanchez, Monica Seles, Serena Williams *Plus 2 in pre-Open era Coupe des Mousquetaires Coupe Suzanne Lenglen Sources: Roland Garros, ATP, WTA Pictures: Getty Images © GRAPHIC NEWS