The 126th edition of the French Open, second of the four annual tennis Majors, is scheduled to be held from May 22 to June 5 in Paris, France.
The tournament, officially known as Roland Garros, is played on outdoor clay courts.
Roland Garros features a 128-player singles draw, 64-team doubles draw and 32-team mixed doubles draw.
History
The French men's singles championships were first held in 1891 and the women's event was added six years later. The French Tennis Federation opened the event to foreign players in 1925.
The Roland Garros stadium staged the tournament for the first time in 1928. In 1927, four Musketeers of French tennis — Jean Borotra, Jacques Brugnon, Henri Cochet and René Lacoste — had stunned the US in its own backyard to win the Davis Cup. The rematch, set up in 1928, was to be held in Paris and a new stadium was built for it. The stadium was named in the honour of one of Stade Français' most renowned former members, Roland-Garros, who had died about a decade earlier. Roland-Garros was a pilot, who on September 23, 1913, had become the first man to fly a plane over the Mediterranean.
In 1968, French Open became the first Major to join the Open Era, allowing both amateurs and professionals to participate at the event.
How last year's edition went
The 125th edition of the tournament was held between May 30 and June 13 in 2021, after the original schedule was postponed by a week due to the COVID-19 pandemic. For the first time, French Open had formal night sessions, but the matches after 9pm local time were held behind closed doors as spectators were prohibited after 9pm due to a nationwide curfew. From June 9 onwards, the curfew was moved to 11pm and the number of spectators allowed was increased from 1,000 to 5,000 on the main courts.
After a one-year absence, the mixed doubles event also returned to the event.
On the men's side, Serbia's Novak Djokovic came from two sets down to beat Greek Stefanos Tsitsipas 6-7 (8), 2-6, 6-3, 6-2, 6-4 in the final to win his second French Open title and 19th Major overall. Djokovic had defeated defending champion Rafael Nadal in an epic four-set thriller in the semifinal during which the then French Prime Minister Jean Castex had called the organisers to make an exemption and let the spectators stay inside the stadium post the nightly curfew till the match was completed.
The victory also made Djokovic the first man in the Open Era to win all four Grand Slams at least twice.
In women's singles, Czech Republic's Barbora Krejcikova, who had never reached the quarterfinals of a Major before, went on to win the title by beating another first-time Major finalist in Russia's Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova 6-1, 2-6, 6-4. Krejcikova became the first Czech woman to win the singles title at Roland Garros since Hana Mandlikova in 1981.
The next day, Krejcikova also won the women's doubles title with compatriot Katerina Siniakova, the feat last achieved at the tournament in 2000 by French player Mary Pierce.
Storylines for this year
Women
World No. 1 Iga Swiatek of Poland will be the undisputed favourite to lift the trophy. Swiatek heads into French Open on the back of five consecutive titles and a 28-match unbeaten streak. The 20-year-old had won the title at Roland Garros in 2019 when she was ranked 54 in the world.
It will be interesting to see whether Krejcikova steps on court to defend her title at all. The Czech player has been out of action since Doha due to an arm injury.
In last 15 years, French Open has seen nine first-time Major winners, which include Swiatek and Krejcikova, which means players like Tunisia's Ons Jabeur (has won 11 of her last 12 clay-court matches), Greece's Maria Sakkari and Spain's Paula Badosa can also fancy their chances.
Men
World No. 1 Djokovic will look to equal Nadal's record of 21 Major titles by defending his French Open crown. Djokovic was not allowed to participate at the 2022 Australian Open since he had not taken the vaccine against COVID-19. Nadal, who had been tied with Djokovic and Switzerland's Roger Federer on 20 Grand Slams, moved ahead after beating Russia's Daniil Medvedev in the final in Melbourne. Djokovic enters this year's tournament after winning the title in Rome, his first in 2022.
Thirteen-time champion Nadal, who turns 36 on June 3, could become the oldest French open winner, a record currently held by his compatriot Andres Gimeno who lifted the trophy in 1972 at the age of 34 years.
All eyes will also be on the Spanish teenage sensation Carlos Alcaraz, who had to make it to the main draw in 2021 through qualifying rounds. This year, World No. 6 Alcaraz enters as one of the favourites after his title runs in Barcelona and Madrid, the latter including wins over Nadal and Djokovic.
While one local favourite Gael Monfils will not be participating at this year as he goes under the knife to fix a problem with his right heel, another in Jo-Wilfried Tsonga is set to retire from the sport after this French Open.
Prize money
Both, the men's and women's singles champions, will walk away with a prize money of €2,200,000 (approximately $23,03,455).
Trophies
According to the official website, the five trophies awarded at Roland Garros have all been designed by La Maison Mellerio, the famous Parisian jewelers since the 17th century.
The men's singles winner receives the Musketeers' Cup, named in the honour of four Musketeers of French tennis: Jean Borotra, Jacques Brugnon, Henri Cochet and René Lacoste. Awarded to the winners since 1981, the trophy, a silver bowl bordered with vine leaves around the top and decorated with two swan-shaped handles, is mounted on a marble base which has the names of all the champions since 1891.
The women's singles champion receives the Suzanne-Lenglen Cup, named after the six-time French Open champion. Awarded to the winners since 1979, the trophy is almost the exact replica of the cup offered at the time by the City of Nice to Lenglen, and is housed in the National Sports Museum.
The men's doubles winners receive the Jacques-Brugnon Cup, named after one of the four Musketeers of French tennis, a doubles specialist. The trophy, created in 1989, is designed with appliques and its base is decorated with repetitive ornaments in relief, otherwise known as fluting.
The women's doubles champions receive the Simonne-Mathieu Cup, named after clay specialist Simonne Mathieu who won the singles title twice, in 1938 and 1939, and also won eight titles in women’s doubles and mixed doubles. The trophy, created in 1990, is adorned with two small handles in the form of swans and decorated with leaf moldings.
The mixed doubles winners receive the Marcel Bernard Cup, named after the 1946 French Open champion who also served as the President of the French tennis federation from 1968 to 1973. Presented to the champions for the first time in 1990, the trophy is oval and features turned and inserted mouldings, a carved frieze and two handles, while the base features two turned mouldings.
Most successful players at French Open (Open Era)
Women
Men
Notable absentees
Title contenders
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