SPORT / SPORTS
IT'S TIME FOR PARIS The beloved clay of Roland Garros The French Open takes place this year from 25 th May to 8 th June, which is just the right time to fly off to Paris for at least one tennis match, and while there you can catch the phenomenal David Hockney exhibition that runs until the end of August
hood among members of French high society. Apart from Stade Roland Gar- ros, nearby is also Parc des Princes foot- ball stadium, where Paris Saint-Germain plays its home matches. The inaugural French Championships was held back in 1891, when it was more important that competitors be well- dressed than highly skilled, and only members of French tennis clubs were al- lowed to participate. The first champi- on was nonetheless a Brit – H. Briggs, who defeated local player P. Baigneres 6:3, 6:4. Ladies competed for the first time in 1897, while mixed doubles have been included in the tournament since 1902. The Great War resulted in no tour- nament being held from 1915 to 1918. A major milestone was reached in 1927, when France won the Davis Cup, and kept winning it until 1932, in a gold- en age of French tennis dominated by the ‘Four Musketeers’: Jean Borotra, René Lacoste, Henri Cochet and Jacques Brugnon. They first lifted the cup in Phil- adelphia and would subsequently defend the title on home soil. That opportunity led to the construc- tion of a new tennis complex on three hectares, with the only condition being that it be named in honour of Roland Garros, a French aviator and fighter pi- lot who’d made the first ever flight across the Mediterranean Sea in 1913. It had taken him seven hours and 53 minutes to complete the flight from the south of France to Bizerte in Tunisia! Interesting- ly, Monsieur Garros never played tennis professionally, but he was French cycling champion in 1906. The French Davis Cup team defended their title, and did so again, consecutively, for the next four years, and Stade Roland Garros became the official home of the French Open Tennis Championships. It’s noteworthy that this was the first Grand Slam to permit amateurs and professionals to compete together. The
Musketeers’ Trophy was won in 1968 by Australian Ken Rosewall, who defeated his countryman Rod Laver in four sets (3:1), thus marking the beginning of the so-called Open era in world tennis. Yu- goslavia had its first finalist as early as 1970, Željko Franulović, who only man- aged to win six games against Czech- oslovakia’s Jan Kodeš. Three years lat- er, the legendary Nikola Pilić also got his chance, but again could only win six games in the final against Romania’s Il- ie Năstase. The former Yugoslavia had more success with ladies back then. Mima Jaušovec was crowned French Open champion in 1977, only to lose in the 1978 final. She later competed for the title in one more final, after which began the period of the great Monica Seles, with her three con- secutive titles from 1990. The French Open in the 21 st century has so far been marked by the 14 titles of Rafael Nad- al from 2005 to 2022, with nobody hav- ing ever previously dominated a single Grand Slam so completely. What else is it important for you to know? Since 2020, the complex’s larg- est court, Court Philippe-Chatrier, has gained a retractable roof, so tennis is now played continuously in Paris, re- gardless of the weather. Evening match- es were also introduced recently, com- plete with floodlights and a specific atmosphere that we recommend highly. The Paris crowd is otherwise known for booing, chanting and showing emotion, so don’t be surprised if someone sitting near you acts like they’re at a football match. They know how to be challenging and “difficult”, especially during matches of French players.
M ay is the perfect month for a short break. The summer crowds have yet to form and the weather is just right for being outdoors. Just pick the right destination. A metropolis, a not-too-distant one, a single flight away, and one where something is happening, some sporting event perhaps... You can stop looking! The answer is Par- is, and the French Open! The excite- ment starts building straight after your two-hour Air Serbia flight from Belgrade, when you land at Charles de Gaulle Air- port and immediately get the impression that you’re a native Parisian. If only you spoke French fluently… Stade Roland Garros is a temple of ten- nis, with the French Open the only of the four Grand Slam tournaments to be played on clay. The complex itself is lo- cated in the southwest of Paris, in the 16 th of the city’s 20 arrondissements. If you’ve never been to the French capital before, this is the area around the Arc de Triomphe, with its elaborate buildings and large parks – a favourite neighbour-
108 | Tenis » Tennis
Made with FlippingBook interactive PDF creator