What is French Open?
[[File:Roland_Garros_02.JPG|thumb|An outdoor court]] The '''French Open''' is one of the four [[Grand Slam (tennis)|Grand Slam]] [[Tennis|tennis tournaments]]. It is played in [[Paris]], [[France]]. The first competition was held in 1891.<ref>[http://french.open-tennis.com/history.php French Open History] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090219154702/http://french.open-tennis.com/history.php |date=2009-02-19 }} - URL accessed 15 March, 2009</ref> The French Open is known for being the only Grand Slam played on a [[clay]] court.<ref>[http://www.itftennis.com/technical/equipment/courts/history.asp International Tennis Federation] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080630194259/http://www.itftennis.com/technical/equipment/courts/history.asp |date=2008-06-30 }} - URL accessed 15 March, 2009</ref> On a clay court the ball bounces much slower and higher than on hard or grass courts. This makes it more difficult to win the point and rallies (the number of shots in a point) usually last longer. Players that excel on clay courts are called ''clay-court specialists''. The tournament is played for four weeks. It starts in late May and finishes in early June. Sometimes, the French Open is called the [[Roland Garros]] tournament. Roland Garros was a well-known [[Aviation|aviator]] from [[World War I]] who had the main tennis court named after him.<ref>[http://french.open-tennis.com/french-open-venue.php French Open Venue] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090220073617/http://french.open-tennis.com/french-open-venue.php |date=2009-02-20 }} - URL accessed 15 March, 2009</ref> The singles winners in 2016 were '''[[Novak Djokovic]]''' and [[Garbiñe Muguruza]]. The singles winners in 2015 were [[Stan Wawrinka]] and [[Serena Williams]]. == Records == * Men - [[Rafael Nadal]] has won 9 times: 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, and 2014. * Women - [[Chris Evert]] won 7 times: 1974, 1975, 1979, 1980, 1983, 1985, and 1986. == Sources == {{reflist}} [[Category:Grand Slam tennis