Place Roland Garros

“Did Roland Garros, the man, ever play tennis here?” a curious voice asks. That’s a question many have pondered while standing before the iconic Roland Garros Stadium in Paris. Roland Garros, the stadium, was built in 1928. It was specifically designed to host France’s first defense of the Davis Cup. The French team, the “Four Musketeers” (Cochet, Lacoste, Borotra, and Brugnon), had triumphed in 1927 and needed a grand stage for the following year’s match. The stadium was not named after a tennis player. It was named after a pioneering French aviator, Roland Garros. He was a World War I hero and a member of the Stade Français club, who generously donated the land. An interesting anecdote surrounds this naming. Emile Lesieur, a rugby player and friend of Roland Garros from their days at HEC, championed the idea. He wanted to honor his friend, who died for France in aerial combat. The stadium quickly became synonymous with the French Open, one of the four Grand Slam tournaments. From its initial capacity of 10,000, featuring cement loge boxes and temporary wooden stands, Roland Garros has undergone numerous expansions and renovations. Court Philippe-Chatrier, the central court, now boasts a retractable roof and floodlights. Another prominent court is named after Suzanne Lenglen. She was a French tennis legend who dominated the sport in the 1910s and 20s. The stadium’s clay courts are unique. They are not made of traditional red clay, but white limestone topped with a thin layer of powdered red brick dust. This combination provides excellent drainage and a distinctive playing surface, unlike any other clay court in the world. Today, Roland Garros covers 12 hectares and boasts 18 clay courts, including the newly inaugurated Simonne-Mathieu court nestled within the Jardin des Serres d’Auteuil. As you stand here, imagine the echoes of tennis greats like Rafael Nadal, Serena Williams, Roger Federer, and Novak Djokovic battling it out on these very courts. Roland Garros is more than a stadium. It is a living testament to the rich history of tennis and the enduring spirit of a French aviation hero.