The
French Open is in full swing with Serena Williams* returning to the court for the first time since September 2017. In the men’s singles, Nadal is looking to continue his dominance on the clay to win his eleventh singles title. If the Spaniard manages the feat, he will become only the second person (male or female) to do it.
As the action heats up in the Second Round, we’ve got four of the most interesting French Open facts for your next trip to the watercooler.
Why clay?
The clay was originally applied for practical reason. In the late 1880s, The Renshaw Brothers used a thin layer of clay to prevent grass courts wilting in the sun. And just like, a trend was started. Throughout the early 1900s, many variants of the clay courts were attempted until the five-layer surface of today was developed.
Modern clay courts have five unique layers with a combined depth of 80 centimeters. The first is a layer of stones, then gravel, clinker (volcanic residue), limestone and lastly a thin layer of crushed brick. The crushed brick layer is only two millimeters thick and is responsible for the court’s unmistakable hue. Finally, a six centimeter wide trench is dug down to the limestone layer. The trench is then painted with two coats of white paint to demarcate the courts boundaries.
Only French players allowed
The precursor to the French Open, The French Clay-Court Championship was founded in 1891 and was only open to players from French clubs. In 1925, the French Open as we know it today was born with the invitation of players from all around the world.
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In the earlier days of the French Open, French players reigned supreme. Suzanne Lenglen won a staggering six times between 1920 and 1926 and is considered by many to be first celebrity of the sport. Henri Cochet, René Lacoste, Jean Borotra and Jacques Brugnon (often referred to as the famous Musketeers) dominated the men’s side amassing a combined 10 singles titles between 1922 and 1932.
Legends who couldn’t
Through the history of the tournament, there have been many big names that were unable to secure a single title at Roland Garros throughout their career. On the men’s side, John McEnroe, Pete Sampras and Jimmy Connors all failed to win a French Open despite dominating many others. Martina Hingis and Venus Williams from the women’s side were also unable to crack the code of the famous clay court.
The underhand that won the Open
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In 1989 Michael Chang from the United States of America shocked the world by winning the French Open at just 17. On his way to the title, Chang faced the then world number one and three-time French Open winner, Ivan Lendl. In what is now considered to one of the greatest comebacks of all time, Cheng fought back from being two sets down to win. It was the first time an American had won the Open since 1955.
The 17-year-old took the third and fourth sets forcing Lendl into a fifth and final set. In the fifth set, Cheng was up two games to one and in danger of having his serve broken. In a stunning display of out of the box thinking, Cheng served underhand to Lendl shocking everyone in attendance. He won the point and from that point on, Lendl seemed to fold allowing the American to win.
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* UPDATE - Serena Williams pulled out of the French Open before her fourth-round match with Maria Sharapova because of an injury that affected her serve.