French Open

The French Open (French: Internationaux de France de tennis), also known as Roland-Garros (French: [ʁɔlɑ̃ ɡaʁos]), is a tennis tournament organized by the French Tennis Federation annually at Stade Roland Garros in Paris, France. It is chronologically the second of the four Grand Slam tennis events every year, held after the Australian Open and before Wimbledon and the US Open. It was established in 1891, but it did not become a Grand Slam level event until 1925. The French Open begins in late May and continues for two weeks. The tournament and venue are named after the French aviation pioneer and fighter pilot Roland Garros. The French Open is the premier clay court tournament in the world and the only Grand Slam tournament currently held on this surface. Until 1975, the French Open was the only major tournament not played on grass. Due to the clay surface characteristics favoring long rallies and high physical demand, and the men's seven rounds of best-of-five sets needed for a championship, the French Open is widely regarded as the most physically demanding tournament in tennis.