Stade Roland Garros

Location	16th arrondissement, Paris, France
Opened	1928
Surface	Clay
Construction cost	FRF ?
Capacity	15,166 (Court Philippe Chatrier) 10,068 (Court Suzanne Lenglen)
Tenants
French Open

The Stade de Roland Garros (French "Roland Garros Stadium") is a tennis venue located in the 16th arrondissement of Paris, France, and home to the French Open tennis tournament, a Grand Slam event played every year in May and June. The place is named after Roland Garros, a French fighter aircraft pilot during World War I, who, on 23 September 1913, became the first man to fly an airplane over the Mediterranean Sea.

The grounds are home to twenty courts,^[1] including Court Philippe Chatrier and Court Suzanne Lenglen, and the Tenniseum, a museum of tennis.

[edit] Court Philippe Chatrier

Court Philippe Chatrier is the main court at the Stade Roland Garros. Built in 1928, it currently holds 15,166 spectators. It is named after Philippe Chatrier, who was head of the French Tennis Federation and helped bring back tennis to the Summer Olympics in 1988. The stands are named after France's "Four Musketeers" who dominated tennis in the 1920s and 30s. They include Jacques "Toto" Brugnon, Jean Borotra, Henri Cochet, and René Lacoste.

Construction of a new center court, to seat 14,600 and feature a retractable roof, is scheduled to begin in 2010 or 2011, with completion planned for 2013 or 2014.^[2]

Preceded by Germantown Cricket Club Philadelphia

Davis Cup Final Venue 1928 • 1929 • 1930 • 1931 • 1932 • 1933

Succeeded by Centre Court, Wimbledon London

[edit] Court Suzanne Lenglen

Court Suzanne Lenglen is the secondary court at the stadium. Built in 1994, it currently holds 10,068 spectators.[2] It was named after Suzanne Lenglen in 1997. A statue of Lenglen stands outside the venue.

[edit] References

[edit] External links

• Media related to Roland Garros at Wikimedia Commons
• Official site of the French Tennis Federation
• History from the official 2008 French Open site

Coordinates: 48°50′50″N 2°14′47″E / 48.84722°N 2.24639°E / 48.84722; 2.24639