Even though the French Open stadium is not named after a tennis champion, Roland Garros deserves to be remembered in history.
As incredible as it may seem, not many who purchase Roland Garros tickets are aware of the man whose name was given to one of the most storied tennis courts in the world. It is unheard of for a tennis stadium to have the name of an aviator. One of the many unique elements of the French Open saga, this pays due respect to a pioneer and hero.
Roland Garros was an enthusiastic sportsman but not a dedicated tennis player. He was gifted at football, rugby, and cycling when he was younger. Cycling helped him recover from pneumonia when he was 12 by getting his respiratory system back to total health.
Not many with Roland Garros know the background behind the man whose name adorns their ticket. Garros, born on October 6, 1888, in Saint-Denis de la Réunion, graduated from the HEC business school and started his business as a 21-year-old vehicle dealer close to the Arc de Triomphe before his life changed course in August 1909.
After being invited to the Champagne region by a friend, he attended his first air show and instantly fell in love with these insane machines. Garros never did anything half-heartedly, so he bought a plane immediately and began teaching himself to fly before getting his pilot’s licence.
The first flight across the Mediterranean in history
In somewhat surprising revelations to anyone with Roland Garros tickets, two years after developing an unquenchable lust for flying, on September 6, 1911, Garros broke his first altitude record when he took off from Houlgate Beach and flew to a height of 3,910 metres (just under 13,000 feet).
He participated in several air shows and races, astounding the audience with his boldness and creativity. Thousands of people from South America and Europe flocked to see him compete when he quickly rose to fame in the discipline.
Roland Garros aspired to soar beyond the oceans and had lofty goals. He decided to take on a new challenge and cross the Mediterranean, which had never been done before. He took out his Morane-Saulnier monoplane from Saint-Raphael on the French Riviera towards Bizerte in Tunisia on September 23, 1913. Nearly eight hours would pass throughout this epic voyage.
Garros achieved nothing short of the spectacle that anyone with Roland Garros tickets aspires to see. With 200 litres of fuel and 60 litres of castor oil on board, Garros took off at 5.47 am and, despite two engine failures that the mechanical wizard quickly fixed, flew 780 kilometres before landing in Tunisia at 1.40 pm (485 miles).
Only five litres of fuel remained in the tank for him. Due to this accomplishment, he became the blue-eyed boy of the Parisian brilliant set. Among others, Jean Cocteau became a friend. The poet and director, who occasionally accompanied Garros on his flights, even wrote a poem in his honour, “Le Cap de Bonne Espérance” (The Cape of Good Hope).
First onboard machine gun creator
The accomplished piano player enlisted in the military when World War I began. At the time, there were hardly any weapons at all onboard aircraft. Roland Garros created the first single-seater warplane with an onboard machine gun that shot through the propeller thanks to his inventive and trailblazing abilities. It was ground-breaking. He brought his new firing mechanism back to the front.
Sublieutenant Garros achieved three victories in a row in the first two weeks of April 1915 before being struck by German anti-aircraft defence over Belgium.
He was forced to land and captured before he could blow up his aircraft. As a result, the enemy could use his innovation and his thoughts to modify their planes.
In a rather entertaining exchange similar to one anyone with Roland Garros tickets would want to see, Strong-willed Garros struggled for three years to escape while ambiguously impersonating a German commander.
But while he was being held captive, his health had drastically declined. He had to secretly construct a set of spectacles because he had grown too short-sighted to continue flying.
Clémenceau wanted Garros to remain at home to serve as an advisor, but the uncompromising Garros returned to the fray. He was killed over the Ardennes on October 5, 1918, but not before winning a fourth duel. This time, his gallantry proved to be fatal.
Legacy of a lifetime
Roland Garros was a pioneer in aviation, a hero of the First World War, and a person who valued long-lasting relationships. At the plea of Emile Lesueur, chairman of the Stade Français and Roland Garros’ school friend at the HEC, whose candidature to head the Stade Français had been supported by the pilot decades earlier, the tennis arena that had been constructed for the Mousquetaires to defend their Davis Cup title was given the name after Roland Garros ten years after his passing, in 1928.
So undoubtedly, there was a tenuous connection between Roland Garros and the tennis community. But very few sporting venues bear the name of a person who has shown such zeal, cunning, and bravery—values that are essential for anyone hoping to triumph at the Porte d’Auteuil.
Roland Garros’ most adorned
Rafael Nadal has remained the dominant French Open tennis player for nearly two decades. His 13 victories and 105-3 total tally in Paris are unmatched. From 2010 through 2014, Nadal won the championship five times in a row. He won the French Open twice more, including four straight times (2005-2008, 2017-2020). Nobody has ever won more than two consecutive French Open matches;
Björn Borg was the only other man to do it (1978–1981). It frequently comes down to Nadal, Novak Djokovic, and Roger Federer in the “GOAT” tennis discussion. Nadal has a 13-2 advantage against Djokovic (7-2) and Federer at the French Open (6-0). Rafael Nadal is the 2022 French Open’s most recent champion.
When Bjorn Borg defeated Guillermo Vilas in straight sets in 1975, he became just the second person in French Open history tennis to win two consecutive championships. A few years later, Borg embarked on a historic victory streak, winning the French Open four times in a row (1978-1981).
On his path to another title victory over Vilas in 1978, Borg lost just 32 games and never dropped a set the entire tournament. His record for most lost games at the French Open is still 32. The following three years saw a successful defence of the title by the Swedish superpower known as “the Iceman.” For the majority of this period, Borg also remained the number one ranked player (1976-80)
Chris Evert now holds the record for most French Open women’s singles titles won. She set a record by winning it seven times, which is still in effect today. The American, a previous World No. 1, won the competition in 1974, 1975, 1979, 1980, 1983, 1985, and 1986.
Another person to win the French Open six times was Suzanne Lenglen, and her six victories were achieved during the Amateur Era. The tennis player from France won the competition in 1920, 1921, 1922, 1923, 1925, and 1926.
Many people consider Steffi Graf the greatest women’s tennis player of all time. She is a legend in the sport. No one could equal her on the court, whether it was hard, clay, or grass. She was tough to play against and provided excellent value for your Roland Garros tickets. She also won six French Open titles during her career.
With the 2023 French Open fast approaching, Roland Garros tickets are selling hot and fast. There are better options than purchasing tickets from official retailer sites, and reliable third-party reseller sites could help you source Roland Garros tickets.
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