Stade de Roland Garros

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Outside the Philippe Chatrier Court, Roland Garros

Stade de Roland Garros (Roland Garros Stadium) is located in southwest Paris, France, and has been the home of the French Open Grand Slam tennis tournament, played every year in May and June. The stadium is named after Roland Garros, an early French aviator and a fighter aircraft pilot during World War I, who, on September 23, 1913, had become the first man to fly a plane over the Mediterranean.

1 History
- 1.1 Creation
- 1.2 Redevelopment
2 See also
3 External links

[edit] History

[edit] Creation

The French Open, then called the French Internationals, were held alternately at Stade Français and Racing Club de France since 1925. In 1927, France won the Davis Cup in against USA, and set up a rematch in Paris for the next year. There was a need of a new stadium to hold such a major sporting event, and the Stade Français handed over three hectares of land near Porte d'Auteuil to the French Tennis Federation for this purpose. The 1928 French Internationals were the first event to be held in the new stadium.

[edit] Redevelopment

Redevelopment work has been going on at Roland Garros since 1999. The stands in the centre court were reconstructed, and the capacity was reduced to 15,059 [1] to make more space for the ever-increasing media crews. Officially inaugurated at the opening of the 2000 French Open, the centre court was renamed the Philippe Chatrier Court in 2001. In 2003, a tennis museum was built, along with a video area and a library.