On the very edge of Paris, France in the 16th arrondissement, the Roland-Garros grand slam championship has kicked off. Among the clay covered courts, returning champions warm up; certain titans of tennis including Maria Sharapova and Rafael Nader (last years champions) Roger Federer (last years highest paid professional tennis player) and Serbian star Novak Djokovic are ready to compete. But are those courts really made from clay? And just how easy is it to take home the title? Here are five facts surrounding the highly anticipated Roland Garros French Open 2015 that you need to know:
1. The fighting spirit
The event was named after Roland Garros, a famous French fighter pilot during World War I. Beyond his fame for shooting down five enemy aircrafts in one go, he was the first man to cross the Mediterranean Sea in a non-stop flight. Garros flew from Fréjus, a city in the South of France, to Tunisia in 1913, making his mark in the history of aviation.
2. Homage to the players
The two main courts at Roland Garros stadium are named after Suzanne Lenglen and Phillipe Chartrier, two legendary tennis stars to also hail from France. The Philippe Chatrier court was one of the original courts to be built in 1928. It is the principal venue of the French Open with over 14,840 seats for spectators. Later on in 1994, the Suzanne Lenglen court was constructed to fit 10,068 spectators, honouring the first true star of women’s tennis.
3. A new stadium?
The French Tennis Federation has proposed for the expansion of a new and improved Roland Garros stadium, in order to accommodate an additional 15,000 spectators. The new "stade" will include a roof; a design element that has been lacking since the venue’s inauguration. However, the expansion of this project has escalated into controversial territory: preexisting greenhouses and cartain parts of Les Serres d’Auteuil garden are at stake of being bulldozed. Where turtles swim calmly and thousands of plant species mingle in harmony, the future of this historic neighbourhood in Paris is still being negotiated.
5. That’s not clay
What sets the courts apart from other major international tennis events? It’s all in the clay, well technically, the red-dusted limestone. That’s right, although the courts are generally referred to having clay characteristics, they are actually slabs of white limestone covered in a few millimeters of crushed red brick. The courts are refreshed every morning before the matches commence.
6. It’s anyone’s game
The thrill of the French Open, and specifically the Roland Garros “clay” conditions, is the high level of difficulty. By all means an advanced court, even the most successful champions have struggled in Paris to claim their title. International tennis star Pete Sampras has 14 Grand Slam Titles to his name, yet not a single one from the French Open. The advantage usually given to players on grass or hard courts is taken away at Roland Garros, making the French Open 2015 another suspenseful and enthralling match that is truly up for grabs.
An aerial view of the Roland Garros stadium in Paris, France