The French Open, also known as Roland-Garros, is a two-week tennis tournament on a clay surface, held at the Stade Roland-Garros in Paris, France.
Stade Roland Garros is a complex of tennis courts, including stadiums. Court names include Court Philippe Chatrier, Court Suzanne Lenglen, Court Simonne Mathieu and outside courts.
The 2023 French Open
The 2023 event played out between Sun, May 28, 2023 and Sun, Jun 11, 2023. Prize money for the 2023 French Open increased > 12% to $54.6 million.
The winner of the WTA Ladies French open 2023 finals was Iga Swiatek who defeated Karolina Muchova to lift the Suzanne Lenglen trophy.
The Finals of the ATP men´s event saw a clash between Novak Djokovic (2 time French Open winner – who defeated world #1 Carlos Alcaraz in the semi-finals 6-3 5-7 6-1 6-1.) vs Casper Ruud. Serbian Djokovic reached a record 23 grand slam titles after defeating Casper Ruud 7-6 (1), 6-3, 7-5 at Roland Garros
The King of Clay
Spaniard Rafa Nadal earned his nickname of “The King of Clay” by winning the Roland Garros 13 times. Nadal defeated Casper Ruud in the final, 6–3, 6–3, 6–0 to win the men’s singles tennis title at the 2022 French Open. Nadal did not compete in the 2023 French Open and has announced his upcoming retirement.
French Open Betting Strategies
The clay is the surface with the slowest pace and highest bounce in tennis, making for long, baseline rallies. As a result, the serve isn’t quite as effective as it is on other surfaces. On clay, good return is vital.
The surface at Stade Roland Garros can favor the most athletic and physically fit players. Any competitors carrying any injuries, even relatively minor ones, could struggle in this physically demanding tournament.
Before betting on the French Open, consider players with a history of success on clay, particularly those that have had good results during the current clay season, such as the Monte-Carlo Masters, Barcelona Open, Madrid Open, and Italian Open.
French Open History
The history of the French Open tennis tournament goes back to the Championnat de France in 1891, a tournament that was only open to tennis players of French clubs.
- The first winner was British player H. Briggs, a resident of Paris who was a member of the Club Stade Francais.
- The first women’s singles tournament (with just four entrants) was held in 1897 and was won by Adine Masson.
- The tournament started to accept international players in 1925.
- The tournament was played at various venues until moved to the Stade de Roland Garros (named after a World War I fighter pilot hero) in 1928.
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Frequently Asked Questions
What surface is the French Open played on?
The French Open is played on what is regularly described as “red clay”, but is in fact white limestone covered with a few millimeters of powdered red brick dust.
Who are the most successful players in the history of the French Open?
The most successful players in the Open era (since 1968) in the French Open are as follows:
Men’s
- Rafael Nadal – 14
- Bjorn Borg – 6
- Mats Wilander – 3
- Ivan Lendl – 3
- Gustavo Kuerten – 3
Women’s
- Chris Evert – 7
- Steffi Graf – 6
- Justine Henin – 4
- Margaret Court – 3
- Arantxa Sanchez Vicario – 3
- Monica Seles – 3
- Serena Williams - 3
What is the seeding system?
Seeding is used to separate to prevent top players from meeting in the early rounds. The top seed is the competitor the best player according to past record in the event and their - the ATP ranking. The tournament organizers then put the top and second seed at opposite ends of the draw to ensure they don't meet in the early rounds.
Is The French Open a Grand Slam Event?
Yes - it is one of four events in the tennis calendar, which starts with the Australian Open in January, the French Open (also known as Roland Garros) from around late May to early June, then Wimbledon in June–July, and finally in August–September the US Open.