In the world of international tennis, the Grand Slam tournaments are certainly the most prestigious events, attracting the best players from all over the world. The second Grand Slam to be played each year is the French Open. Also referred to as Roland Garros, the French open is held over a two-week period in May and follows on from the highly successful Australian Open held at the end of January each year. The completion is held in Paris France in the Stade Roland Garros, a stadium named in honour of the famous French Aviator

The French Open is a premier clay-court tennis tournament being the only Grand Slam to be played on clay. It is widely considered to be the most physically demanding tennis tournament on the international calendar. The origins of the French Open date back to 1891 when it was known as the French Championships. At the time the tournament was only open to member of French Tennis Clubs. The first winner of the French Championships was Briton H Briggs.

Roland Garros Open Championships

In 1897, the first woman’s French Championships were held with the mixed doubles added in 1902. The woman’s doubles competition was not added until 1907. The tournament stayed members only until 1924. In 1925, the French Championships were opened to all amateurs both local and international. At the same time, it was designated as a Major Championship by the ILTF creating the basis for the modern French Open. In 1928 the Stade Roland Garros was officially opened and the competition held there ever since.

In 1968, the French Open became the first Grand Slam tournament to go “Open” meaning that it allowed both amateurs and professionals to compete in the tournament. From 2006 onwards, the competition has started on a Sunday with 12 singles matches played on three courts. In 2007 the tournament announced that it would award equal prize money to both men and woman in all of the rounds including the finals. The 2016 men’s singles tournament was won by Novak Djokovic with Garbiñe Muguruza defeating Serena Williams to take the woman’s singles title.

French Open Tennis Bets

For online betting, the French Open provides ample sports online betting opportunities for both seasoned bettors and novice bettors. At the start of the tournament, bettors can place bets on which player will win the tournament outright in the men’s division, the woman’s division, doubles and mixed doubles. In any tennis tournament, there are a large number of bets that can be placed. In the early stages of the tournament, bets can be placed on which players will make it through passed the first round.

As the tournament progresses, bettors can place mobile tennis betting wagers on which players will make it into the semi-final or the finals from any device. At any point in the tournament, bettors can place bets on individual matches picking the winner of each matchup. There are also opportunities to place exotic bets inside each match including bets on which player will serve the first ace, which player will win the first set and how many sets will be played in total during the match.