Roland Garros - The Origins of the Name
Have you ever wondered why they call it Roland Garros? Well, it is a pretty interesting story, actually. In 1927 the young French Tennis Federation decided ti build a stadium just for tennis, because until then the French International Open tournament was held either at the Stade de France, or at the Racing Club, which were places where many types of events took place. But in 1927 there were four great French tennis-men that, against all odds, managed to win the Davis Cup, after battling the Americans on their own territory. They were legendary: Rene Lacoste, Jean Borotra, Jacques Brugnon and Henri Cochet. The rematch was highly anticipated and set for 1928, and this is why the French decided to build a stadium.
So the mayor of Paris offered the land on which to raise the new stadium to the tennis federation. There was one condition though: they would have to name it Roland Garros, after a french aviation pioneer who had died about 10 years before. That guy was a legend too, being the first man to fly over the Mediterranean Sea in 1913. And that’s how the stadium, and the mega tennis event got the name of Roland Garros.
Now, with Roland Garros 2010 in a few months’ time, a lot of things have changed, but that’s definitely an understatement.