It is pretty unimaginable that people will not have heard of the French Open tennis championship, because it is a competition which is a regular topic of conversation. In French the name of the competition is ‘Les Internationaux de France de Roland Garros’ or ‘Tournoi de Roland Garros’. This tournament, which lasts for about two weeks is held in Paris at the Roland Garros Stadium, from which it got its name.

The French Open is one of the most advertised and broadcast sports events in the entire world of sport and lots of VIPs attend it. The attendees are fanatics who wait with baited breath on every stroke, especially when there is a tight struggle between the two sides, doing their best to win. Even TV viewers actually get a feeling of being there live.

The French Open tennis championship comes in second on the annual round of the Grand Slam tournaments and its history goes back to the year of 1891 when it became an international competition. At that time it was named the ‘International Championship of Tennis of France’ or ‘Championat de France International de Tennis’ in French.

Initially, only players that were registered or licensed in France were allowed to participate in this competition, but things took a different turn in 1925, when the French open tennis tournament finally was accessible to foreign players. In 1912, the ground the players used was made of red brick dust. Actually the crushed brick was formed into red clay that covered the ground, which until then would have been a green lawn.

The public popularity of the French Open tennis tournament held at the Roland Garros stadium, dates back to a competition between the Philadelphia Four (Rene Lacoste, Jean Borotra, Henri Cochet and Jacques Brugnon) who won the Davis Cup in 1927. It was the trigger of the desire in the French to defend their cup in future competitions. This new tournament was designed to bring back home the cup and was held at a stadium named after the World War I pilot Roland Garros. Since then the name has stuck.

The word ‘open’ became has been used from 1968, when the tournament allowed both amateurs and professionals alike who wanted to test their skills at tennis. Since then the French Open tennis tournament has also brought in some novel prizes.

Beside the regular winners’ prizes, they also award a ‘Prix Orange’ for the most correct and press friendly player, a ‘Prix Citron’ for the player with the strongest personality and a ‘Prix Burgeon’ for the one that turns out to be the revelation of the tennis year.

I trust that this initial effort of mine into the world of writing will find a place with both novices and experts in the tennis world. I am trying to interest the student of the game by a somewhat prolonged discussion of match play, which I trust will cast a new light on the game of tennis.

I will turn to the novice in my opening article and speak of certain things which are second nature to the experienced tennis player. The best tennis equipment is not a lot of use to the novice even if he really wants to succeed. Nevertheless, one has to purchase good quality; it is a saving eventually, as high quality goods far outlasts poor quality equipment.

It is vital always to wear tennis apparel when playing tennis. The question of choosing a tennis racquet is a much more serious decision. I do not like to force a certain brand of racquet upon any player, since all the famous brands are of excellent quality. However, the weight, balance, and size of the handle are the really important considerations when choosing a racquet frame, while good stringing is essential to obtain optimum results.

After having selected your racquet, make a firm decision to use only quality tennis balls, as a regular bounce is a great aid to advancement, while a “dead” ball is of no use at all. If you really want to advance at the game and progress rapidly, I strongly urge you to see all the good tennis you can. Study the play of the leading players and try to emulate their strokes. Read all the tennis instruction books you can find. They are a great help.

Much more tennis can be picked up off the tennis court in the study of theory and in watching the top players in play, than can ever be learned in one’s own actual play. I do not mean that you should miss opportunities to play tennis, far from it. Play tennis whenever you can, but strive when playing to put into practice the theories you have read about or the strokes you have watched.

Never become discouraged by lack of progress. The trick of playing some stroke you have worked on for weeks unsuccessfully, will suddenly come to you when you least expect it. Good tennis players are the product of hard work. Very few players are born geniuses at the game. Tennis is a game that pays you interest all your life. A tennis racquet is a letter of introduction in any city.

The fellowship of the game is universal, for none but a fit sportsman can succeed in the game for any lengthy period of time. Tennis provides relaxation, excitement, exercise, and pure enjoyment to the player who is tied fast to his business until late afternoon.

The following is the order of development that produces the quickest and most lasting results: i. Concentration on the game. ii. Keep the eye on the ball. iii. Foot-work and weight-control. iv. Strokes. v. Court position. vi. Court generalship or match play. vii. Tennis psychology.

Concentration. Tennis is played primarily with the mind. The best racquet technique invented will not suffice if the playing mind is erring. There are many causes of a wandering mind in a tennis match. The chief one is loss of interest in the game. No one should play tennis with any hope of real success unless he cares sufficiently about the game to be willing to do the spadework necessary to learn the game correctly.

Jack it in right now if you are not willing to work very hard. The weather, conditions of play or the murmurs in the gallery often confuse even very experienced match-players playing in new surroundings. Complete and utter concentration on the game is the only cure for an erring mind, and the quicker that lesson is learned the more rapid the improvement of the player.

The surest way to keep a match in mind is to play for every set, every game in the set, every point in the game and, finally, every shot in the point. A set is merely a collection of made and missed shots, and the man who misses the least is the ultimate victor.