FRENCH OPEN TENNIS HISTORY; The Davis Cup success of the French Musketeers, Jacques Brugnon, Jean Borotra, Henri Cochet and Ren Lacoste, over America in 1927 required a new stadium to be built to host the following year. So, having alternated between the Racing Club at Croix-Catelan and Stade Francais courts at the Faisanderie in St Cloud, the championships found their spiritual home at the Porte Auteuil.

Housed on a three-hectare site provided by the city of Paris, the arena was named after France's wartime aviator, Roland Garros, with Cochet winning the first men's title on the new Centre Court in 1928. The championships were dominated by American and Australian players following the Second World War, with French names rarely featuring on the roll of honour. Among them were teenage prodigies Australian Ken Rosewall and American Maureen Connolly, who swept all before them in 1953.

Another landmark was reached in 1956, when Althea Gibson became the first African-American player to win a Grand Slam event, defeating Angela Mortimer in her only appearance at the tournament.