The history of the first World Championship on clay in 1912, ancestor of Roland-Garros

2023-06-09 14:35:55

The history of Roland-Garros and that of the Stade Français are closely linked. If the Internationaux de France have existed since 1891 and took place each year alternately at the Racing Club de France or at the Stade Français, everything changed from 1912. That year, the Stade Français organized the very first edition of the World Championship of tennis on clay. A competition invented by a certain Duane Williams, an American manufacturer of tennis balls. The latter regretted that clay court specialists were at a disadvantage when they participated in tournaments mainly on grass, such as Wimbledon.