Can anyone tell me what the connection is between Roland Garros, the venue for the US Tennis Open, and Roland Garros, the WWI French fighter pilot?
Please bear in mind, I know 4/5ths of f&%$ all about tennis, so I could be wrong about that first bit. Enlighten me.
correction - French Open, like the title says.
From a little Web searching, it appears he’s probably something of a national hero. As a result, they named the sporting venue after him. Not really much different from Arthur Ashe Stadium and Louis Armstrong Stadium, part of the center where the US Open is held.
He was a popular hero, and in the 1920’s they named a tennis stadium after him. The competition took its name from the venue - much like Wimbledon.
After a little googling, the name was picked because, besides being
After a little googling, the name was picked because, besides being a war hero, Garros also was a member of the sport association that build the venue (the “Stade français”). Ha had won the french cycling championship in 1906 and was also a soccer and tennis player.
Some trivia here :- The Roland Garros Stadium is located on the Avenue Gordon-Bennet , that well known exclamation and American aviation pioneer.
Thanks - that’s what I was after.