2008 French Open Tennis

The French Open is billed as the most challenging of all the grand slams and the 2008 French Open tennis tournament is sure to adhere to the rigours and robust competitiveness so typical of the second of the annual tennis 'majors'.

Over fifteen thousand spectators have already reserved their seats on centre court, the famed Court Philippe Chatrier, and thousands more are expected to arrive at the spectacular Roland Garros venue over the two weeks of the competition in the hopes of catching a glimpse of the fabled combatants of clay court tennis.

Hosted by one of the most romantic cities in the world, Paris, the French Open 2008 event will run from May 25th to June 8^th and this year's event is sure to unleash some of the most riveting tennis - both the men's and women's defending champions for the singles event are vying for a fourth consecutive victory.

'King of Clay', Rafael Nadal, and his female counterpart, the feisty Belgian, Justine Henin will etch their names into French Open history should they succeed in lifting the crown yet again. Only the legendary Bjorn Borg and the 1920's heroine of the Open, Suzanne Lenglen, with four consecutive titles apiece, stand firmly in the way of the current champions.

Over the years the French Open has epitomised the steel and resolve of the very best in tennis, and the Roland Garros Stadium is a more that apt venue - it is named after the World War I fighter pilot who gave his life for 'King and Country', and his bravery is remembered and celebrated on the dusty, challenging red clay courts every year.

The clay of Roland Garros has also denied some of the finest tennis players the opportunity of realising the most prestigious accolade in world tennis - the sought after, and extremely challenging career grand slam - winning all four grand slam tournaments during their careers.

Current World number one, Roger Federer has found the clay courts in Paris to be his nemesis, and he is in good company - Pete Sampras, Jimmy Connors, Maria Sharapova and Martina Hingis are just a few of the tennis legends who have been denied by clay.

Yet there are also athletes who thrive on the clay surfaces of Europe, and these players are specialists. They have honed their talents over the years on the surface, and have learnt to use the court to their very best advantage. One only has to think of Carlos Moya, the fabulous Chrissie Evert, the contentious Monica Seles, and of course, the players that myths are made of - Martina Navratilova, Bjorn Borg and Steffi Graf. More recently Justine Henin and 'Raffa' Nadal have donned that mantle.

All in all, the 2008 French Open tennis tournament is sure to be one of the sports spectacles of the year, and judging by current form, the tournament could very well introduce a couple of new champions onto the centre stage. For all the latest odds and betting tips, take a look at our French Open Betting Tips page.