2009 French Open Tennis

The French Open is billed as the most challenging of all the grand slams and the 2009 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 2009 event will run from May 24^th to June 7^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, etched his name into French Open history after matching the record of the the legendary Bjorn Borg and the 1920's heroine of the Open, Suzanne Lenglen, with four consecutive titles apiece. Justine Henin was not there to defend her title due to her immediate retirement from professional tennis in May 2008. Ana Ivanovic claimed the 2008 women's singles title for the first time, and the world will be watching to see if she can defend her title at Roland Garros in 2009.

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. 

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 2009 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.