French Open Basics: A Navigational Guide to the 2009 French Open

OK, so you're a casual sports fan, or maybe a casual tennis player, or maybe you're just bored and noticed that this thing called "Roland Garros" is going to be on television for the next two weeks. Maybe you want to know what to watch out for at this year's tournament. Or, More importantly, maybe you just want to learn how to navigate the shifting television coverage. Alright, well here are the basics, so sit back and relax.

What is the French Open exactly?

The French Open is one of 4 premier events on the tennis calendar called "Grand Slam Events." Winning one of these four tournaments that include the Australian Open, The Championships at Wimbledon, and the U.S. Open, is enough to solidify your position among the tennis greats. The tournament takes place over two weeks at the end of May and beginning of June, culminating with the Men's Singles Finals on Sunday.

So what's the word? Where's the hype?

On the Men's side, all the talk revolves around nemeses Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer. Nadal has won 28 consecutive matches at the French, including three victories over former number 1 Roger Federer, on his way to collecting 3 consecutive titles. Roger Federer needs only one title at the French Open to complete a career "Grand Slam", further cementing his claim as the best tennis player to ever play the game. The two superstars appear to be on a collision course for one another, and would potentially meet in the final round. The Women's draw is a little more wide-open, yet Serena Williams seems to be an early favorite. World Number 1 Dinara Safina has never won a Grand Slam Event, and will try to vindicate her number 1 status with a French Open Title.

When is the Tournament?

The tournament runs from Sunday, May 24^th to Sunday June 7^th

When and where is the television coverage?

The Tennis Channel, ESPN2, NBC, and TV5 aux (whatever that is) are all carrying some portion of the coverage for this year's tournament according to the French Open website. Tennis.com has a complete overview of when and where the French Open will be on TV, including repeat coverage, at:

http://www.tennis.com/tvschedule/tvschedule.aspx?id=67

Where can I find updates online?

Updates can be found at:

http://www.rolandgarros.com/index.html and at http://sports.espn.go.com/sports/tennis/scoreboard?tournamentId=172&year=2009&matchType=1

Who are the big names in this years Tournament?

Men (Ranking/Seeds):

Rafael Nadal (1): Winner of 3 consecutive French Opens, undefeated at Roland Garros

Roger Federer (2): 3-time runner up and former World Number 1.

Andy Murray (3): 2008 US Open runner-up

Novak Djokovic (4): 2008 Australian Open Champion

Women:

Dinara Safina (1): Holder of 11 career singles titles and 10 runner-up finishes

Serena Williams (2): Winner of 10 grand slam events, including 2002 French Open

Venus Williams (3): Winner of 7 grand slam events. 2002 French Open Finalist

Elena Dementieva (4): Never made it past the Quarterfinal round at Roland Garros

Notables:

Ana Ivanovic

Maria Sharapova

Andy Roddick

Fernando Ferdasco

Tommy Robredo

Svetlana Kuznetsova

OK, now you have been equipped with the basics. All that's left for you to do is grab your remote control, turn on the TV, and watch all the excitement that professional tennis has to offer.

Sources:

http://www.atpworldtour.com/tennis/1/en/home/

www.rolandgarros.com

http://www.sonyericssonwtatour.com/1/