Why the French Open is named after Roland Garros, who didn't play tennis

The French Open is held at Roland Garros, a venue named after aviation pioneer Roland Garros rather than a tennis figure. Garros was a World War I fighter pilot and early aviation record-setter with no known connection to racquet sports. He is credited as the first person to shoot down another aircraft with a gun firing forward between the propeller. After Garros was killed in action, Paris needed a name for a new tennis stadium in 1928. Emile Lesueur, president of the Stade Francais rugby club, suggested Garros, reflecting his status as a national hero. Garros was born in 1885 on Réunion, later pursued business and aviation, and became a pilot after attending an air show in 1909.

"“He's an important figure in early aviation, both as a record-setter before the war and as a wartime pilot,” says Christopher Moore, the curator for World War I aircraft at the Smithsonian's National Air and Space Museum. “He's considered the first person to shoot down another aircraft with a gun firing forward between the propeller.” So how did Garros become synonymous with tennis? The short answer: In 1928, a decade after Garros was killed in action, Paris' new tennis stadium needed a name."

"“I guess he was a national hero, and that kind of tells you how people thought about him,” Moore says. In 1928, Paris needed a name for a new tennis stadium. Emile Lesueur, president of the Stade Francais rugby club, suggested Garros, his former business school classmate. The choice connected the stadium to a celebrated wartime figure rather than to the sport itself."

"Garros was born in 1885 on Reunion, a French island in the Indian Ocean. The island's main international airport now bears his name, too. He grew up playing soccer, rugby and cycling but “was not an avid tennis player,” as the tennis tournament's website explains. Garros was not originally drawn to aviation either: He graduated from business school and founded a car dealership."

"“He decides that he wants to be a pilot, so he basically goes out and buys his own plane, teaches himself to fly he earns his pilot's license,” says Moore. In August 1909, Garros attended the first major international air show in the Champagne region of France. After that, he pursued flying and became a pilot, setting the stage for his later aviation achievements and wartime role."

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