Roland Garros (October 6, 1888 - October 5, 1918), French national hero and fighter pilot during World War I.

Garros was a famous pilot before the outbreak of World War I. In 1913, he became the first person to fly non-stop across the Mediterranean. The following year, when World War I broke out, he joined the French army. After several battles, he found that it was too difficult to shoot while flying a plane, so he installed a machine gun on the front of the plane so that he could combine the shooting target and the flight direction into one. In order to prevent the propeller from being hit by enemy bullets, he also installed a protective layer of steel sheets on the propeller. Starting on April 1, 1915, he successfully shot down three Luftwaffe aircraft and became famous in France.

On April 18, 1915, Garros' plane was hit and he had to make an emergency landing on the German side. Dutch aircraft designer Anthony Fokker developed the firing interrupter after studying the structure of the Garros. This made the Luftwaffe's aircraft invincible and caused the famous "Fokker Disaster" to the Allies.

In February 1918, Garros successfully escaped from a German prisoner of war camp and returned to serve in the French army. On October 5, 1918, his plane was hit again and he died heroically at the age of 30.

Garros is often mistakenly considered the world's first ace pilot. In fact, he shot down three planes in one flight, and the honor of being the first ace belongs to another French pilot, Adolphe Pegoud. However, Garros remained an excellent pilot and may have been the world's earliest fighter pilot.

In 1920, a tennis court in Paris, France, was named Roland Garros after him. This court was used to host the French Open, one of the tennis Grand Slam events. Soon, this event was called "Roland Garros" by the French. The international airport on the French colonial island of Reunion is also named after "Roland Garros".

Roland-Garros, a stadium near Paris

The French Open (French: Tournoi de Roland-Garros) is a tennis event held in Paris, France from mid-May to early June. , is the second game of the World Tennis Grand Slam. The French Open is held every year at the famous Roland Garros stadium.

When the French Open began in 1891, it was only a domestic championship in France.

A Grand Slam in tennis refers to a player winning the following four events in one season:

Australian Open

French Open< /p>

Wimbledon Championships

U.S. Open

The above four events are often called the "Grand Slam Series". Regardless of the size, history, prize money, points and influence of the tournament, the Grand Slam series is the most important event in professional tennis. Therefore, winning a Grand Slam title is the ultimate dream for every professional tennis player and the highest honor.