The French Open has a special place in the heart of all tennis fans, with its rich history, atmospheric stadiums and classic matches. The second of the four majors, it's held right in the middle of the tennis calendar, and is a target for all the big names aiming for a Grand Slam. The list of previous winners reads like a who's who of tennis legends: Agassi, Graf, Lendl, Seles, Borg, Evert-Lloyd, Navratilova, Laver, Lenglen... the names just keep on coming.

The championships at Roland Garros, Paris, known as the French Open, are the second event in the Grand Slam calendar each year. This year, the tournament is scheduled to take place from May 23 to June 5th. The slow, clay surface has proved to be a tough one to win on, and many players have found that they can never play at top form here. Indeed, some players are now known as “clay court specialists” because they are experts at this difficult surface, regardless of their success or failure on any other surfaces.

Anna Kournikova at French Open

1997 was Anna Kournikova first appearance at Roland Garros, where she got to the third round. First, she beat Radka Zrubakova 6-3, 6-2; then, Sandra Cecchini, 6-2, 6-2. Martina Hingis was Anna’s next opponent in the third round; Hingis prevailed 1-6, 3-6.

Anna improved her performance the next two years by advancing to the fourth round. Her matches in 1998: defeated Amelie Mauresmo, 6-2, 6-4; defeated Katerina Studenikova 6-2, 7-6; defeated Asa Carlson, 6-0, 6-0; lost to Jana Novotna, 7-6, 3-6, 3-6. In 1999 her route to the fourth round was as follows: defeated Tamarine Tanasugarn 6-3, 6-3; defeated Amy Frazier 6-4, 6-1; defeated Patty Schneider 6-1, 3-6, 6-0. Lost to Steffi Graf 3-6, 6-7.

However, in 2000 Anna Kournikova could not get beyond the second round, losing to Sylvia Plischke 2-6, 6-4, 4-6, having defeated Vanessa Web in the first round, 6-4, 6-4. In 2001, an injury-plagued year, she did not participate at all. She crashed out in the first round in 2002, losing to Christina Wheeler 4-6, 3-6. This was to be the last appearance she has made at the French Open so far.