From Wednesday, former champions Goran Ivanisevic, Stefan Edberg, a “great champion” according to Piolin, and three Frenchmen who won the title: Guy Forget (1991), Sébastien Grosjean (2001) and Jo-Wilfried Tsonga (2008) will appear on Center Court.
Pioline has a personal link to almost every one of those publications. “I was 17 years old in 1986, and I think I should have been in 39 at least one day out of 40 editions,” he said.
A young old tournament, in a sense, rich in history
“We’re a young old tournament with a rich history in some ways,” Piolin said. The draw went from 32 players to 48 and then to today’s 56. The tournament moved from Bercy to the Plenitude Arena last year. Not all big names made the honor roll. “Rafael Nadal, for example, has never won here,” Piolin said. “He came, he tried, but he didn’t succeed.”
Moreton went further. Prior to the first edition, an exhibition called “Smash” organized by Patrice Dominguez and Denis Naegelen was held at the Palais omnisports de Paris-Bercy before the federation turned it into an official tournament.
The record holder is Novak Djokovic with seven titles. The anniversary program begins on Monday with a photo on the court around the giant 40th anniversary logo with fans. Tuesday night’s tournament will honor Gael Monfils, a two-time runner-up in 2009 and 2010.
