2011 French Open
The 2011 French Open was a Grand Slam tennis tournament held from 22 May to 5 June at the Stade Roland Garros in Paris, France, contested on outdoor red clay courts.[1] It featured the world's top players in men's and women's singles, doubles, and mixed doubles, with a total prize pool of $25 million, marking an increase from the previous year to promote gender parity and early-round compensation.[2] In the men's singles, Rafael Nadal of Spain defended his title and secured his sixth French Open crown—equaling Björn Borg's Open Era record at age 25—by defeating longtime rival Roger Federer of Switzerland 7–5, 7–6(7–3), 5–7, 6–1 in the final.[3] Nadal's victory extended his perfect 21–0 record at Roland Garros and highlighted his dominance on clay, where he won 90% of his matches that year.[4] The tournament's men's draw also saw Novak Djokovic's 43-match winning streak end in the semifinals against Federer in a four-set thriller, preserving Nadal's path to the final.[4] The women's singles produced a historic breakthrough as Li Na of China became the first player from her country to win a Grand Slam title, overcoming defending champion Francesca Schiavone of Italy 6–4, 7–6(7–0) in the final.[5] Li's run, which included upsets over top seeds like Caroline Wozniacki and Maria Sharapova, drew a record 116 million viewers in China for the final, underscoring the tournament's global impact.[4] In doubles competition, Max Mirnyi of Belarus and Daniel Nestor of Canada claimed the men's title, defeating Juan Sebastián Cabal of Colombia and Eduardo Schwank of Argentina in the final to secure their first Grand Slam together.[6] The women's doubles went to Czech pair Andrea Hlaváčková and Lucie Hradecká, who triumphed over Sania Mirza of India and Elena Vesnina of Russia 6–4, 6–3 for their first major as a team.[7] Mixed doubles was won by Australian Casey Dellacqua and American Scott Lipsky, who upset the defending champions Katarina Srebotnik of Slovenia and Nenad Zimonjić of Serbia 7–6(8–6), 4–6, [10–7] in the final.[8] Notable aspects included the tournament's role as the clay-court major, testing endurance with its slow surface and baseline rallies, and its contribution to the 2011 ATP and WTA seasons amid rising stars like Li Na. Attendance exceeded 450,000 spectators, reflecting the event's prestige as part of the Grand Slam circuit.[4]Tournament Overview
Dates and Location
The 2011 French Open took place from May 22 to June 5 at the Stade Roland Garros in Paris, France, marking the second Grand Slam of the year. Qualifying rounds for the main draw occurred from May 16 to 21, allowing players to earn entry into the singles and doubles competitions.[9][10] Stade Roland Garros, constructed in 1928 to host France's Davis Cup defense, derives its name from pioneering aviator Roland Garros and serves as the exclusive venue for this clay-court major—the only Grand Slam played on red clay, which emphasizes prolonged rallies and defensive play. The complex featured 20 courts, with the primary show courts including Court Philippe-Chatrier (capacity 14,840) and Court Suzanne Lenglen (capacity 10,068), alongside smaller outer courts for early-round matches.[11][12] Matches were scheduled in Central European Summer Time (CEST), with daily play beginning at 11:00 a.m. on outer courts and noon on the main stadiums, typically concluding by early evening to accommodate the natural daylight on the outdoor clay surfaces. The tournament attracted over 450,000 spectators across the two-week event, underscoring its status as a premier global tennis gathering.[13]Format and Surface
The 2011 French Open featured standard Grand Slam draw sizes, with 128 players in the main singles draws for both men and women, and 64 teams in the doubles draws. Men's singles matches were contested as best-of-five sets, while women's singles and all doubles matches were best-of-three sets, aligning with long-standing Grand Slam conventions to emphasize endurance on the slower surface.[13][14] The tournament was played on outdoor red clay courts at Stade Roland Garros, the only Grand Slam to use this surface, known for its distinctive composition of crushed red brick dust (1-2 mm thick) layered over crushed white limestone (6-7 cm), clinker (7-8 cm), and crushed gravel (15 cm), providing a grippy, consistent base that promotes high ball bounces and extended rallies. This setup results in the slowest court speed among the four majors, with a pace rating typically below 30 on the Court Pace Rating (CPR) scale, contrasting with the faster hard courts at the Australian and US Opens or the grass at Wimbledon, which favors baseline players with topspin-heavy games.[15][16] Tiebreak rules followed pre-2022 Grand Slam standards, with standard seven-point tiebreaks used in the first four sets of men's singles and all sets of women's singles and doubles; however, the final set in singles had no tiebreak, requiring a player to win by two games regardless of the score reaching 6-6, which often led to prolonged deciding sets on the endurance-testing clay.[17] Qualifying for the singles main draws consisted of three knockout rounds involving 128 players each for men and women, producing 32 qualifiers per gender, and was held on-site at Roland Garros courts in the days leading up to the main event.[13]Broadcasters and Attendance
The 2011 French Open was broadcast domestically in France by France Télévisions, which provided comprehensive coverage across its channels and achieved a total audience of 29 million viewers, representing 49.8% of the French population.[18] In the United States, ESPN handled early-round and semifinal coverage, while NBC aired the finals, with the men's final drawing 3.126 million viewers—the highest U.S. rating for a French Open men's final since 1999.[19] Eurosport served as the primary broadcaster across much of Europe, and the BBC covered the event in the United Kingdom. The tournament's global reach was highlighted by a record 116 million viewers in China for the women's singles final featuring Li Na's victory.[20] Digital coverage marked a notable expansion in 2011, with ESPN3.com streaming nearly 350 hours of live matches, including multi-court options for up to seven simultaneous feeds.[21] France Télévisions introduced France's first HbbTV-based interactive broadcast, allowing viewers enhanced engagement through connected TVs during Roland Garros matches.[22] NBC also debuted live internet streaming for the men's semifinals, broadening online access to key sessions.[23] Tennis Channel complemented this with its online platform, offering multi-match viewing capabilities.[24] Attendance reached a record 464,636 spectators over the two-week event, surpassing the 2010 total of 458,380 and reflecting strong public interest despite intentional reductions in early-week capacity to improve spectator comfort.[18] Daily averages hovered around 33,000, with peak sessions during the finals exceeding 15,000 on the main Philippe-Chatrier court, driven by high-profile matchups like the men's final between Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer.[18] The surge in attendance and viewership amplified the tournament's economic impact, with elevated ticket sales and on-site spending—such as 100,000 sandwiches sold in concessions, double the projected volume—contributing to record revenue for the French Tennis Federation.[18] This influx also boosted tourism in Paris, aligning with a national record of 81.4 million foreign visitors to France in 2011, many drawn by major events like Roland Garros.[25]Points and Prize Money
Ranking Points Distribution
The 2011 French Open awarded ranking points according to the established systems of the Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP) for men, the Women's Tennis Association (WTA) for women, and the International Tennis Federation (ITF) for juniors and wheelchair categories, reflecting the tournament's status as a Grand Slam event. These points were crucial for players' progression in their respective world rankings, influencing seeding, entry into future events, and career milestones, with the singles winner in each senior category earning the maximum allocation of 2000 points. For senior men's and women's singles, the points scaled progressively from the early rounds to the final, emphasizing deep runs on the clay courts at Roland Garros. The ATP and WTA systems differed slightly in their distribution, with the ATP favoring more balanced rewards for semifinalists and beyond, while the WTA emphasized higher points for finalists relative to quarterfinalists. Doubles events followed a similar structure to singles within each tour, awarding full team points that contributed to individual doubles rankings, though participation often complemented singles efforts as a parallel incentive alongside prize money. No specific adjustments were made for the 2011 edition regarding clay specialization, maintaining the standard Grand Slam framework.[26][27] The following tables outline the points distribution for senior events: ATP Men's Singles and Doubles| Round | Singles Points | Doubles Points |
|---|---|---|
| Winner | 2000 | 2000 |
| Runner-up | 1200 | 1200 |
| Semifinalist | 720 | 720 |
| Quarterfinalist | 360 | 360 |
| Round of 16 | 180 | 180 |
| Round of 32 | 90 | 90 |
| Round of 64 | 45 | 45 |
| Round of 128 | 10 | - |
| Round | Singles Points | Doubles Points |
|---|---|---|
| Winner | 2000 | 2000 |
| Runner-up | 1400 | 1400 |
| Semifinalist | 900 | 900 |
| Quarterfinalist | 500 | 500 |
| Round of 16 | 280 | 280 |
| Round of 32 | 160 | 160 |
| Round of 64 | 80 | 80 |
| Round of 128 | 5 | - |
| Round | Singles Points | Doubles Points |
|---|---|---|
| Winner | 250 | 250 |
| Runner-up | 180 | 180 |
| Semifinalist | 120 | 120 |
| Quarterfinalist | 80 | 80 |
| Round of 16 | 40 | 40 |
| Round | Singles Points | Doubles Points |
|---|---|---|
| Winner | 800 | 800 |
| Runner-up | 600 | 600 |
| Semifinalist | 400 | 400 |
| Quarterfinalist | 200 | 200 |
Prize Money Breakdown
The 2011 French Open distributed a total prize money purse of €17,520,000 across all events and categories.[28] This represented an increase from the previous year, reflecting ongoing efforts to enhance financial rewards for participants at the clay-court Grand Slam.[2] The tournament maintained full gender parity in singles prize money, a policy established since 2007, ensuring equal payouts for men and women in every round of the main draw.[29] In singles, the winner of either the men's or women's event earned €1,200,000, while the runner-up received €600,000. Payouts decreased progressively through the rounds, starting with €15,000 for first-round losers. The full singles breakdown was as follows:| Round | Prize Money (€) |
|---|---|
| Winner | 1,200,000 |
| Runner-up | 600,000 |
| Semifinal | 300,000 |
| Quarterfinal | 150,000 |
| Round of 16 | 75,000 |
| Round of 32 | 42,000 |
| Round of 64 | 25,000 |
| Round of 128 | 15,000 |
Player Participation
Seeds and Rankings
The seeding for the 2011 French Open singles events was determined by the ATP and WTA rankings released on April 25, 2011, with the top 32 eligible players in each tour receiving seeds to avoid early-match encounters among favorites.[31][32] Seeding criteria prioritized current world rankings, with special protections for defending champions (ensuring they were placed in the top 32 if qualified) and players returning from injury under protected ranking rules, allowing them to be seeded based on their pre-injury position if within the top 32. This system aimed to balance competitive equity on the clay surface while honoring recent achievements and recovery from absences.Men's Singles Seeds
The men's draw featured Rafael Nadal as the top seed and defending champion, widely regarded as the favorite due to his dominant record at Roland Garros. Novak Djokovic, on an unbeaten streak entering the tournament, was seeded second, setting up a potential clash with Nadal in the later rounds. The full list of 32 seeds, reflecting their entry rankings with minor adjustments for protected status, is as follows:| Seed | Player | Country | Ranking |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Rafael Nadal | ESP | 1 |
| 2 | Novak Djokovic | SRB | 2 |
| 3 | Roger Federer | SUI | 3 |
| 4 | Andy Murray | GBR | 4 |
| 5 | Robin Söderling | SWE | 5 |
| 6 | Tomáš Berdych | CZE | 7 |
| 7 | David Ferrer | ESP | 6 |
| 8 | Jürgen Melzer | AUT | 8 |
| 9 | Gaël Monfils | FRA | 9 |
| 10 | Mardy Fish | USA | 10 |
| 11 | Nicolás Almagro | ESP | 11 |
| 12 | Mikhail Youzhny | RUS | 12 |
| 13 | Richard Gasquet | FRA | 17 |
| 14 | Stan Wawrinka | SUI | 14 |
| 15 | Viktor Troicki | SRB | 16 |
| 16 | Fernando Verdasco | ESP | 15 |
| 17 | Jo-Wilfried Tsonga | FRA | 18 |
| 18 | Gilles Simon | FRA | 23 |
| 19 | Marin Čilić | CRO | 19 |
| 20 | Florian Mayer | GER | 24 |
| 21 | Alexandr Dolgopolov | UKR | 20 |
| 22 | Michael Llodra | FRA | 25 |
| 23 | Thomaz Bellucci | BRA | 28 |
| 24 | Sam Querrey | USA | 19 |
| 25 | Juan Martín del Potro | ARG | 26 |
| 26 | Milos Raonic | CAN | 29 |
| 27 | Marcos Baghdatis | CYP | 21 |
| 28 | Nikolay Davydenko | RUS | 30 |
| 29 | Janko Tipsarević | SRB | 22 |
| 30 | Guillermo García-López | ESP | 31 |
| 31 | Sergiy Stakhovsky | UKR | 32 |
| 32 | Kevin Anderson | RSA | 33 |
Women's Singles Seeds
In the women's draw, Caroline Wozniacki entered as the top seed, though Samantha Stosur, the 2009 finalist with strong clay form, was viewed as a key favorite among the top 8. Defending champion Francesca Schiavone was seeded fifth, benefiting from her ranking and champion status. The full list of 32 seeds, aligned with entry rankings and accounting for pre-tournament withdrawals like Serena Williams (ranked 10th), is as follows:| Seed | Player | Country | Ranking |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Caroline Wozniacki | DEN | 1 |
| 2 | Kim Clijsters | BEL | 2 |
| 3 | Vera Zvonareva | RUS | 3 |
| 4 | Victoria Azarenka | BLR | 5 |
| 5 | Francesca Schiavone | ITA | 4 |
| 6 | Li Na | CHN | 7 |
| 7 | Maria Sharapova | RUS | 9 |
| 8 | Samantha Stosur | AUS | 6 |
| 9 | Petra Kvitová | CZE | 19 |
| 10 | Jelena Janković | SRB | 8 |
| 11 | Marion Bartoli | FRA | 13 |
| 12 | Agnieszka Radwańska | POL | 12 |
| 13 | Svetlana Kuznetsova | RUS | 14 |
| 14 | Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova | RUS | 21 |
| 15 | Andrea Petković | GER | 15 |
| 16 | Kaia Kanepi | EST | 17 |
| 17 | Julia Görges | GER | 27 |
| 18 | Flavia Pennetta | ITA | 20 |
| 19 | Shahar Peer | ISR | 11 |
| 20 | Ana Ivanovic | SRB | 18 |
| 21 | Yanina Wickmayer | BEL | 22 |
| 22 | Dominika Cibuľková | SVK | 28 |
| 23 | Alisa Kleybanova | RUS | 25 |
| 24 | Jarmila Gajdošová | AUS | 31 |
| 25 | Maria Kirilenko | RUS | 26 |
| 26 | Nadia Petrova | RUS | 23 |
| 27 | Alexandra Dulgheru | ROU | 29 |
| 28 | Daniela Hantuchová | SVK | 30 |
| 29 | Shuai Peng | CHN | 30 |
| 30 | Roberta Vinci | ITA | PR |
| 31 | Klara Zakopalová | CZE | 31 |
| 32 | Tsvetana Pironkova | BUL | 32 |