붉은 클레이의 전설, ‘프랑스 오픈’인가 ‘롤랑 가로스’인가: 이름 속에 담긴 자부심의 미학 > K-wave Trends

The official name of the competition, ‘Roland Garros’, comes from the name of a French hero and aviation pioneer during World War I. When building a new tennis stadium in Paris in 1928, the French Tennis Association named his name on the stadium to enhance its national symbolism, and this has become the brand that permeates the entire tournament today. On the other hand, ‘French Open’ was a name commonly used by English-speaking media to emphasize the regional characteristics of the tournament. In the past, the two names were used interchangeably, but since the 2000s, the French Tennis Association has been strongly promoting the use of the brand ‘Roland Garros’ in order to monopolize the brand value and establish itself as a global proper name.

The core of this branding strategy is analyzed as a result of benchmarking the case of Wimbledon. Instead of being called ‘British Open’, Wimbledon became an independent brand with its own name, securing a strong authority that is used everywhere in the world. France also tried to build a differentiated and luxurious image by breaking away from the general noun expression ‘French Open’ and using ‘Roland Garros’, which refers only to this tournament. Today, the official website, broadcast graphics, and on-site interface are all unified as ‘Roland Garros’, which shows the desire for the tournament to be recognized as a cultural heritage combined with French history beyond a simple sporting event.

The reason why the 2026 competition was even more special is because a variety of events were combined with the strong wind of generational change. In particular, teenage newcomer Mira Andreyeva stood tall as the main character on the court, setting a record of becoming the first teenage champion in 34 years, and there were many eventful upsets, such as gods such as Joao Fonseca defeating seasoned master Djokovic. Amid this dynamic game flow, the tournament management did not stop trying to connect sports and culture. During the tournament, tournament director Amelie Mauresmo planned a performance to display the UEFA Champions League championship trophy on the court, symbolically revealing that Roland Garros is more than just a tennis tournament but a festival of all European sports.

The quality of the competition is also clearly evident in partnerships and marketing. A long-established brand like Lacoste extended its partnership that began in 1971 until 2030 and introduced the ‘Terre Battue’ collection, which fully captures the clay court culture of Roland Garros. In particular, actions that combined sustainability and tradition, such as applying dyeing technology using actual clay court soil or making staff uniforms using recycled materials collected from previous competitions, further solidified the competition's brand value. The experiential space operated in the 16th arrondissement of Paris provided fans with an immersive experience that went beyond watching the game, proving the scalability of the Roland Garros brand.

The attitude of the press and media is also an interesting point to watch. While professional tennis media and field reporters consistently use the name ‘Roland Garros’ to emphasize the legitimacy of the tournament, news targeting the general public still uses the expression ‘French Open’ interchangeably. This clearly shows the gap between the functional convenience of the name and the values ​​the brand pursues. However, as time passes, ‘Roland Garros’ goes beyond just the name of the stadium, and becomes deeply entrenched in the public’s mind as a unique icon symbolizing the rough texture of the clay court and the history of French tennis.