He was the British player who won the first ever French Open tournament played on grass in 1891

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The French Open has entertained fans for over 100 years, as the stars of men’s and women’s tennis battle it out on the clay.

Few tournaments are more iconic than Roland Garros, with the red clay playing host to some of the sport’s most memorable moments.

Spain’s Rafael Nadal won 14 French Open titles during his career, carving out his legacy as the greatest player to ever grace the Parisian clay.

The likes of Bjorn Borg, Chris Evert, and Steffi Graf also enjoyed their fair share of success at Roland Garros, winning 19 titles between them.

Roland Garros’ clay courts are legendary, although the first edition of the tournament used an entirely different surface.

Back in 1891, the French Open looked very different, as a group of French players and one Brit battled it out for supremacy on the grass.

Britain’s H. Briggs won the first-ever French Open on grass

134 years ago, the first edition of the French Open (then known as the French Championships) took place on the grass courts at Cercle des Sport de l’lle de Puteaux.

Between 1891 and 1925, the tournament was only open to French players or foreign players who were members of French clubs.

Britain’s H. Briggs benefited from that rule, qualifying for the event as a member of Club Stade Francais.

Working his way through the field of French stars, Briggs reached the final where he took on home favorite P. Baigneres.

There, Briggs dominated his opponent, 6-3, 6-2, to become the first-ever French Championships winner.

No foreign player was able to repeat the feat for the next 41 years, as French players dominated their home event.

Several players did, however, reach finals between 1892 and 1932, but none emerged victorious.

The first non-French player to win the French Open after Briggs was Australia’s Jack Crawford.

Having already won the Australian Open earlier in the year, Crawford traveled to Paris as the number two seed in search of more Major success.

He did just that, battling through to win his sole French Open title, beating five-time champion Henri Cochet in the final.

• 1933 French Championships F – Jack Crawford beat Henri Cochet, 8-6, 6-1, 6-3
• 1933 French Championships SF – Jack Crawford beat Jiro Satoh, 6-0, 6-2, 6-2
• 1933 French Championships QF – Jack Crawford beat Christian Boussus, 6-3, 6-3, 6-1
• 1933 French Championships 4R – Jack Crawford beat Friederich Von Rohrer, 7-5, 1-6, 6-3, 9-7
• 1933 French Championships 3R – Jack Crawford beat Tatsuyoshi Miki, 2-6, 6-3, 10-8, 6-4
• 1933 French Championships 2R – Jack Crawford beat Ignacy Tloczynski, 6-3, 6-1, 6-4

Crawford followed his French Open win with a Wimbledon title before reaching the final of the US Open.

Coming up just short in New York, Crawford missed out on becoming the first player to complete the Calendar Grand Slam.

His win in Paris did, however, signify the end of French dominance at Roland Garros.

Have any British players won the French Open since H. Briggs?

41 years on from Briggs’ triumph on the grass, another British player took centre stage in Paris.

Fred Perry, then a four-time Grand Slam champion, became the first British man to win on the clay at Roland Garros.

• 1935 French Championships F – Fred Perry beat Gottfried von Cramm, 6-3, 3-6, 6-1, 6-3
• 1935 French Championships SF – Fred Perry beat Jack Crawford, 6-3, 8-6, 6-3
• 1935 French Championships QF – Fred Perry beat Christian Boussus, 6-1, 6-0, 6-4
• 1935 French Championships 4R – Fred Perry beat Donald Turnbull, 6-3, 6-3, 6-3
• 1935 French Championships 3R – Fred Perry beat Enrique Maier, 6-2, 6-4, 6-2
• 1935 French Championships 2R – Fred Perry beat Vladimir Landau, 3-6, 6-4, 6-3, 6-2

Perry returned to the final one year later, but it was his German opponent who got his revenge on that occasion as Von Cramm secured the win in four sets.

Another Brit, Bunny Austin, reached the 1937 final but couldn’t secure the win against Von Cramm’s Davis Cup teammate Henner Henkel.

Great Britain were then forced to wait 79 years for one of their own to feature in a French Open men’s final again.

In 2016, Andy Murray reached his sole Roland Garros final, losing out to Serbia’s Novak Djokovic in four sets.

No British player has returned to the showpiece match on Court Philippe Chatrier since, as the nation’s wait for a third men’s singles champion goes on.

Perhaps top-five star Jack Draper could end the drought next year, as he looks to improve on his run to the fourth round in 2025.

The 2026 French Open is scheduled to begin on May 25.