1939 French Championships (tennis) 1939 French Championships (tennis) The 1939 French Championships (now known as the French Open) was a tennis tournament that took place on the outdoor clay courts at the Stade Roland-Garros in Paris, France. The tournament ran from 8 June until 17 June. It was the 44th staging of the French Championships and the last one held before a six-year hiatus due to World War II. It was the second of four Grand Slam tennis events of the year. Don McNeill defeated Bobby Riggs 7–5, 6–0, 6–3 Simonne Mathieu defeated Jadwiga Jędrzejowska 6–3, 8–6 Don McNeill / Charles Harris defeated Jean
Tennis court Slam tournament to use clay courts. Clay courts slow down the ball and produce a high bounce in comparison to grass or hard courts. For this reason, the clay court takes away many of the advantages of big serves, which makes it hard for serve-based players to dominate on the surface. Clay courts are cheaper to construct than other types of tennis courts, but a clay surface costs more to maintain. Clay courts need to be rolled to preserve flatness. The clay's water content must be balanced; green clay courts generally require the courts to be sloped to allow water