... the French Open, by Damian Cullen.

What is it?The French Open (or, as it rolls off the tongue in France, Les Internationaux de France de Roland Garros) is the second Grand Slam of the year and is currently being played in a Paris stadium named after the first World War pilot Roland Garros (who as far as we know, never held a tennis racket). And in the game that adheres to the principle that to err is human, to blame someone else is doubles, the French Open is the only Grand Slam played on clay.

And why's that important?Well, it means the French Open is the only one of the four Grand Slams where the winner is not known before the tournament actually begins. Or, at least, the winner isn't always Swiss. Roger Federer doesn't thrive on clay. The Swiss maestro has won 12 Grand Slam singles titles (three Australian, five Wimbledon, four US) since 2003, but has lost the three French Open finals he's competed in. All to Rafael Nadal. The Spaniard, who is the longest player ranked number two in the world (currently 148 weeks) amazingly has an advantage over the longest player ranked number one in the world (226 weeks). They've played 16 times, with Nadal winning 10. However, nine of those meetings were on clay, with Nadal's record being 8-1. That win by Federer is the only clay court game Nadal has lost since the beginning of 2005.

And the women's?Just like in the men's game, one player has dominated lately, winning the last three singles titles. However, a fortnight ago, Justine Henin, the number one in the world, announced she was quitting the game - which leaves this edition wide open - with Serena Williams, Jelena Jankovic, Ana Ivanovic, Sharapova and Dementieva all in with a much greater chance of claiming the second Grand Slam of the year.

So what do I need to know?The reason Federer struggles at Roland Garros is because the clay courts result in a much slower ball, compared to hard or grass courts, which takes away the advantage of the big servers - this can only be a good thing. Pete Sampras, for example, won 14 Grand Slam titles, but in 13 attempts only ever reached the semi-final of the French Open once (1996). For the spectator it means longer rallies, but for the players the event is considered one of the most physically demanding.

Anything else?Among the prizes awarded during the French Open is the Prix Orange, which is given to the player displaying "fair-play, kindness, friendliness and being the most press friendly". Safe to say Lleyton Hewitt has never won it.