La Coupe des Mousquetaires (English

English language

English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...

: The Musketeers' Trophy) is the trophy

Trophy

A trophy is a reward for a specific achievement, and serves as recognition or evidence of merit. Trophies are most often awarded for sporting events, from youth sports to professional level athletics...

 awarded to the winner of the Men's Singles competition at the French Open.

The trophy was created in its current form in 1981, after Philippe Chatrier

Philippe Chatrier

Philippe Chatrier was a French tennis player. After his playing career ended, he became a journalist, and was then involved in sports administration...

, then president of the Fédération Française de Tennis

Fédération Française de Tennis

The Fédération Française de Tennis , also known as the FFT is an organisation set up in 1920 that takes charge of the organisation, co-ordination and promotion of tennis in France. It is recognised by the International Tennis Federation and by the French Minister for Sports. Its headquarters are at...

 (FFT), offered jewellers in Paris

Paris

Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...

 the opportunity to redesign it. It is supposed to symbolise the victories of four famous French tennis players, who together make up the "Four Musketeers" : Jacques Brugnon

Jacques Brugnon

Jacques "Toto" Brugnon was a French tennis player, one of the famous "Four Musketeers" from France who dominated tennis in the late 1920s and early 1930s.He was born in Paris and died in Paris....

, Jean Borotra

Jean Borotra

Jean Robert Borotra was a French champion tennis player. He was one of the famous "Four Musketeers" from his country who dominated tennis in the late 1920s and early 1930s.-Career:...

, Henri Cochet

Henri Cochet

Henri Jean Cochet was a champion tennis player, one of the famous "Four Musketeers" from France who dominated tennis in the late 1920s and early 1930s....

 and René Lacoste

René Lacoste

Jean René Lacoste was a French tennis player and businessman. He was nicknamed "the Crocodile" by fans because of his tenacity on the court; he is also known worldwide as the namesake of the Lacoste tennis shirt, which he introduced in 1929.Lacoste was one of The Four Musketeers, French tennis...

.

The design eventually chosen was that of the family jeweller Mellerio. The trophy has a wide aperture, bordered with vine leaves and decorated with two swan-shaped handles.

The trophy is housed in the office of the president of the FFT, and is only removed once every year when the Men's Singles winner at the French open is announced. The winner does not get to keep the actual trophy; a new replica

Replica

A replica is a copy closely resembling the original concerning its shape and appearance. An inverted replica complements the original by filling its gaps. It can be a copy used for historical purposes, such as being placed in a museum. Sometimes the original never existed. For example, Difference...

 is produced every year. The replica, which is always slightly smaller than the original, is made from a sheet of solid silver

Silver

Silver is a metallic chemical element with the chemical symbol Ag and atomic number 47. A soft, white, lustrous transition metal, it has the highest electrical conductivity of any element and the highest thermal conductivity of any metal...

, and takes over one hundred hours' to complete.

The trophy weighs around 14kg, is 21cm high and 19cm wide.

The female equivalent of La Coupe des Mousquetaires, awarded to the winner of the Women's Singles competition, is the Coupe Suzanne Lenglen.