Game, Set, Grand Slam: The Biggest Tennis Tournaments Around The World

All tennis players dream of achieving the legendary Grand Slam, in which a player wins all four major championships in a single calendar year. A non-calendar-year Grand Slam — when a player wins all four major championships, but not in the same calendar year — is also a highly impressive feat. However, the top achievement in all of tennis is winning a Golden Slam, when a player wins all four Grand Slam tournaments in a single calendar year, and also wins the gold medal at the Summer Olympics that same year.

Tennis Grand Slam Tournaments

The world comes together to watch the best tennis players from around the globe compete in the four most prestigious tournaments every year — the Australian Open, Roland Garros (French Open), Wimbledon and the US Open.

Australian Open

The Australian Open is the first tournament in the Grand Slam and is held every January at Melbourne Park in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. Originally named the Australasian Championship, Rodney Heath won the first Australian Open singles title in 1905. The Australian Open then became one of the official majors of the International Tennis Federation (ITF) in 1924.

The history of the Australian Open began as a men’s-only tournament in 1905 at Warehouseman’s Cricket Ground in Melbourne, Australia. The competition was renamed in 1927 to the Australian Championships and again in 1969 to the Australian Open. The tournament was held in different cities around Australia and New Zealand from its origins until it was permanently placed in Melbourne in 1972. The first “permanent” home for the Australian Open was the Kooyong Lawn Tennis Club, which hosted the event from 1972–1987. In 1988, the event was then moved to the newly-built Flinders Park in Melbourne, renamed Melbourne Park in 1996, where it’s still held today.

The Australian Open was played on a grass court between 1905 to 1987. The court at the new Melbourne Park was Rebound Ace until 2008, when it was remade with Plexicushion Prestige.

French Open (Roland Garros)

The Roland Garros, unofficially named the French Open, is the second Grand Slam tournament held at Stade Roland Garros in Paris, France. This two-week long tournament usually takes place in late May each year. Established in 1891 as a men’s only, single-day tournament, the French Open first allowed women to compete in 1897. Opening its doors to international players in 1925, the French Open was located alternately at Stade Français and Racing Club de France until permanently placed at Roland Garros when it was built in 1928. The Stade Français gave the French Tennis Federation the land to build Roland Garros under the condition that it would be named after their most revered member, Roland Garros, who was a concert pianist and World War I aviation hero.

Although it’s known for its famous red clay court, The French Open’s court is actually made up of three inches of white limestone that is dusted with several millimeters of powdered red brick dust. Underneath the limestone is six inches of volcanic rock and a three-foot layer of sand on top of concrete. The first winner of this historic tournament was H. Briggs in 1891.

Wimbledon

The oldest tournament — and seen by many as the most prestigious — in all of tennis is Wimbledon. Alternatively known as The Championships, Wimbledon’s first tournament, won by Spencer Gore, was played in 1877, making it the world’s oldest tennis tournament. Wimbledon has always been played at the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club in Wimbledon, London, England. Wimbledon is played in late June every year and is two weeks long.

Wimbledon is the only tournament in the Grand Slam to be played on the original grass court. The grass of Wimbledon is constructed out of 100 percent perennial ryegrass mix and is cut to 8mm in length.

US Open

The US Open is the final Grand Slam tournament of the year and is played at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in Corona Park in Queens, New York. Started as the US Men’s Singles Championship in 1881, the US Open is the United States’ second-oldest major sporting event, behind the Kentucky Derby. The first winner of the US Open was Richard Sears, who won the first seven championships. The US Open is played annually in late August.

Beginning as a men’s-only tournament, the US Open allowed women to participate in 1887, and later officially began as the US Open in 1968. The US Open has had many location changes over the years, including the Newport Casino in Rhode Island, the Philadelphia Cricket Club in Pennsylvania, and Forest Hills, New York. The US Open was permanently placed in the Flushing Meadows–Corona Park in New York in 1978.

The US Open courts started as grass courts and remained so until 1974. The courts then changed to clay from 1975–1977, and finally to a hard court made of DecoTurf in 1978.

Grand Slam Winners

Winning a Grand Slam is an extraordinary feat that marks the pinnacle of a tennis player’s career. It represents the ultimate achievement in the sport, showcasing unparalleled skill, determination, and dominance on the court. Only a select few have ever managed to conquer the illustrious Grand Slam, a monumental task that requires triumphing in all four major tournaments in a single calendar year.