The Four Tennis Grand Slams Explained: Surfaces, Dates and Traditions
Hard courts in Melbourne, red clay in Paris, grass in London and night sessions in New York. Here is how the four majors differ.
Tennis has hundreds of tournaments, but four stand above the rest. The Grand Slams, also called the majors, offer the most ranking points, the most prize money and the most history. Each one also plays differently because of its surface.
Australian Open (January)
- Where: Melbourne Park, Melbourne
- Surface: Hard court
- Known for: Summer heat, retractable roofs and a relaxed, friendly atmosphere. It kicks off the tennis year.
French Open / Roland Garros (Late May to Early June)
- Where: Stade Roland Garros, Paris
- Surface: Red clay
- Known for: Long rallies and grueling matches. Clay slows the ball and produces a high bounce, rewarding patience, heavy topspin and fitness.
Wimbledon (Late June to July)
- Where: The All England Club, London
- Surface: Grass
- Known for: Tradition. Players must wear almost entirely white, fans eat strawberries and cream, and Centre Court is one of the most famous venues in sports. Grass is fast and the bounce stays low, which helps big servers and aggressive net play.
US Open (Late August to Early September)
- Where: USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center, New York
- Surface: Hard court
- Known for: Loud crowds, night sessions and Arthur Ashe Stadium, the largest tennis stadium in the world. Read our full US Open guide.
Surfaces at a Glance
| Slam | Surface | Speed |
|---|---|---|
| Australian Open | Hard | Medium |
| French Open | Clay | Slow |
| Wimbledon | Grass | Fast |
| US Open | Hard | Medium to fast |
Match Format
At the majors, men's singles is best of five sets and women's singles is best of three. Every major now uses a 10-point tiebreak at 6-6 in the final set. New to the scoring? See our tennis scoring guide.
The Career Grand Slam and the Calendar Slam
- Career Grand Slam: winning all four majors at least once over a career.
- Calendar Grand Slam: winning all four in the same calendar year, one of the rarest achievements in sports.
Mastering every surface is extremely hard, which is why winning all four is the ultimate measure of an all-time great.
Ranking Points
A Grand Slam title is worth 2,000 ranking points, the most of any regular event. Learn how the system works in our ATP and WTA rankings explainer.
Background from Wikipedia
Grand Slam (tennis)
The Grand Slam in tennis is the achievement of winning all four major championships in one discipline in a calendar year. In doubles, a Grand Slam may be achieved as a team or as an individual with different partners. Winning all four major championships consecutively but not within the same calendar year is referred to as a "non-calendar-year Grand Slam", while winning the four majors at any point during the course of a career is known as a "Career Grand Slam".
The term Grand Slam is also attributed to the Grand Slam tournaments, referred to as Majors, and they are the world's four most important annual professional tennis tournaments.
Text from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0
Frequently Asked Questions
What are the four Grand Slams in tennis?
The Australian Open, the French Open (Roland Garros), Wimbledon and the US Open.
What is a Career Grand Slam?
A player completes a Career Grand Slam by winning all four major singles titles at least once during their career.
Which Grand Slam is played on clay?
The French Open at Roland Garros in Paris is the only Grand Slam played on clay.
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