Grand Slam (tennis) facts for kids

The Grand Slam in tennis is a super exciting achievement! It means a player wins all four of the biggest tennis tournaments in the world in the same year. Imagine winning the Australian Open, French Open, Wimbledon, and US Open all in one amazing year!

Sometimes, people also use "Grand Slam" to talk about the four big tournaments themselves. These are called Grand Slam tournaments or Majors. They are the most important yearly tennis events for professional players. They offer the most points for player rankings, the biggest prize money, and get a lot of attention from fans and the media.

These four special tournaments are:

• The Australian Open in January.
• The French Open in late May to early June.
• Wimbledon in late June to early July.
• The US Open in late August to early September.

Each tournament lasts for two weeks. The Australian Open and US Open are played on hard courts. The French Open is played on clay courts. Wimbledon is played on grass courts. Wimbledon is the oldest, starting in 1877! The US Open began in 1881, the French in 1891, and the Australian in 1905. All four became "Official Championships" in 1923.

The History of Grand Slams

Tennis became very popular a long time ago. People wanted to make sure everyone played by the same rules. So, in 1913, many tennis groups from different countries formed the International Lawn Tennis Federation (ILTF). This group helped organize the sport worldwide.

At first, there were "World Championships" on different surfaces. But by 1923, the four tournaments we know today – Wimbledon, the French, Australian, and US Championships – became the "Official Championships." These quickly became the most important events in tennis.

Where Did "Grand Slam" Come From?

The special term "Grand Slam" was first used in 1933. A tennis player named Jack Crawford had won three of the four big tournaments that year. He just needed to win the last one, the US Championships. A sports writer named Alan J. Gould said that if Crawford won, it would be "a grand slam."

The idea for "Grand Slam" actually comes from a card game called contract bridge. In bridge, a "grand slam" means winning all possible tricks. It was also used in golf before tennis. The first player to actually win all four majors in the same calendar year was Don Budge in 1938.

The Open Era Begins

For many years, only amateur players could compete in these big tournaments. This meant players couldn't earn money from playing tennis. But many top players wanted to be professionals and earn a living. This led to a lot of unfair situations.

Finally, in 1968, a big change happened. The sport decided to allow both amateur and professional players to compete together. This was called the "Open Era." The 1968 French Open was the first Grand Slam tournament where professionals could play. This made tennis even more exciting and fair for everyone!

Sometimes, these tournaments faced challenges. For example, some were canceled during World War II. Also, Wimbledon was canceled in 2020 because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Four Big Tournaments

Here's a quick look at the four amazing Grand Slam tournaments:

Australian Open

Rod Laver Arena, the main court at Melbourne Park.

The Australian Open is the first Grand Slam tournament of the year. It happens every year in late January and early February. The very first tournament was in 1905 in Melbourne, Australia. It was played on grass courts back then!

For many years, it was hard to get the best international players to come. This was because Australia is far away from Europe and America. Also, it was close to the Christmas holidays. But now, it's one of the biggest sports events in the Southern Hemisphere. More than a million people watched the 2024 tournament!

This tournament is sometimes called the "Happy Slam." It's known for being modern and innovative. It was the first Grand Slam to have indoor play and roofs that can open and close on its main courts. It also uses "Hawk-Eye Live" technology instead of human line judges. This helps make sure every call is super accurate!

The total prize money for the 2025 tournament is a huge A$96,500,000.

French Open

Court Philippe Chatrier, Stade Roland Garros.

The French Open, also known as Roland Garros, is the second Grand Slam of the year. It takes place every year in late May and early June. The first French championships were held in 1891. In 1925, it became a Grand Slam event, open to all amateur players.

Since 1928, the tournament has been held on clay courts at the Stade Roland-Garros in Paris, France. The stadium is named after Roland Garros, a famous French pilot.

The French Open is the only Grand Slam tournament played on red clay. Many people think it's the most physically challenging tennis tournament in the world. Players need to be very fit to do well on clay!

The total prize money for the 2025 tournament is €56,352,000. In 2018, nearly half a million fans watched the matches.

Wimbledon

Centre Court, the main court at Wimbledon.

Wimbledon is the third Grand Slam tournament of the year. It happens every year in late June and early July. It first started in 1877 in Wimbledon, London, England. It's the oldest tennis event in the world!

Wimbledon is famous for its many traditions. It's the only Grand Slam still played on grass courts, which was the original surface for tennis. Players must wear all-white clothes during their matches. They are also called "Gentlemen" and "Ladies."

Another special tradition is that players bow or curtsy to the Royal Box. This happens when members of the Royal Family are watching from Centre Court.

The total prize money for the 2025 tournament is £53,500,000. Many people watch Wimbledon, both in person and on TV. The BBC has shown the tournament on TV in the UK since 1937!

US Open

Arthur Ashe Stadium, the largest tennis stadium in the world.

The US Open is the fourth and final Grand Slam tournament of the year. It happens every year in late August and early September. The first tournament was in 1881 on grass courts in Newport, Rhode Island. In 1978, it moved to the hardcourts in Flushing Meadows, New York City.

This tournament is the only Grand Slam that has been played every single year since it started. It's home to Arthur Ashe Stadium, the biggest tennis stadium in the world! It can hold over 23,000 fans. The stadium is named after Arthur Ashe, who won the tournament in 1968. That was the first year professionals were allowed to compete.

The US Open has often been a leader in tennis. It was the first Grand Slam to use a tiebreak system in 1970. It was also the first to give equal prize money to men and women in 1975. They also added lights for night matches and started using Hawk-Eye instant replay for line calls.

The total prize money for the 2025 tournament is US$65,000,020.

What is a Grand Slam?

A Grand Slam (sometimes called a Calendar-year Grand Slam) is when a player wins the Australian Open, French Open, Wimbledon, and US Open all in the same year. This is a very rare and incredible achievement in tennis!

Margaret Court is the only player to complete a Grand Slam in two different types of events: singles and mixed doubles (she did it twice!). Wheelchair tennis players Diede de Groot and Dylan Alcott have also achieved Grand Slams in both singles and doubles in their categories.

Here are some of the amazing players who have achieved a Grand Slam:

• 

  Don Budge, men's singles in 1938.

• 

  Maureen Connolly, women's singles in 1953.

• 

  Rod Laver, men's singles in 1962 and 1969.

• 

  Margaret Court, women's singles in 1970.

• 

  Steffi Graf, women's singles in 1988.

List of Grand Slam and related tennis records

Current Champions

Here are the champions from the most recent Grand Slam tournaments:

Event		Australian Open	French Open	Wimbledon	US Open
		2025	2025	2025	2025
Singles	Men	Jannik Sinner	Carlos Alcaraz	Jannik Sinner	Carlos Alcaraz
	Women	Madison Keys	Coco Gauff	Iga Świątek	Aryna Sabalenka
Doubles	Men	Harri Heliövaara Henry Patten	Marcel Granollers Horacio Zeballos	Julian Cash Lloyd Glasspool	Marcel Granollers Horacio Zeballos
	Women	Kateřina Siniaková Taylor Townsend	Sara Errani Jasmine Paolini	Veronika Kudermetova Elise Mertens	Gabriela Dabrowski Erin Routliffe
	Mixed	Olivia Gadecki John Peers	Sara Errani Andrea Vavassori	Kateřina Siniaková Sem Verbeek	Sara Errani Andrea Vavassori
Wheelchair singles	Men	Alfie Hewett	Tokito Oda	Tokito Oda	Tokito Oda
	Women	Yui Kamiji	Yui Kamiji	Wang Ziying	Yui Kamiji
	Quad	Sam Schröder	Guy Sasson	Niels Vink	Niels Vink
Wheelchair doubles	Men	Alfie Hewett Gordon Reid	Alfie Hewett Gordon Reid	Martín de la Puente Ruben Spaargaren	Gustavo Fernández Tokito Oda
	Women	Li Xiaohui Wang Ziying	Yui Kamiji Kgothatso Montjane	Li Xiaohui Wang Ziying	Li Xiaohui Wang Ziying
	Quad	Andy Lapthorne Sam Schröder	Guy Sasson Niels Vink	Guy Sasson Niels Vink	Guy Sasson Niels Vink
Junior singles	Boys	Henry Bernet	Niels McDonald	Ivan Ivanov	Ivan Ivanov
	Girls	Wakana Sonobe	Lilli Tagger	Mia Pohánková	Jeline Vandromme
Junior doubles	Boys	Maxwell Exsted Jan Kumstát	Oskari Paldanius Alan Ważny	Oskari Paldanius Alan Ważny	Keaton Hance Jack Kennedy
	Girls	Annika Penickova Kristina Penickova	Eva Bennemann Sonja Zhenikhova	Kristina Penickova Vendula Valdmannová	Alena Kovačková Jana Kovačková
Junior wheelchair singles	Boys	Charlie Cooper	Maximilian Taucher	not held	Maximilian Taucher
	Girls	Vitória Miranda	Vitória Miranda	not held	Sabina Czauz
Junior wheelchair doubles	Boys	Luiz Calixto Charlie Cooper	Charlie Cooper Maximilian Taucher	not held	Ruben Harris Maximilian Taucher
	Girls	Luna Gryp Vitória Miranda	Luna Gryp Vitória Miranda	not held	Sabina Czauz Seira Matsuoka

Other Amazing Achievements

Besides the Calendar-year Grand Slam, there are other special achievements in tennis!

Non-Calendar-Year Grand Slam

A "non-calendar-year Grand Slam" means a player wins all four major tournaments in a row, but not within the same calendar year. For example, winning the US Open in September, then the Australian Open in January, the French Open in June, and Wimbledon in July of the next year.

Only a few players have achieved this amazing feat:

• 

  Martina Navratilova completed the feat in singles in 1984.

• 

  Steffi Graf completed the feat in singles in 1994.

• 

  Serena Williams completed the feat in singles in 2003 and 2015.

• 

  Novak Djokovic completed the feat in singles in 2016.

List of Grand Slam and related tennis records

Career Grand Slam

A "Career Grand Slam" means a player has won all four major championships at some point during their entire career. They don't have to win them all in the same year. It shows that a player has been consistently excellent over many years!

Eight men and ten women have completed a Career Grand Slam in singles. Some players, like Roy Emerson, Rod Laver, Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal, Margaret Court, Chris Evert, Martina Navratilova, Steffi Graf, and Serena Williams, have even done it more than once!

Only six players have completed a Career Grand Slam in both singles and doubles. These are Roy Emerson (a man) and Margaret Court, Doris Hart, Shirley Fry Irvin, Martina Navratilova, and Serena Williams (all women).

Golden Slam

A "Golden Slam" is an even rarer achievement! It means winning all four major tournaments and an Olympic or Paralympic gold medal in the same calendar year.

Steffi Graf was the first and only able-bodied singles player to achieve this in 1988. Wheelchair players Diede de Groot and Dylan Alcott have also accomplished this incredible feat.

• Career Golden Slam: This means winning all four majors and an Olympic or Paralympic gold medal at any point in a player's career. In singles, three men (Andre Agassi, Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic) and two women (Steffi Graf and Serena Williams) have completed a Career Golden Slam. Serena Williams is the only able-bodied player to have achieved a Career Golden Slam in both singles and doubles.

See also

In Spanish: Grand Slam (tenis) para niños

• List of Grand Slam–related tennis records
• Lists of tennis records and statistics
• Grand Slam (golf)