GlossaryTournaments
Grand Slam
One of the four majors (Australian Open, Roland-Garros, Wimbledon, US Open) or, strictly, the feat of winning all four in one calendar year.
AlsoGrand Slams, major, majors, Slam, the Slams, calendar Grand Slam, Grand Slam tournament
- Published
In depthWhat is a Grand Slam in tennis? The four majors explained
The Grand Slam tournaments, or majors, are the four biggest events in tennis: the Australian Open in Melbourne in January (hard courts), Roland-Garros in Paris in late May and June (clay), Wimbledon in London in late June and July (grass) and the US Open in New York in late August and September (hard). They are not run by the ATP or WTA but by their own federations, under a shared Grand Slam Rule Book. Strictly, "a Grand Slam" is the feat of winning all four in one calendar year; in everyday usage each tournament is "a Slam".
When you see it
The majors are bigger in every dimension. Singles draws have 128 players and 32 seeds, men's matches are best of five sets, and the events last two weeks. A title is worth 2,000 ranking points, twice a Masters 1000. Since 2022 all four decide a final set at 6-6 with a ten-point match tiebreak. Winning all four at any point in a career is a career Grand Slam; adding Olympic gold makes a Golden Slam. The last calendar-year Grand Slam in singles was Steffi Graf's in 1988; the last man to do it was Rod Laver in 1969.
Rule basis
Grand Slam Rule Book 2026: Size of Draws (Article C, singles draws of up to 128) and Number of Sets, Tie-break (Article L: men's singles best of five sets, a ten-point tiebreak in the final set).
Related terms
- Career Grand Slam · Winning all four major singles titles at some point in a career, not necessarily in the same year; nine men and ten women have done it.
- Golden Slam · All four majors plus Olympic singles gold; in one calendar year only Steffi Graf has done it (1988), while five players hold the career version.
- Match tiebreak · A ten-point tiebreak that decides a match; all four Grand Slams play it at 6-6 in the final set, and in doubles it often replaces the third set.
- Masters 1000 · The nine biggest ATP Tour events below the Grand Slams, worth 1,000 ranking points to the winner; seven now run for 12 days with 96-player draws.
- Seeding · Ranking the strongest entrants and placing them in the draw so they cannot meet before the later rounds; the majors seed 32 players in singles.
Mentioned in
- NumbersThe seeding names the champion, not the quarter-finalists
- NumbersThe favourite loses nearly one tennis match in three
- GuideWimbledon prize money 2026: what every round pays
- GuideUS Open prize money 2026: what every round pays
- GuideRoland-Garros prize money 2026: what every round pays
- GuideAustralian Open prize money 2026: what every round pays
- GuideATP Finals prize money: what an undefeated champion earns
Sources
Material claims in this article are supported by the following sources.
- 01Wikipedia · Grand Slam (tennis): the four tournaments, origin of the term, Career, Calendar-year and Golden Slam definitions and achieversretrieved
- 02International Tennis Federation · 2026 Official Grand Slam Rule Book (qualifying: lucky losers and substitutions; set format of main-draw matches)retrieved
- 03Australian Open (Tennis Australia) · Grand Slams jointly adopt 10-point final-set tiebreakpublished · retrieved
- 04ATP Tour · FAQ about PIF ATP Rankings (ranking breakdown, Race To Turin, Nitto ATP Finals qualification, 2026 points tables)retrieved