How Many Grand Slams in Tennis?
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How many Grand Slams have been played in tennis history? We take a look at the all-time record for most major tournament wins.
How many Grand Slams are in tennis?
A Grand Slam in tennis is when a player wins all four of the biggest tournaments in a calendar year. This includes the Australian Open, French Open, Wimbledon, and US Open. If a player wins all four tournaments in the same year, it is called a calendar-year Grand Slam. If they win all four tournaments over the course of their career (not necessarily in the same year), it is called a career Grand Slam. Winning all four tournaments in a row but not necessarily in the same year is called a non-calendar year Grand Slam, or more colloquially, simply winning all four majors back-to-back.
The four Grand Slams
The four Grand Slams are the most important tennis tournaments of the year. They are the Australian Open, the French Open, Wimbledon, and the US Open. These tournaments are held in different countries and surfaces (hard, clay, grass), which makes them very different from each other.
Players who win all four Grand Slams in their career are said to have achieved a “Grand Slam”. This is a very rare feat, and has only been done by a handful of players in history.
The history of the Grand Slams
For well over a century, the term “grand slam” has been used in golf and tennis to describe a tournament victory that includes all the major titles. But it wasn’t until the 1930s that the four most important tournaments in tennis were officially designated as the Grand Slam events.
The Grand Slam tournaments are the four most important annual tennis events. They offer the most ranking points, prize money, public and media attention, prestige, and history of any tennis tournament. The grand slam tournaments are
-the Australian Open
-the French Open
-Wimbledon
-the US Open.
The future of the Grand Slams
The future of the Grand Slams has been thrown into doubt after the coronavirus pandemic led to the cancellation of Wimbledon for the first time since 1945.
The All England Club had been hoping to stage the prestigious tournament in August/September, but it was announced on Wednesday that it would not be possible to do so because of the Covid-19 crisis.
It is the first time Wimbledon has been cancelled since World War Two, when it was also cancelled for seven years.
And with the French Open already pushed back to September and no decision yet on when the US Open will be played, there are serious doubts about whether any of the 2020 Grand Slams will be able to go ahead.
