What is a Tennis Grand Slam? | Definition + Essential Info (2024)

Definition + Essential Info

Originally coined in 1933, Grand Slam refers to a player winning all four major tennis tournaments in a calendar year, including the Australian Open, French Open, Wimbledon, and the US Open.

The achievement is so rare that only five players have completed the feat in their careers, which we’ll discuss in this article. We’ll also cover the term’s history, relevant tournaments, how people more broadly apply the phrase in tennis, and various stats to help shed light on its significance.

Beyond the Grand Slam, several related accomplishments are noteworthy, so we’ll dig into those individually and then wrap things up with a complete list of all Grand Slam winners since 1877 when The Championships at Wimbledon first began in the United Kingdom.

Grand Slam Origin & Usage

When Wimbledon, one of the world’s most significant tennis tournaments, started in 1877, the notion of a Grand Slam didn’t exist, and for a good reason, the other major tennis tournaments hadn’t yet begun.

Here’s a quick timeline of when each tournament first opened its doors.

• Wimbledon: 1877
• US Open: 1881
• French Open: 1891
• Australian Open: 1905

Over time, these tournaments established themselves as premier events, which held significant weight. Until 1932, many players competed in all four events, but no player won more than two in a single year.

However, in 1932, Australian tennis player Jack Crawford made history when he won the first three majors back to back and then found his way to the finals of the US Open against Fred Perry of the UK.

Ahead of the match, New Your Times writer John Kieran wrote that Jack’s success against Fred would be akin to a Grand Slam, referencing a bidding convention in the popular card game bridge.

Although Jack Crawford wasn’t successful, losing in five sets to Fred Perry, the term stuck. Interestingly, Fred Perry narrowly missed his opportunity at a Grand Slam the following year, only losing the French Open.

Five years later, American Don Budge became the first player to complete a Grand Slam, winning all four tournaments in the calendar year.

To date, only five players, male or female, have achieved the feat playing singles. Here’s a list of the players who have completed a Grand Slam.

Rod Laver’s accomplishment is unique because he not only achieved it twice but did so as an amateur before and after the Open Era, which began in 1968.

As a side note, Stefan Edberg achieved a Grand Slam in boys singles, standing alone in that achievement.

Beyond singles, there have been nine players to achieve a Grand Slam in various doubles. Here’s an overview of those.

Today, a Grand Slam remains one of the most significant achievements in tennis. Serena Williams came close in 2015, and Novak Djokovic also missed an opportunity in 2021.

Margaret Court is the only player to complete the Grand Slam in two disciplines – singles and mixed doubles.

Grand Slam Usage

Initially, the term Grand Slam only referred to a specific achievement where a player won all found majors in a calendar year.

However, the term has been somewhat genericized in that these days players and fans from around the world more broadly refer to the majors as Grand Slam events or simply Grand Slams.

Here are a few examples of the more generic term used in a sentence:

• Andre Agassi won 8 Grand Slams during his career.
• What Grand Slams have you attended?
• The Australian Open is the first Grand Slam of the year.

Technically, it would be more accurate to call swap Grand Slam in the above sentences for ‘majors’ or ‘Grand Slam events.’ Still, the above usage is perfectly acceptable and widely understood.

Although the Grand Slam remains one of the most recognizable achievements in tennis, there is a wide range of similar or related accomplishments that are noteworthy and impressive.

This section will touch on each and share the players that have achieved them throughout history.

Non-Calendar Grand Slam

Although arguably not as prestigious, a player achieves a non-calendar Grand Slam when they hold all four major titles simultaneously, but not in a single calendar year.

For example, suppose a player missed the Australian Open, the first major of the year, but won the French Open, Wimbledon, and the US Open and returned the following year to win the Australian Open. In that case, they’d have completed a non-calendar Grand Slam.

Many argue the feat is equally as impressive as a Grand Slam, but it doesn’t hold quite as much weight. Here’s a list of players who have accomplished this feat in singles or doubles.

Career Grand Slam

Once introduced to the topic of a Grand Slam in tennis, you’ll likely stumble upon the Career Grand Slam, which refers to any player who won all four Grand Slam tournaments throughout their career.

Although it remains an impressive feat, the non-consecutive or time-boxed nature of a career Grand Slam makes it not quite as prestigious.

Only 18 players have accomplished a Career Grand Slam in singles, while 62 players have done it in doubles. To avoid table overload in this article, I’m only going to include the 18 players in singles.

Listed next to relevant player names, I’ve identified those who have achieved a career Grand Slam more than one time.

Golden Slam

A Golden Slam takes the notion of a Grand Slam and ups the ante. In addition to winning all four majors in a calendar year, the player who wins a Golden Slam must also win Olympic Gold that same year.

Considering the summer Olympics only happens every four years, this is a particularly unique accomplishment. It’s worth noting that tennis wasn’t an Olympic sport from 1924 to 1987, so many players throughout history never had the opportunity to compete for a Golden Slam during their careers.

Across the ATP and WTA tours, Steffi Graf is the only player to have achieved a Golden Slam in her career. However, it’s also worth noting that wheelchair tennis players Dylan Alcott and Diede de Groot also managed to accomplish the feat.

Steff Graf pulled it off in 1988, and Dylan Alcott and Diede de Groot accomplished it in 2021. The tennis community coined the term Golden Slam when Steffi Graf first pulled it off during her career.

As you might expect, the tennis world also keeps track of players who complete a career Golden Slam. That is, a player who wins all four majors and Olympic gold independent of time frame.

During their 2012 and 2013 seasons, doubles players Bob and Mike Bryan became the first to achieve a non-calendar Golden Slam.

Super Slam

Although a Golden Slam feels like a near-impossible accomplishment for many, a Super Slam takes things one step further.

In addition to winning all four majors and Olympic gold, a player must also win the season-ending finals in a calendar year to achieve a Super Slam. In 2021, that would include winning the ATP or WTA finals for men’s and women’s tennis or the Wheelchair Tennis Masters for players with disabilities.

Until 2021, no player had accomplished the feat. However, Diede de Groot managed to become the first player ever to do so.

Furthermore, Steffi Graf achieved a non-calendar Super Slam when she won the season-ending championships in 1987, then followed it up with her impressive year in 1988, winning all majors and Olympic gold.

As you might expect, the notion of a career Super Slam does exist with three players in singles, seven players in doubles, two players in wheelchair singles, and ten players in wheelchair doubles. I’ve listed the players in singles and doubles below.

Three-Quarter Slam

Players who miss winning a Grand Slam by one event are said to have achieved a Three-Quarter Slam. More specifically, a player must win three Grand Slam events in a calendar year.

There are quite a few players who have achieved this feat during their career, but only five were in a position to win the Grand Slam while competing at the final major of the year.

In total, the following number of players have achieved this feat:

• 19 singles
• 47 doubles
• 6 wheelchair singles
• 7 wheelchair doubles
• 5 junior singles
• 20 junior doubles
• 104 total

A handful of these players had the opportunity to achieve a Grand Slam during the year’s final major, including Jack Crawford, Lew Hoad, Novak Djokovic, Martina Navratilova, and Serena Williams.

Surface Slam

As it might sound, Surface Slam is a term that describes any player who wins a Grand Slam title on each of the three court surfaces, which include hard court, clay, and grass. Here are the tournaments and their respective surfaces.

• Australian Open: Hard
• French Open: Clay
• Wimbledon: Grass
• US Open: Hard

Therefore, a player can win either the Australian Open or US Open, plus the French Open and Wimbledon in a calendar year, to claim a Surface Slam.

Here’s the number of players to achieve a Surface Slam by discipline.

• 5 singles
• 16 doubles
• 3 wheelchair singles
• 13 wheelchair doubles
• 4 junior singles
• 13 junior doubles
• 108 total

Although less discussed, there’s also the notion of a non-calendar Surface Slam and career Surface Slam.

Channel Slam

Two of the sport’s most prestigious tournaments, Wimbledon in London and the French Open in Paris, take place a few weeks apart.

As a point of reference, for 2022, the French Open will take place from May 16th to June 5th. At the same time, Wimbledon will begin on June 27th and end on July 10th. Only 22 days separate the end of the French Open and the beginning of Wimbledon.

This timeframe is unique mainly due to the difference in court surfaces, clay for the French Open, and grass for Wimbledon. Clay is the sport’s slowest surface, while grass is its fastest, making transitioning from one to the next tricky, especially with limited time.

Players who win these tournaments back to back have won a Channel Slam, arguably one of the most challenging accomplishments a player can achieve. The term comes from the English Channel, which geographically separates these two tournaments.

In total, the following number of players have achieved this feat:

• 22 singles
• 78 doubles
• 3 wheelchair singles
• 16 wheelchair doubles
• 17 junior singles
• 32 junior doubles
• 276 total

Professional Slam (Pro Slam)

Up until the Open Era, tennis players fell into one of two camps: amateur or professional. Amateur players didn’t compete for money, while the pros played tournaments to make a living.

As a result, these players didn’t compete against each other. Most notably, professionals weren’t allowed to play in the majors, i.e., the Australian Open, French Open, Wimbledon, and the US Open.

Despite that, the men’s pro tour did have a set of tournaments that were rough equivalents to the majors played by amateurs, which included the Wembley Championships in London, the French Pro Championships in Paris, and the US Pro Championships, held at a variety of venues throughout the United States. It’s worth noting that these tournaments did not offer a women’s draw.

A player claimed a Professional Slam when they won all three of these events in a calendar year, which Ken Rosewall and Rod Laver achieved in 1963 and 1967, respectively.

Players who achieved a career Professional Slam include Americans Ellsworth Vines and Don Budge and German tennis player Hans Nüsslein.

Boxed Set

Perhaps one of the lesser-known accomplishments in tennis is the boxed set, a career achievement where a player wins at least one of every major title across each discipline in tennis: singles, doubles, and mixed doubles.

More specifically, a player needs to win a major title in singles, doubles, and mixed doubles at the Australian Open, French Open, Wimbledon, and the US Open for a total of 12 major titles.

Only three female players have achieved this feat, including Margaret Court, Doris Hart, and Martina Navratilova.

Grand Slam Tournaments

Every year there are four Grand Slam tournaments or events. A player who wins all four of them in a calendar year has achieved a Grand Slam.

These tournaments are the most significant in tennis for a variety of reasons, including their history, size, ranking points, and prize money. As a result, they also garner the most attention from fans.

Australian Open

The Australian Open is the first major of the year, taking place in Melbourne Park every January. Initially, it was a grass court tournament, but it changed to hard courts in 1988.

Due to its remote geographic location, the Australian Open has a unique history. The tournament first began in 1905 but wasn’t officially designated as a major until 1924.

Many of the sport’s top players skipped the tournament rather than make the long journey by boat, which would have caused many players to miss the holidays, i.e., Christmas and the New Year.

Eventually, when air travel became common in the 1950s, more players began to travel to the tournament, but player attendance didn’t pick up significantly until the 1980s. These days, the event is a crucial stop on the calendar for the world’s top players.

*Showing pre-pandemic attendance number

French Open

Following the Australian Open on the calendar, the French Open, otherwise known as Roland Garros, kicks off every year at the end of May and is the only major played on clay courts.

The tournament takes place at the Stade Roland-Garros in Paris, France, named after World War I aviation hero Roland Garros.

In 1891, the event opened its doors for the first time, but it wasn’t designated a major until 1925.

*Showing pre-pandemic attendance and prize numbers

Wimbledon

Wimbledon is the world’s oldest tennis tournament and therefore considered by many to be the most prestigious.

Held at the All England Lawn Club, the Wimbledon Championships first took place in 1877. The tournament is the third major of the year, which runs during July on grass tennis courts in Wimbledon, London.

*Showing pre-pandemic attendance and prize numbers

US Open

The US Open is the second oldest major, which takes place in New York City, NY, at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center.

Like the Australian Open, the US Open is a hard court tournament and the final major of the year, which begins at the end of August.

In 1881, the tournament first took place at the Newport Casino, which now houses the International Tennis Hall of Fame.

*Showing pre-pandemic attendance and prize numbers

FAQs

Here are a handful of common questions players ask about Grand Slams.

Has any tennis player won all four Grand Slams?

Yes. Five players have won all four Grand Slam tournaments in a calendar year, including Don Budge, Maureen Connolly, Rod Laver, Margaret Court, and Steffi Graf. The tennis world refers to this achievement as a Grand Slam.

However, more broadly, more players have won all four Grand Slam tournaments throughout their careers. Here’s are the numbers that have achieved this feat across various disciplines.

• Singles: 18
• Doubles: 62
• Wheelchair Singles: 2
• Wheelchair Doubles: 18
• Junior Singles: 1
• Junior Doubles: 1

*Above figures include men and women.

Why are there only four Grand Slams in tennis?

The Grand Slam tournaments are the oldest and most prestigious in tennis, each playing a vital role in developing the sport.

There are only four because no other tournaments come close to the history, scope, and tradition they each hold.

It’s worth noting that the ATP and WTA do not run these tournaments. Instead, they organize their schedules around them.

With that in mind, there will likely never be another Grand Slam named as it would significantly detract from the emphasis placed on these tournaments, which all four would surely oppose.

Which tennis Grand Slam comes first in the year?

The Australian Open comes first in the year, followed by the French Open, Wimbledon, and the US Open.

Here are their planned dates for the 2022 season:

• Australian Open: January 17th – January 30th
• French Open: May 16th – June 5th
• Wimbledon: June 27th – July 10th
• US Open: August 29th – September 11th

Who qualifies for tennis Grand Slams?

Grand Slam singles events have 128 player draws. Of these athletes, 104 qualify through ranking, 16 qualify by winning three qualifying rounds ahead of the tournament, and eight through wildcards.

How are tennis Grand Slam draws determined?

A Grand Slam tournament’s singles draw is determined via three different mechanisms. First, the 104 top-ranked players who sign up for the event automatically qualify.

Next, each tournament hosts qualifying rounds, and players who win three matches make it into the draw. Finally, each major selects eight players for automatic entry as wild cards.

How many rounds in a tennis Grand Slam?

A Grand Slam tournament features a 128 player draw, which results in seven rounds from the first through the finals. Here’s a snapshot of the rounds that take place during each Grand Slam event.

• First Round: 128 players
• Second Round: 64 players
• Third Round: 32 players
• Fourth Round: 16 players
• Quarter-Finals: 8 players
• Semi-Finals: 4 players
• Finals: 2 players

How many sets in a tennis Grand Slam?

Grand Slam tournaments in singles are best of five sets for men and best of three sets for women. Doubles and all other events, i.e., wheelchair tennis, juniors, etc., are all best of three sets.

Which Grand Slam has the highest prize money?

The US Open offers the highest prize money out of the four Grand Slam tournaments. For the sake of parity, we’re using 2019 pre-pandemic prize money for comparison. Here’s what each event offered.

How much do tennis players make in Grand Slams?

Tennis players make varying amounts of money relative to how many rounds they win and the discipline they compete in, i.e., singles, doubles, etc.

As an example, here’s what men and women earned playing singles at the US Open in 2021.

Which tennis Grand Slam has the highest attendance?

The Australian Open has the highest attendance out of the four Grand Slam tournaments. For the sake of parity, we’re using 2019 pre-pandemic attendance numbers for comparison.

Here’s what each event offered.

• Australian Open: 812,000
• French Open: 480,575
• Wimbledon: 500,397
• US Open: 631,134

Which tennis Grand Slam wasn’t played in 2020?

Due to the pandemic, Wimbledon was the only Grand Slam tournament that event organizers canceled.

The Australian Open took place in January before the pandemic hit hard. The French Open, which usually runs in May each year, moved to the end of September, and the US Open kept its regular dates beginning at the end of August.

Who is the youngest tennis Grand Slam winner?

During the Open Era, Martina Hingis is the youngest player to win a Grand Slam tournament winning the 1997 Australian Open at 16 years and 117 days old.

On the men’s side, Michael Chang won the 1989 French Open at 17 years 110 days old, the youngest male in history.

Who is the oldest tennis Grand Slam winner?

Ken Rosewall is the oldest player to win a Grand Slam tournament, defeating Malcolm Anderson 7-6, 6-3, 7-5 at the age of 37 when playing the Australian Open in 1972.

What is a double career Grand Slam in tennis?

A career Grand Slam refers to any player who wins all four Grand Slam tournaments during their career independent of timeframe. A player who wins a double career Grand Slam has accomplished the feat twice.

Which tennis Grand Slam is the most prestigious?

Fans and players widely regard Wimbledon as the most prestigious Grand Slam as it is the oldest of the four majors and carries a significant amount of history and tradition.