Four tournaments define a tennis career more than everything else combined. They are the Grand Slams — the Australian Open, Roland Garros, Wimbledon and the US Open — the most prestigious events in the sport, offering the most ranking points, the largest prize pools and the biggest global audiences. They are also governed not by the ATP or WTA tours, but by the International Tennis Federation, which sets them apart from everything else on the calendar.

The four majors, in calendar order

The Grand Slam season follows the same order every year. First comes the Australian Open, played in Melbourne in mid-January to early February. Then Roland Garros — the French Open — in Paris from late May to early June. Then Wimbledon in London from late June to early July. Finally the US Open in New York from late August to early September. Each tournament runs for about two weeks, with 128-player singles draws and best-of-five-set matches for the men and best-of-three for the women.

Their histories run deep. Wimbledon is the oldest, founded in 1877 at the All England Club. The US Open followed in 1881, Roland Garros in 1891, and the Australian Open in 1905. That longevity is part of the aura: winning a major means joining a lineage that stretches back more than a century.

Three surfaces, four different sports

No other major sport changes its playing surface across its biggest events. The Australian Open and the US Open are played on hard courts. Roland Garros is played on red clay. Wimbledon is played on grass. Each surface changes how the ball behaves — and therefore what kind of player thrives.

Clay is the slowest surface, with high bounces that reward patience, heavy topspin and marathon rallies. Hard courts sit in the middle: fast enough to reward aggressive shot-making, consistent enough to suit all-rounders. Grass is the fastest and most unpredictable, with low, skidding bounces that favour big servers and players who attack the net. A surface can define a legacy: Rafael Nadal won Roland Garros fourteen times but Wimbledon only twice — the same player, the same game, vastly different results because of what was under his feet.

The traditions that make each major distinct

Each Slam cultivates its own identity. Wimbledon is the most tradition-bound: the all-white dress code, the absence of sponsor advertising around the courts, the royal box, and its famous strawberries-and-cream. Roland Garros embraces its Parisian setting and clay-court culture, with night sessions under the lights of Court Philippe-Chatrier. The Australian Open calls itself the “Happy Slam,” known for intense summer heat and some of the most vocal crowds in tennis.

These differences are deliberate. The tournaments compete for attention, sponsors and television audiences, and their distinct characters are a big part of what makes the tennis season feel like a journey rather than a repetition.

Ranking points: why majors matter most

The Grand Slams offer more ranking points than any other tournament — 2,000 to the singles champion. On the ATP Tour, the points descend steeply: 1,300 for the runner-up, 800 for a semifinalist, 400 for a quarterfinalist, 200 for the round of 16, 100 for the round of 32, 50 for the round of 64, and 10 for a first-round exit. Even players who lose in qualifying earn points — 30 for reaching the main draw through qualifying on the men’s side. The WTA uses a comparable 2,000-point scale for its champions.

To put that in perspective, the next tier down — the ATP and WTA 1000 events like Indian Wells, Miami and Madrid — award 1,000 points to the winner. One Grand Slam title is worth as much, in ranking terms, as two Masters-level titles. Because both tours use a 52-week rolling ranking system, points expire after a year, which means players must constantly defend their results: winning the US Open is worth 2,000 points, but failing to repeat the result twelve months later means all 2,000 points drop off.

The season around the Slams

The Grand Slams anchor an eleven-month season. The tours build toward each major with lead-up events on the same surface: the clay-court swing through Monte Carlo, Madrid and Rome before Paris; the grass-court season before Wimbledon; and the North American hard-court summer — including the Canadian Open and Cincinnati — before New York. The nine ATP Masters 1000 and ten WTA 1000 events form the second tier, followed by the 500 and 250-level tournaments, team competitions like the Davis Cup and Billie Jean King Cup, and the season-ending ATP and WTA Finals.

Because majors are worth so much — in points, prize money and legacy — top players plan their seasons around peaking at the right time, sometimes skipping smaller events to arrive fresh at a Slam.

The Career Grand Slam and the Calendar Slam

Winning all four majors is the sport’s ultimate achievement, and it comes in two forms. A Career Grand Slam means winning each of the four at least once across a career — accomplished by only a handful of players in the Open Era. A Calendar Slam means winning all four in the same year, something not achieved in men’s singles since Rod Laver in 1969 and in women’s singles since Steffi Graf in 1988.

The difficulty lies in the surfaces. To hold all four at once, a player must master clay, grass and hard courts within a few months — the complete tennis player, proven across every condition. That is why the Grand Slams remain the definitive measure of greatness: everything else in tennis is a preparation, a consolation, or a footnote.

FAQs

What are the four tennis Grand Slams?

The Australian Open in Melbourne, Roland Garros (the French Open) in Paris, Wimbledon in London, and the US Open in New York. They are the sport’s four most prestigious tournaments, held in that order each year.

How many ranking points does a Grand Slam winner get?

2,000 points — double what the next tier of tournaments, the Masters 1000 events, award. The runner-up receives 1,300 on the ATP Tour, with points descending through the rounds.

Why are Grand Slams played on different surfaces?

History and tradition. Wimbledon has always been on grass, Roland Garros on clay, and the Australian and US Opens on hard courts. The variety tests every dimension of a player’s game, since each surface rewards different skills.

Who runs the Grand Slams?

The International Tennis Federation governs the four majors, not the ATP or WTA tours. The tours organise the rest of the season’s events, while the Slams sit above them in prestige, prize money and ranking points.

What is a Career Grand Slam?

Winning each of the four majors at least once during a career. Winning all four in a single calendar year — the Calendar Slam — is even rarer and has not happened in men’s singles since 1969.

Compiled by the Khabar 24h Editorial Desk from publicly available sources.