Tennis Grand Slam Tournaments History

Posted by Mike Volkin on December 21st, 2016

Grand Slam tournaments are also known as ‘majors’ and they encompass the four important tennis events every year, namely: the Australian Open (mid-January), the French Open (May and June), Wimbledon (June and July), and the US Open (August and September). Each tournament takes two weeks, on different kinds of courts, like clay (French), grass (Wimbledon), and hard courts (Australia and US). Tennis Grand Slam tournaments offer the highest amounts of prize money, ranking points, and attention from the media and the public—not to mention the greatest size and strength of field and the highest amount of men’s ‘best of’ sets. Here is a quick overview of the history of tennis Grand Slam tournaments:

When did it start?

Wimbledon is the oldest among the Grand Slam tournaments since it was founded in 1877. The US Open was founded in 1881, the Australian in 1905, and the French in 1891. However, only Wimbledon was the major before 1924 and 1925, the time when all four were recognized as Grand Slam tournaments.

Origin of the term

The term ‘Grand Slam’ pertains to the achievement of winning all the major championships in one year within one of five events, such as the men’s and women’s singles, mixed doubles, and women’s. In a doubles match, a team can achieve a Grand Slam by playing together, or a player can achieve the same distinction with different partners. Without qualifications, a Grand Slam refers to winning all four majors in one calendar year. To date, only 17 tennis players have achieved an actual Grand Slam.

When did every major start?

The Australian major was first held in Melbourne in 1905, with Rodney Heath as its first champion. The women’s event debuted in 1922, and Mall Molesworth won. Tournaments used to be played on grass, and it was only in 1988 when they started playing on a hard court.

The French Open started in Paris in 1891 as a national tournament before it became international in 1925. It was the first tournament to allow pros and amateurs to mix and offer equal prize money to female and male companions, particularly in 2007.

Wimbledon is the most well-known major, and it originated in a district of London of the same name in 1877. The tournament has always been held on a grass surface. Gentlemen’s doubles and ladies’ singles were only added in 1884, and ladies’ doubles and mixed doubles were introduced in 1913.

The US open started in 1881 with men’s doubles and singles. Women’s singles were added in 1887, followed by mixed and women’s doubles in 1889.

The longest matches

The lengthiest women’s match in the history of Grand Slam occurred in the 2011 Australian Open, with Francesca Schiavone versus Svetlana Kuznetsova battling it out for four hours before the former won. It was followed by the match between Nadal and Djokovic in 2012 when they played for almost six hours before the latter became the victor.

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