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For many of us, the first exposure to tennis comes from watching the players compete on social media or television. However, die-hard fans of the sport closely follow every event and get involved in tennis betting.
Grand slam events are the most prestigious tournaments, and usually, everyone watches them first. The number of grand slam championships won is sometimes used to determine who had the best career among the game’s all-time greats.
During each year’s Grand Slam events, tennis fans all around the globe are mesmerized by a yellow ball flying through the air, warmed by the sun.
For those who are unable to travel to Grand Slam cities like Paris, London, New York, or Melbourne, Tennis Channel provides full event coverage and expert analysis. In addition, Tennis Channel Plus members get access to unique content.
The four most prestigious tennis tournaments are Wimbledon, the French Open, the Australian Open, and the United States Open. The Australian Open and US Open are played on hard courts, while Wimbledon and the French Open are played on grass and clay courts. Here, we’ll cover the four main international tennis tournaments.
Wimbledon
One of the most esteemed tennis events in the world, Wimbledon, was established in 1877. It’s hosted at the All England Club and is the only Grand Slam event to be played on grass. It was formerly held at the end of June until 2015 when the English event was moved to the beginning of July.
Wimbledon’s center court is often filled with famous faces, including members of the Royal family. The tournament is sponsored by Rolex, competitors are required to wear an all-white dress, and strawberries and cream are served to spectators as part of the game’s history.
French Open
The French Open, or Roland Garros, is the second Grand Slam competition. The tournament takes place in the Stade Roland Garros in Paris, France, for two weeks.
Roland Garros is known as the world’s most physically demanding event because of its clay court format. This event has men’s and women’s singles, men’s and women’s doubles, and mixed doubles as the tournament’s main categories.
Rafael Nadal has dominated clay court tennis since early 2000 and has won the championship a total of 13 times over the last 17 years. Novak Djokovic, who went on to win the French Open that year, defeated Rafael Nadal in four sets in the semi-finals of the 2021 tournament. Although Djokovic has 20 Grand Slam titles to his name, the French Open triumph would be his only other.
Australian Open
The Australian Open was established in 1905 and is the first of the four Grand Slam tournaments held annually, taking place over the last two weeks of January. Since 1988, the event has been hosted in Melbourne Park. Previously, it was held in Adelaide, Brisbane, Sydney, Perth, and twice in New Zealand.
Before 1988, matches were played on grass but are currently on hard courts. The ball bounces higher on hard courts than on other surfaces and is significantly quicker than on clay, as used in the French Open.
Novak Djokovic is the current men’s Australian Open winner. He has also won the event more times than any other player in his category, with nine victories to date and three consecutive years.
Naomi Osaka of Japan is the reigning women’s champion, having won her second Australian Open title in 2021. In the Open era, Margaret Smith Court owns the most championships (11), while Serena Williams has won the most.
United States Open
The US Open, like the Australian Open, is held on a hard court. For two weeks, the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in New York hosts the last major tennis event of the year.
It’s the beating heart of American tennis, symbolizing the irrepressible spirit of Arthur Ashe, the man who gave the stadium its name. The Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in Flushing, New York, enhances the US Open’s particular identity. It’s the last Grand Slam event of the year, and it’s played on a hard court, which is the most predictable surface and provides the ideal platform for crowd-pleasing moves.
