These are the 4 Grand Slam tournaments!

Written by Bjorn Slootweg

Feb 25, 2022

7 min

Tennis

Grand Slam	Location	Fieldtype
Australian Open	Melbourne Park, Australia	Hardcourt
Roland-Garros	Stade Roland-Garros, Paris	Gravel
Wimbledon	All England Club, London	Gras
US Open	Arthur Ashe Stadium, New York	Hardcourt

The Australian Open, the first Grand Slam tournament of the year, has been held annually since 1986 at Melbourne Park in Melbourne, Australia. Located in the heart of Victoria’s capital city, this world-renowned sporting complex becomes the epicenter of tennis for the last two weeks of January. The tournament is played on the iconic Rod Laver Arena, formerly known as Flinders Park. This 14,800-seat stadium is the centerpiece of the Australian Open. Due to Melbourne’s unpredictable weather, including extreme heat or rain, the tournament has a retractable roof on both the main stadium and side courts to ensure play can continue in all conditions.

Historically, tennis at Flinders Park has been played on grass, but this changed in 1996 when the surface was changed to a rubber and fiberglass mix, commonly known as hardcourt. The change in surface came after the event moved from Kooyong, a Melbourne suburb, where tennis had been played on grass since 1983. By then, Kooyong could no longer cope with the growing demands of such a prestigious tournament. The move to hardcourts and the opening of Melbourne Park gave the Australian Open its current identity. The distinctive light green background of the hardcourt has since become synonymous with the tournament and it remains an important part of the Australian summer sporting scene.

Australian open: winners and prizes

The 2025 Australian Open, which took place at Melbourne Park from 12 to 26 January, ended with significant results in both the men’s and women’s singles. In the men’s final, Jannik Sinner successfully defended his title by defeating Alexander Zwerev to secure his second consecutive Australian Open crown. On the women’s side, Madison Keys won her first Grand Slam title, beating two-time defending champion Aryna Sabalenka in a nail-biting final.

In terms of prize money, the 2025 Australian Open maintained its status as one of the most lucrative tournaments in tennis. The tournament offered a total prize pool of 96.5 million Australian dollars, with the singles champions taking home 3.5 million Australian dollars each.

Wimbledon

Wimbledon is the world’s oldest and most prestigious tennis tournament, held annually at the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club in London. As the final Grand Slam of the first half of the tennis season, it takes place in late June and early July. The main matches are played on Centre Court, which holds around 15,000 spectators.

Tickets for Wimbledon have been sold online since 2020. Previously, since 1924, fans had to apply for tickets by post to secure a seat on Centre Court. Despite its modern advancements, Wimbledon retains many of its long-standing traditions, including the strict all-white dress code for players.

As the largest and most prestigious grass court tournament in the world, Wimbledon is renowned for its unique playing conditions. Matches can be delayed or postponed due to rain, although Centre Court and No. 1 now have retractable roofs to minimize disruptions. Wimbledon remains a blend of tradition and innovation, preserving its rich history while constantly evolving to enhance the experience for players and fans alike. The 2025 Championships will run from 30 June to 13 July.

Wimbledon: Winners and prizes

In 2020, the Wimbledon tournament was cancelled due to the restrictive policy put in place at the time of the coronavirus, but since then it has seen some remarkable champions pass through its doors. In the men’s singles, Carlos Alcaraz won back-to-back titles in 2023 and 2024, beating Novak Djokovic in both finals. Before Alcaraz, Novak Djokovic had won four consecutive titles (2018-2019, 2021-2022). 

In the women’s singles, Barbara Krejcikova won the 2024 edition, defeating Jasmine Paolini. Elena Rybakina secured the titles in 2022 and 2023, while previous winners include Ashleigh Barty (2021), Simona Halep (2019) and Angelique Kerber (2018).

The 2024 Wimbledon tournament set a new record with a total prize fund of £50 million, an increase of 11.9% on the previous year. The men’s and women’s singles champions each took home £2.7 million. Players eliminated in the first round still received £60,000. The prize money for 2025 has yet to be officially announced, but it is expected to continue to increase, reflecting Wimbledon’s status as one of the richest tournaments in tennis.

US Open

Every year, as summer fades, the world’s best tennis players gather in New York for the US Open, the final Grand Slam of the season. Held in late August and early September, the tournament is famous for its electric atmosphere, late-night matches and passionate crowds.

The Arthur Ashe Stadium, the tournament’s main stage, seats approximately 23,700 spectators, making it the largest tennis venue in the world. Named after Arthur Ashe, the first black American to win a Grand Slam, the stadium has witnessed some of the most iconic moments in tennis history.

The US Open dates back to 1881, when the men’s national singles championship was held at the Newport Casino in Rhode Island. The women’s tournament followed in 1887 at the Philadelphia Cricket Club. Over the years, these events moved to different venues before merging in 1968, marking the birth of the modern US Open. Originally played on grass at Forest Hills, the tournament moved to clay in 1975. Today, the tournament is played on hardcourts. The 2025 championship will be held from 18 August to 7 September.

US Open: Winners and prizes

The last five male US Open champions have been a mix of rising stars and established names. In 2024, Jannik Sinner won his first US Open title, marking a major milestone in his career. The 2023 champion was Djokovic, while Carlos Alcaraz took the 2022 title. On the women’s side, Aryna Sabalenka beat Jessica Pegula to win her first US Open title in 2024. Previous winners include American Coco Gauff in 2023, Iga Swiatek in 2022, Emma Raducanu in 2021 and Naomi Osaka in 2020.

The total prize money for the 2024 US Open has been set at $76.5 million. This represents an increase on the 2023 prize pool and further cements the US Open’s position as the Grand Slam with the largest payout. The prize money for 2025 is yet to be announced.

The Grand Slam tournaments last 14 days and are played simultaneously for both men and women. A total of 128 men and 128 women play 7 rounds of singles, 64 men and women doubles pairs and 48 mixed pairs play 6 rounds each. Players at Grand Slam tournaments can expect to receive more money for their performances than at other tennis tournaments. Tennis is one of the richest sports in the world. Moreover, this is one of the tournaments that provide the most ranking points, public attention and media coverage.

These are the 4 Grand Slam tournaments!

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Grand Slam title winners