Tennis Grand Slams
The four biggest tennis tournaments of the year, on three surfaces; winning all four in one year is a calendar Grand Slam.
What the paper can ask
- Australian Open (Melbourne Park), French Open (Paris), Wimbledon (London, founded 1877), US Open (New York); three surfaces across the four.
- A Grand Slam means winning all four majors in one discipline in a calendar year; Margaret Court did it in singles and mixed doubles.
- In 2026 Elena Rybakina won the Australian Open (31 January) and the US Open (September), her second and third majors after Wimbledon 2022. (as of 23 Oct 2026)
Latest
Rybakina beat Aryna Sabalenka in both 2026 finals she won (Australian Open 6-4, 4-6, 6-4; US Open 6-4, 5-7, 6-2) and rose to world No. 1 for the first time after the US Open.
Why exams ask
Who won which major, whom they beat, the surface and the order of the four are the standard questions.
The full story
The four Grand Slam tournaments, in calendar order, are the Australian Open (January, Melbourne), the French Open or Roland Garros (late May to June, Paris), Wimbledon (late June to July, London, the oldest, founded 1877) and the US Open (late August to September, New York); between them they are played on hard, clay and grass courts.
In the news
Test yourself
1.Which tennis Grand Slam tournament is played on grass courts?
Correct. Wimbledon (London) is the only grass-court major; the French Open is on clay and the Australian and US Opens on hard courts.
Not quite. Wimbledon (London) is the only grass-court major; the French Open is on clay and the Australian and US Opens on hard courts. It goes into your error book.
2.The Wimbledon Championships are organised by:
Correct. Wimbledon has been held by the All England Club at Church Road since 1877, the oldest tennis tournament in the world.
Not quite. Wimbledon has been held by the All England Club at Church Road since 1877, the oldest tennis tournament in the world. It goes into your error book.