About the Grand Slam: 4 of the world's best tennis tournaments
With over 1 billion supporters worldwide, tennis is the ultimate individual and dual sport popular for both men and women. Throughout its long history, it has established itself a distinct image in terms of class, tradition, and above all, prestige. All of these are quite evident in its major global competitions.
The grandeur of tennis tournaments are peerless — highly esteemed and celebrated like none other in the world. From having one of the best sporting crowds, titles, and resounding prize pools, witness all of these in the Grand Slam tournaments. It’s a collective term that consists of four of the world’s richest, most popular and important annual tennis events.
Grand Slam
Also referred to as ‘majors’, the Grand Slam are major championships in Australia, France, the U.S., and the U.K. Winning them within the same calendar year is deemed to be the highest achievement ever attained in the sport. A correct prediction on who will win, however, is perhaps the most lucrative in tennis betting. The schedule begins with the Australia Open in mid-January and ends with the US Open between August and September.
- The Happy Slam | Melbourne, Australia
Often referred to as the ‘Grand Slam of Asia/Pacific’, this tournament used to be played on grass courts until 1988. The platform shifted to hard court surfaces, changing from coloured Rebound Ace up to 2007, blue Plexicushion from 2008 to 2019, and blue GreenSet in 2020 and moving forward.
While the US Open and Wimbledon are the often featured events in media, the Happy Slam is the highest attended Grand Slam event. There were more than 812,000 people in the 2020 season who witnessed great rousing actions from athletes as they vied for the prize money of A$71,000,000.
- French Open | Paris, France
French Open is the first clay-court tennis tournament in the world. With seven rounds required in the event played on a clay surface, which means a slower pace and higher bounce of the ball, it’s commonly deemed to be the most physically demanding tennis event.
Of all the talented players who graced the court, Rafael Nadal is the most successful. He has the most number of wins, with 13 titles. In 2021, the prize money reached €34,367,215.
- Wimbledon | London, United Kingdom
Wimbledon, or simply addressed as ‘the Championships, is the oldest and widely regarded most prestigious tennis tournament in the world. As of 2021, its prize money is worth £35,000,000.
Unlike the first two majors, it’s one of the two Grand Slams with one venue since it opened in 1877. Keeping the tradition alive and well, it’s the only major still played on grass and requires players to follow an all-white or nearly all-white dress code.
- US Open | New York City, United States
As the series ends in the US Open, distinctly known as the most professional hardcourt tennis event, the odds in tennis betting also get quite intense. While it’s the second Grand Slam with only one venue since inception, its surfaces are grass, clay, and hard court. In 2021, the prize pool reached $53.4 million.
