GRAND SLAMS
The Grand Slams are made up of the four major tennis tournaments: The Championships (Wimbledon), The French Open, The US Open and The Australian Open.
The term 'Grand Slam' originated from Don Budge's achievement of winning all four major tournaments in 1938. The distinguished American writer Allison Danzig suggested that like a successful bridge player, Budge had scored a 'Grand Slam' of victories.
The phrase gained use in common parlance and now the four major tournaments are each referred to as one of the Grand Slams.
In 1989, the Grand Slams joined forces for the first time to form the Grand Slam Committee which, among other responsibilities, administers the Grand Slam rules.
Roger Federer of Switzerland (four Australian Opens, one French Open, six Wimbledons, five US Opens) has won the most Grand Slam titles with 16, while Margaret Court of Australia has won the most Ladies' Singles Grand Slams with 24 titles (11 Australian Opens, five French Opens, five US Opens and three Wimbledons).
The 'Grand Slam' of winning the four events in the same year has been completed by two players in the Men's Singles — Don Budge (USA) in 1938 and Rod Laver (AUS) in 1962 and 1969. Three players have won the Grand Slam in the Ladies' Singles — Maureen Connolly (USA) in 1953, Margaret Smith Court (AUS) in 1970 and Steffi Graf (GER). In 1988 Steffi Graf won all four majors and a gold medal at the Seoul Olympics to give her a 'Golden Grand Slam'.
The Barclays ATP World Tour Finals is the ATP World Tour's season-ending finale. It features the top eight men in the world, according to the ATP World Tour rankings, and currently takes place at London's O2 Arena at the end of November. The women's finale event, the WTA Championships, similarly features the top eight women in the world on the WTA rankings, and is hosted in Istanbul at the end of October.
The Australian Open
The Australian Open is held at Melbourne Park, Melbourne, Australia.
www.australianopen.com
The French Open
The French Open is held at Stade Roland Garros in Paris, France.
www.frenchopen.com
The Championships, Wimbledon
The Championships are held at The All England Lawn Tennis Club, Wimbledon, England.
www.wimbledon.com
The US Open
The US Open is held at Flushing Meadows, New York, USA.
www.usopen.org
Barclays ATP World Tour Finals
The Barclays ATP World Tour Finals is held annually at the end of the year. It involves the top eight players in the ATP rankings, as well as the top eight doubles teams. The 2011 event will take place at the O2 in London in November.
www.barclaysatpworldtourfinals.com
