The four tennis Grand Slams: dates, surfaces, formats and records

The four tennis Grand Slams, also called the majors, are the Australian Open, Roland-Garros (the French Open), Wimbledon and the US Open. They're the biggest events in the sport, and men's singles there are played over the best of five full sets. "Grand Slam" also has a second meaning: winning all four in the same calendar year, which Margaret Court did in 1970 and Rod Laver in 1969. The record for Grand Slam singles titles is 24, held by Court, and 24 is also the men's record, held by Novak Djokovic. The facts below are from the tournaments' own sites and the 2026 Grand Slam rulebook, checked on 1 November 2026.

The four Grand Slams

The dates are as each tournament's official site gave them on 1 November 2026; the US Open hadn't posted its 2027 dates yet. The three surfaces play differently, and that shows in the prices. How the surface changes tennis prices explains the effect on the market.

How the format differs at the Grand Slams

The 2026 Grand Slam rulebook sets two things that make the majors different from the rest of the tours:

• Best of five for men. All men's singles main-draw matches are best of five sets. All other matches, including women's singles, are best of three unless a tournament decides otherwise.
• A 10-point final-set tiebreak. The final set is decided by a 10-point tiebreak, which in the ITF's description starts at six games all and goes to the first player to ten points with a two-point lead.

Everything else follows the normal rules of the game. The rulebook says the ITF's Rules of Tennis apply in all Grand Slam matches unless Grand Slam Tennis, the body that publishes the rulebook, specifies otherwise. That's why scoring, lets, faults and the rest work the same at a major as anywhere else, and why tennis rules explained applies there too.

So no Grand Slam final set can run on to 70-68, as one did at Wimbledon in 2010. How many sets are in a tennis match compares all the formats, and tennis tiebreak rules explains the tiebreak. Matches at the majors are also longer: a 2024 player health report by the PTPA put the average there at 143 minutes, against 120 across all matches, as how long is a tennis match sets out.

Grand Slam, career Slam, Golden Slam: what they mean

• The Grand Slams, plural, are simply the four tournaments.
• A Grand Slam, or calendar Grand Slam, is winning all four singles titles in one calendar year. The Australian Open's site says Margaret Court completed it in 1970 and is one of only three women to have done so. Olympics.com refers to Rod Laver's calendar Grand Slam of 1969.
• A career Grand Slam is winning each of the four at least once over a career, in any years.
• A Golden Slam adds the Olympic singles gold medal in the same year. The WTA calls Steffi Graf, in 1988, the first and only player to achieve the calendar-year Golden Slam.
• A career Golden Slam is all four majors plus Olympic gold over a career. Olympics.com says Novak Djokovic completed it by winning gold at Paris 2024.

The title records

Olympics.com also says Djokovic holds the record for most Grand Slam singles finals, 36, and that his 2023 US Open title brought him level with Court's 24. Titles won in 2026 may not be reflected in every source yet, so check the date shown on each one.

What the Grand Slams mean for prices

Best of five changes how prices behave in men's matches. A longer match gives the better player more points to show the gap, so favourites start a little shorter, and losing a set costs them less. These figures come from the point-by-point model behind the win-chance calculator, for a player who holds serve 86% of the time against one who holds 78%:

The early rounds bring their own patterns, with qualifiers and players returning from breaks, and each major has its own conditions. The tournament guides go into them, starting with the Australian Open guide that goes live on 1 December.

Sources

All checked on 1 November 2026: the official sites of the Australian Open and Melbourne Park, Roland-Garros, Wimbledon and the US Open; the 2026 Official Grand Slam Rule Book, section L; the Australian Open's profiles of Margaret Court and Novak Djokovic; the WTA profile of Steffi Graf; and Olympics.com on Novak Djokovic, updated 8 November 2025. Model figures are from the 77 Tennis win-chance model. Where this page and those sources disagree, the sources win.

FAQ

What are the four Grand Slams in tennis?

The Australian Open, Roland-Garros (the French Open), Wimbledon and the US Open. They're the four biggest tournaments, and men's singles there are best of five sets.

What is a Grand Slam in tennis?

Either one of those four tournaments, or winning all four singles titles in the same calendar year. Margaret Court did it in 1970 and Rod Laver in 1969.

Who has won the most Grand Slam titles?

Margaret Court holds the record with 24 Grand Slam singles titles, according to the Australian Open. Novak Djokovic holds the men's record, also 24, according to Olympics.com in November 2025.

What is a Golden Slam?

Winning all four Grand Slams and the Olympic singles gold in the same year. The WTA calls Steffi Graf, in 1988, the first and only player to do it.

When is the next Grand Slam?

The Australian Open, from 11 to 31 January 2027 at Melbourne Park, with the main draw starting on 17 January, according to the tournament.