All you need to know about the four Grand Slams of the year

These events are the most high-profile in both the men's and women's tennis careers.

All the wild Tennis fans are busy watching the US Open as the fourth and final Grand Slam of the year commenced on August 29. Giants like Rafael Nadal and Daniil Medvedev reached their next rounds, also Serena Williams, who might be playing her last Grand Slam of her magnificent career, reached the 2nd round.

The Grand Slam tournaments are also referred to as the "majors". This includes the Australian Open, French Open, Wimbledon, and US Open, which are the most important annual professional tennis tournaments. We have all been watching all these Grand Slams for years. But do we know about the history of these Grand Slams? Today, we are here with all the relevant information about all four Grand Slams that happen during the year, which we thought you should know about. Here we begin:

Australian Open

The first major of the year, the Australian Open (AO), takes place annually in late January and early February. The inaugural edition of the AO took place in the year 1905 on the grass courts, which are otherwise now played on hard courts. The tournament got in the category of Major Championship by the International Lawn Tennis Federation in 1923.

Legendary Tennis star Novak Djokovic has won the most number of Australian Open titles with nine to date. Roy Emerson and Roger Federer stood at the second spot with six titles while American great Andre Agassi won the championship four times. Moreover, Rafael Nadal is the current champion as he defeated Daniil Medvedev in the finals to clinch his second Australian Open title.

French Open

Commonly known as ‘Roland Garros', the French Open is the second Grand Slam tournament of the year. It takes place in late May and early June. The French Open started in 1891 on the sand courts, and over the years, it has changed venues before settling on the clay courts at the Stade Roland-Garros in Paris, France, and since 1928, it has been played there.

This Grand Slam is generally considered to be the most physically demanding tennis tournament in the world. Whenever it comes to French Open, Rafael Nadal is the only one who will be remembered forever. The tennis legend recently won his 14th Roland-Garros title in June 2022. No one is near to Nadal and Max Decugis won eight titles which is the second most.

Wimbledon Championships

The Wimbledon Championships, commonly known as Wimbledon, is widely regarded as the most prestigious tennis tournament. It is known for its traditions and guidelines, which have been followed from the beginning. The Championships was first held in 1877 and is the oldest tennis tournament. It is one of the few tournaments which is still being played on the grass courts, which is tennis’ original surface. Players are required to wear all-white attire during matches. They are referred to as ‘Gentlemen’ and Ladies.’

What Rafael Nadal is to the French Open, Roger Federer is to Wimbledon, as the Swiss great has won the most number of titles, eight, with the last one coming in the year 2017. The next on the list is Pete Sampras, with seven titles.

US Open

The US Open is the final Grand Slam of the year and is played in late August and early September. The first-ever US Open was held in 1881 on grass courts. Like the Australian Open, this major has also changed venues over the years. In 1978, it moved to the hard courts in Flushing Meadows and has been contested there ever since. It was officially designated as a major tournament in 1923.

Jimmy Connors has the most number of titles with five. While Richard Sears, William Larned, and Bill Tilden have seven titles in the Amateur era. Daniil Medvedev won the previous edition of the US Open and he will look to dominate this time as well. American legend Serena Williams is another player to watch out for, as it may be the last Grand Slam of her career.