In tennis, a singles player or doubles team is said to have achieved the Grand Slam if they succeed in winning all four of the following championship titles in the same year:

  • Australian Open

  • French Open

  • Wimbledon

  • US Open

Though the term was originally restricted to the winning of all four tournaments in the same calendar year, the International Tennis Federation declared the official term as a player holding all four titles simultaneously, regardless of the calendar year.

Career Grand Slam

Winning all four Grand Slam tournaments non-consecutively is described as a "career Grand Slam."

Singles

Players who won all four Grand Slam tournaments but not in a row include age

Doubles

Teams that have won a Career Grand Slam:

Players who won a Career Grand Slam in doubles:

•  Adrian Quist (1935-36-39)

•  Shirley Fry (1950-51-57)

•  Roy Emerson (1959-60-62)

•  John Fitzgerald (1982-84-86-89)

•  Anders Jarryd (1983-87-89)

•  Helena Sukova (1989-90-93)

•  Jana Novotna (1989-90-94)

•  Jonas Björkman (1998-2002-03-05)

Mixed Doubles

Players who won a Career Grand Slam in mixed doubles: •  Frank Sedgman (1949-51)

•  Billie Jean King (1967-68)

•  Martina Navratilova (1974-85-2003)

•  Todd Woodbridge (1990-92-93-94)

•  Mahesh Bhupathi (1997-99-2005-06)

•  Daniela Hantuchova (2001-02-05)

Golden Slam

The Golden Slam, or Golden Grand Slam, is winning all four Grand Slam tournaments, as well as the Gold medal in tennis at the Summer Olympics, in the same calendar year.

True Golden Slam

So far this feat has been achieved only once by Steffi Graf in 1988.

Career Golden Slam

Winning all tournaments in a True Golden Slam, but non-consecutively:

Players who won a Career Golden Slam:

•  Andre Agassi (1992-94-95-96-99)

Teams that won a Career Golden Slam:

•  Serena Williams & Venus Williams (1999-2000-01)

•  Gigi Fernandez won in the 1996 Olympics, partnering Mary Joe Fernandez. But won a career Grand Slam in Doubles partnering Natasha Zvereva

Small Slam

Players, who have won three of the four Grand Slam tournaments in the same year, are sometimes said to have achieved a small slam.

Men

•  Jack Crawford (1933)

•  Fred Perry (1934)

•  Tony Trabert (1955)

•  Lew Hoad (1956)

•  Ashley Cooper (1958)

•  Roy Emerson (1964)

•  Jimmy Connors (1974)

•  Mats Wilander (1988)

•  Roger Federer (2004)

Juniors:

•  Gael Monfils (2004)

Women

•  Helen Wills Moody (1928, '29)

•  Margaret Smith Court (1962, '65, '69, '73) - also winner of True Grand Slam

•  Billie Jean King (1972)

•  Martina Navratilova (1983, '84)

•  Steffi Graf (1989, '93, '95, '96) - also winner of True Grand Slam

•  Monica Seles (1991, '92)

•  Martina Hingis (1997)

•  Serena Williams (2002) - completed Serena Slam by winning the 2003 Australian Open title

(Australian, French, Wimbledon and US Opens) as a slam in itself.

Names of the winners are inscribed on the perpetual trophy Cups.

•  The Women's Singles winner is presented with the "Daphne Akhurst Memorial Cup".

•  The Men's Singles winner is presented with the "Norman Brookes Challenge Cup". Records

Youngest Champions

•  Men's singles: Ken Rosewall (18 years, two months) in 1953.

•  Women's singles: Martina Hingis (16 years, three months) in 1997.

•  Men's doubles: Lew Hoad (18 years, two months) in 1953.

•  Women's doubles: Mirjana Lucic (15 years, 10 months) in 1998.

•  Mixed doubles: Venus Williams (17 years, seven months) in 1998.

Oldest Champions

•  Men's singles: Ken Rosewall (37 years, two months) in 1972.

•  Women's singles: Thelma Long (35 years, eight months) in 1954.

•  Men's doubles: Norman Brookes (46 years, two months) in 1924.

•  Women's doubles: Thelma Long (37 years, seven months) in 1956.

Most successive singles

•  Men: Roy Emerson (five) 1963-1967.

•  Women: Margaret Smith (seven) 1960-1966.

Most successive doubles

•  Men: Adrian Quist (10) 1935-1950.

•  Women: Martina Navratilova / Pam Shriver (seven) 1983-1989.

Triple titles (singles, doubles, mixed doubles)

•  Men: John Hawkes 1926; Jean Borotra 1928; Jack Crawford 1932.

•  Women: Daphne Akhurst 1925 / 1928 / 1929; Nancye Wynne Bolton 1940/1947/1948;    Thelma Long 1952; Margaret Smith 1963.

Junior and Senior Champions (singles champions who previously won a junior singles title)

•  Men: Jack Crawford, Vivian McGrath, Adrian Quist, John Bromwich, Dinny Pails, Frank    Sedgman, Ken McGregor, Ken Rosewall, Lew Hoad, Rod Laver, John Newcombe, Stefan    Edberg.

•  Women: Joan Hartigan, Emily Westacott, Thelma Long, Beryl Penrose, Mary Carter-   Reitano, Kerry Reid, Evonne Cawley, Chris O'Neil.

Left-handed Singles Champions

•  Men: Horace Rice (1907), Norman Brookes (1911), John Hawkes (1926), Mervyn Rose    (1954), Rod Laver (1960/1962/1969), Jimmy Connors (1974), Guillermo Vilas (Dec.    1978/1979), Roscoe Tanner (1977), Petr Korda (1998).

•  Women: Martina Navratilova (1981/1983/1985), Monica Seles (1991/1992/1993/1996).

Biggest Gap between First and Last Singles Titles

•  Men: Ken Rosewall (20 years) 1953-1972.

•  Women: Nancye Wynne Bolton (15 years) 1937-1951.

Whitewash Result

•  Men: (6-0, 6-0, 6-0) Recorded by six men - James Anderson (first round 1925), Fred Perry    (quarter final 1935), John Bromwich (first round 1949), Neale Fraser (first round 1953), Martin    Mulligan (first round 1960), Richard Russell (first round 1966).

•  Women: (6-0, 6-0) Recorded by 13 women, including four in 1998 (Mary Pierce achieving    the feat twice). Margaret Court achieved the feat four times and Wendy Turnbull three times.

Unseeded Champions

•  Men: Mark Edmondson (1976).

•  Women: Chris O'Neil (1978).

Champions abroad but not at home (Eight former Australian players who won Grand Slam singles titles overseas but failed to capture their native crown):

•  Neale Fraser: three-times Australian runner-up (Wimbledon and US champion).

•  Fred Stolle: twice Australian runner-up (French and US champion).

•  Mal Anderson: twice Australian runner-up (US champion).

•  Tony Roche: Australian semi finalist (French champion).

•  Lesley Turner Bowrey: twice Australian runner-up (French champion)

•  Pat Cash: twice Australian runner-up (Wimbledon champion).

•  Pat Rafter: Australian semi finalist (US champion)

•  Lleyton Hewitt: Australian runner-up (Wimbledon and US champions).

Men's record holder for most wins since 1925:

•  All competitions: Adrian Quist (Australia), 13.

•  Singles: Roy Emerson (Australia), 6.

•  Consecutive singles titles: Roy Emerson (Australia), 5 (1963-1967).

•  Doubles: Adrian Quist (Australia), 10.

Ladies' record holder for most wins since 1925:

•  All competitions: Margaret Smith Court (Australia), 21.

•  Singles: Margaret Smith Court (Australia), 11.

•  Consecutive singles titles: Margaret Smith Court (Australia), 7 (1960-1966).

•  Doubles: Thelma Long (Australia), 12.

•  Last Australian men's singles champion: Mark Edmondson (1976)

•  Last Australian women's singles champion: Christine O'Neill (1978)

Records and Trivia

Men's record holder for most wins since 1925:

•  All competitions: Henri Cochet (France), 9 titles (4 singles, 3 doubles, 2 mixed doubles    titles).

•  Singles: Björn Borg (Sweden), 6.

•  Consecutive singles titles: Björn Borg, 4.

•  Doubles: Roy Emerson (Australia), 6.

Ladies' record holder for most wins since 1925:

•  All competitions: Margaret Smith Court (Australia), 13 (5 singles, 4 doubles, 4 mixed    doubles titles)

•  Singles: Chris Evert (USA), 7.

•  Consecutive singles titles: Helen Wills Moody (USA), Hilde Sperling (Germany) and    Monica Seles (Yugoslavia), 3.

•  Doubles: Martina Navratilova (Czechoslovakia/USA), 7.

Youngest Singles champions:

•  Men: Michael Chang (1989): 17 yrs, 3 mos.

•  Women: Monica Seles (1990): 16 yrs, 6 mos.

Oldest Singles champions:

•  Men: Andrés Gimeno (1972): 34 yrs, 10 mos.

•  Women: Chris Evert (1986): 31 yrs, 5 mos.

Defending champions:

•  Men: Rafael Nadal

•  Women: Justine Henin-Hardenne

Last French singles champions:

•  Men: Yannick Noah (1983)

•  Women: Mary Pierce (2000)

There are five main events held at Wimbledon:

•  Gentlemen's Singles

•  Ladies' Singles

•  Gentlemen's Doubles

•  Ladies' Doubles

•  Mixed Doubles

In addition, four events are held for juniors:

•  Boys' Singles

•  Girls' Singles

•  Boys' Doubles

•  Girls' Doubles (The Mixed Doubles event is not held at the junior level.)

Finally, four invitational events are held:

•  The 35 and over Gentlemen's Invitation Doubles,

•  The 45 and over Gentlemen's Invitation Doubles,

•  The 35 and over Ladies' Invitation Doubles

•  The Wheelchair Gentlemen's Invitation Doubles.

The order of play for all courts is displayed on boards around the grounds. The nineteen courts used for Wimbledon are all composed purely of rye grass.

Dark green and purple are the traditional Wimbledon colours. Green apparel is worn by the chair umpire, linesmen, ball boys, and ball girls. The All England Club requires players to wear "predominantly white" clothing during matches. No other Grand Slam tournament has such a strict dress code for players.

Records

•  Men's singles

•  Women's singles

•  Men's doubles

•  Women's doubles

•  Mixed doubles

Additional tournaments for junior players

The US Open is also unique in that it is the only Grand Slam event where most of the courts are lighted, meaning that TV coverage of the tournament can extend into prime-time to attract more ratings. This has recently been used to the advantage of the USA Network on cable and especially for CBS, the American broadcast TV outlet for the Open for many years, who used their pull to move the women's singles final to Saturday night in order to draw better ratings.

Trivia

Men's record holder for most wins since 1925:

•  All competitions:

•  Singles:

  -  Before 1968: Bill Larned; Bill Tilden; Richard Sears (USA), 7.

  -  Since 1968: Jimmy Connors; Pete Sampras (USA), 5.

•  Consecutive singles titles:

  -  Before 1968: Richard Sears (USA), 7.

  -  Since 1968: John McEnroe (USA); Ivan Lendl (CZE/USA), 3.

•  Doubles:

Ladies' record holder for most wins since 1887:

All competitions:

•  Singles:

  -  Before 1968: Molla Bjurstedt Mallory (USA), 8.

  -  Since 1968: Chris Evert (USA), 7.

•  Consecutive singles titles:

  -  Before 1968: Molla Mallory; Helen Jacobs (USA), 4.

  -  Since 1968: Chris Evert (USA), 4.

•  Doubles:

Defending champions:

•  Men: Roger Federer

•  Women: Kim Clijsters

Last American singles champions:

•  Men: Andy Roddick (2003)

•  Women: Serena Williams (2002)

The Tennis Masters Series is a series of nine tennis tournaments held throughout the year in Europe and North America. The tournaments are part of the Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP) tour and are mandatory for the top male players on the professional circuit. The series began after the ATP took over the running of the men's tour in 1990, and was originally known as the Super 9. All the tournaments in the series had existed for some years before the Super 9 series was launched and were considered to be among the most prestigious events on the tour.

The Cincinnati Masters is an annual tennis event held in the Cincinnati suburb of Mason, Ohio, USA. The event started on September 18, 1899 and is today the oldest tennis tournament in the United States played in its original city.

The tournament was started in 1899 as the "Cincinnati Open".

A satellite tournament is either a minor tournament or event on a competitive sporting tour or one of a group of such tournaments that form a series played in the same country or region. The term is most commonly used in reference to minor professional or competitive junior tennis.

The Davis Cup is the premier international team event in men's tennis. The largest annual team competition in sport, the Davis Cup is run by the International Tennis Federation and is contested between teams of players from competing countries in a knock-out format. Countries aspire to compete in the elite World Group of 16 nations which comprises four rounds of competition spread over four weekends during the year. Each World Group 'tie' between two competing nations consists of 5 matches (known as 'rubbers') carried out over the course of three days, usually Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. On the Friday, the first two matches are singles, generally between the two best available players of each country. A doubles match is played on the second day. On the third day, the final two matches are typically reverse singles in which the first-day contestants traditionally play again, but swap opponents from the first day's singles matches. If the tie has already been decided in favour of one of the teams, it is common for younger lower-ranked team members to play the remaining 'dead-rubbers' in order for them to gain Davis Cup experience.

The tournament was initially known as the "International Lawn Tennis Challenge". It was renamed the Davis Cup following the death of Dwight Davis in 1945.

The Fed Cup is the most important tennis tournament for female national teams, very similar to the men's Davis Cup. Both events are sanctioned by the International Tennis Federation. It was known as Federation Cup until 1995.

The "Hopman Cup" is an annual international team tennis tournament held in Perth, Western Australia in early-January (sometimes commencing in late-December) each year. The championship is named in honour of Harry Hopman (1906-1985), an Australian tennis player and coach who guided the country to no less than 15 Davis Cup titles in the 1938-1969 periods.

Unlike other major international team tennis tournaments like the Davis Cup and the Fed Cup, which is strictly for men or women only, the Hopman Cup is a mixed competition where male and female players team up together on combined teams. Players are invited to attend, national coaches not being involved in selecting teams. Eight nations are selected annually to compete in the Hopman Cup.

Each team consists of one male player and one female player. Each match-up between two teams at the championships consists of:

• One women's singles match

• One men's singles match

• One mixed doubles match

The winning team receives a silver cup perpetual trophy, and the winning team members are presented with distinctive individual trophies in the shape of a tennis ball encrusted with diamonds from the Argyle diamond mine in the Kimberley region of Western Australia.

Paddle tennis

Paddle tennis is a racquet sport invented in 1898 by Frank Beal. It is similar to tennis, but uses smaller paddles and a spongy ball.

Platform tennis

Platform tennis is unique as the only racquet sport that is played outdoors in cold weather. The sport is played at private clubs, public parks, and in backyards at both highly competitive and purely recreational levels.

Platform tennis is a doubles sport with two players on each side of a 34" high net. Rules of the game are identical to tennis with a few exceptions: only one serve, serves that touch the net are played, and what many consider the best thing about platform tennis-the ball can be played off the screened walls. Platform tennis paddles are made of a composite material with aerodynamic holes drilled in the head. Paddles are approximately 18" long. The spongy, rubber ball measures 2.5" in diameter. A flocking material on its exterior keeps the ball from skidding.