What is a Grand Slam?

Grand Slams are the most prestigious and well-known tournaments on the tennis calendar. These four tournaments annually attract the world's best and most famous tennis players and are known not only for their usually fantastic matches, but also for their rich history and enormous prize pool. But what exactly is a Grand Slam in tennis? What Grand Slams are there, and who has won the most? Sjeng Sports summarizes everything you need to know about these prestigious tournaments. 

How do Grand Slams compare to other tennis tournaments? 

A Grand Slam is one of the four major tennis tournaments played during the calendar year. There are four Grand Slams in tennis: the US Open, Roland Garros, Wimbledon, and the Australian Open. A Grand Slam has become a symbol of ultimate success in tennis. Compared to regular tournaments on the ATP and WTA tours, there are several differences. For example, Grand Slams last two weeks instead of one like regular tournaments, more sets are needed to win a match, and there is (much) more prize money available during the tournament. Furthermore, Grand Slams feature larger fields, including the very best players, and these tournaments are much better known and popular with the general public than other tournaments. 

But it doesn't stop there. Besides the fact that Grand Slams offer more pride, there are also more world ranking points at stake. Winning a Grand Slam is like a crowning achievement. Good to know: these tournaments are played on different surfaces. Two are played on hard courts, while other tournaments are held on grass and clay. Winning a Grand Slam once is already impressive, but if you want to win them all, you need a lot of versatility in your game. 

What Grand Slams are there? 

As mentioned earlier, there are four Grand Slam tournaments: the Australian Open, Roland Garros (also known as the French Open), Wimbledon, and the US Open. Each Grand Slam has its own unique characteristics and history. Below, we briefly explain the different Grand Slams. 

Australian Open (hard court)
The first Grand Slam tournament of the year is the Australian Open, held in January in Melbourne, Australia. This tournament is known for the summer temperatures that players typically face. 

Roland Garros (clay)
Roland Garros is held in Paris, France, in May/June. It's the only Grand Slam played on clay courts, resulting in longer rallies that test the players' stamina. 

Wimbledon (grass)
The oldest and perhaps most prestigious tournament of all, played on "the hallowed turf" in London, Wimbledon is known for several well-known traditions, such as the mandatory white tennis attire and the absence of sponsor logos on and around the court. 

US Open (hard court)
This is the final Grand Slam of the season, normally played in New York in August and September. Players naturally want to end their season in style, and the US Open is the perfect platform to showcase your best game to the world. 

Who has won the most Grand Slams? 

Winning a Grand Slam is every tennis player's ultimate dream. However, some players have managed to add a Grand Slam title to their list of achievements multiple times. For example, players like Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal, and Roger Federer have dominated men's tennis in recent years, and Serena Williams has often been impressive in women's tournaments. Below is an overview of the top five male and female players with the most Grand Slam titles. 

Men: Women:
Novak Djokovic (24 titles) Margaret Court (24 titles)
Rafael Nadal (22 titles) Serena Williams (23 titles)
Roger Federer (20 titles) Steffi Graf (22 titles)
Pete Sampras (14 titles) Chris Evert (18 titles)
Björn Borg (11 titles) Martina Navratilova (18 titles) 

Dutch Grand Slam winners 

Are there any Dutch Grand Slam winners in the history books? Absolutely! Although the Netherlands is a relatively small tennis nation compared to countries like the United States and Spain, several compatriots have still managed to add a Grand Slam title to their list of achievements. It should be noted, however, that these were mostly doubles titles. Betty Stöve, for example, won an impressive six women's doubles titles, while also winning four mixed doubles titles. Paul Haarhuis and Jacco Eltingh also proved to be a formidable duo, winning five Grand Slam doubles titles together. Other Dutchmen who have enjoyed success with doubles titles at Grand Slam tournaments include Kristie Boogert, Menno Oosting, Tom Nijssen, Manon Bollegraaf and most recently Jean-Julien Rojer and Wesley Koolhof, who won Wimbledon in 2023 together with Neal Skupski. 

The most famous Dutch Grand Slam winner is undoubtedly Richard Krajicek, the only compatriot to win a Grand Slam singles title. His 1996 Wimbledon victory is still considered one of the greatest achievements in Dutch sporting history. In London, Krajicek defeated Pete Sampras and Jason Stoltenberg, among others, before facing MaliVai Washington in the final. He, too, proved no match for the Dutchman, who defeated his American opponent in three sets and thus became the first Dutch tennis player to win a singles title at a Grand Slam.