The Grand Slam system: four tournaments that define everything
Sep 11, 2026 · 12:35
Four events worth twice the points of anything else - which is why careers are measured against them.
The tennis season runs all year, yet history is written by four tournaments: the Australian, French, Wimbledon and US championships.
Why are they special?
They are the oldest and richest events, the only ones where men play best of five sets, and they have the largest fields, with 128 players in the main draw. They also carry the most ranking points, with the winner collecting the maximum available.
The logic of the ranking
The world ranking is a rolling list, typically covering fifty-two weeks: points earned last year drop off when the same tournament comes round again. That is why one poor week can cost several places if the player performed brilliantly there a year earlier.
Tournament tiers
Below the Grand Slams sit the biggest mandatory events, followed by smaller tournaments. The season ends with the finals of the best players, open only to the elite of that year's points race.
The deciding set
All four majors now use the same rule to close matches: at six games all in the final set, an extended tie-break decides. This ended the multi-hour fifth sets that could once wreck an entire tournament schedule.
