Tennis fans look forward to the biggest tournament every year. The four major ones are the Grand Slams — Australian Open, Roland Garros, Wimbledon, and US Open- they attract the best players, give out the most ranking points, have big prize money, and are focal points of the media.
However, aside from the Slams, the ATP Masters 1000 and WTA 1000 are also significant. They award big ranking points and prize money, allow players to improve their rankings, and earn their way into the ATP and WTA Finals at the end of the year. Here are 10 of the biggest tournaments on the tennis calendar:
1. Australian Open
The Australian Open is held in January in Melbourne, and is quite an energetic event that officially starts the Grand Slam season. The ‘Happy Slam’ is a hard-court tournament that attracted a record of more than a million fans in 2024.
Some of the records that were made at the Australian Open include Hingis holding the title of the youngest Slam winner at 16 and Rosewall being the oldest at 37. In the men’s singles championship, Novak Djokovic is the most successful with 10 titles and Margaret Court holds the women’s singles record and the all-time record with 11 of them.
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2. Roland Garros (French Open)
The French Open is a Grand Slam tournament played on red-clay courts at Roland Garros in Paris, France, scheduled from late May to early June. This slow surface affects the ball in a way that it bounces very high and this translates to longer and tiresome matches.
It is the only clay court Grand Slam and is particularly known for the Spanish star Rafael Nadal who has clinched a record of 14 men’s singles titles, which is the most titles held by a player at any single Grand Slam ever. Chris Evert has most of the women’s titles with seven of them. Roland Garros is also known for its cultural importance and the over-the-top fans ambiance there.
3. Wimbledon
Wimbledon, the oldest and most prestigious tennis tournament, is held every summer from late June up to early July at the All England Lawn Tennis Club in London. It is the only Grand Slam played on grass courts, which are always in perfect condition to give the players a fast game with low-bouncing balls. Characterized by its rigorous dress code for players’ attire—which has to be predominantly white—and the strawberries and cream offered to the audience.
Wimbledon was considered Federer’s home because he has performed exceptionally well there, where he has clinched the title 8 times, and Martina Navratilova has the highest number of singles titles at Wimbledon in the Open Era with 9 of them.
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4. US Open
The US Open is the last of the four Grand Slam tournaments of the year which takes place in New York City between the last week of August and the first week of September at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in Flushing Meadows-Corona Park. It is played on hard courts particularly the Laykold surface, which is fast with a consistent bounce, this makes for a very active and quick game.
Novak Djokovic won his 24th Grand Slam title there in 2023 and equaled Margaret Court’s all-time Grand Slam title record. The US Open is famous for its lively spirit attracting people from all around the world to be a part of the event and enjoy the atmosphere of New York City.
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5. BNP Paribas Open (Indian Wells)
The Indian Wells or the BNP Paribas Open, is one of the most significant non-Grand Slam tournaments held in March in Indian Wells, California. This is an ATP Masters 1000 and WTA 1000 event that attracts the world’s best tennis players with the beautiful desert as its backdrop.
Indian Wells is located in the beautiful Coachella Valley and while this is a hard-court tournament, the action is a bit slower than in other hard-court events, leading to drawn-out rallies. It is also known as the ‘Fifth Grand Slam’ because many top players attend it, and the tournament qualifies a large number of players. It is loved for the high-level tennis and the luxury of the fan experience. Indian Wells is an all-time fan and player favorite.
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6. Miami Open
The Miami Open is another ATP Masters 1000 and WTA 1000 tournament held in Miami Gardens, Florida, in March. This is one of the most popular and exciting tournaments where people come from all over the world at the Hard Rock Stadium, which is a distinctive place that provides other entertainment beyond tennis.
It’s the place where both players and spectators experience something different. Aside from tennis, the Miami Open has social aspects: Hollywood stars attend it every year; like a new concert series in 2023.
7. Madrid Open
The Madrid Open is an important clay-court tournament scheduled in the first week of May before the French Open. Being an ATP Masters 1000 and WTA 1000 tournament, it brings some of the best tennis players to Madrid and to the Caja Mágica in San Fermin, which gives a special and entertaining atmosphere to the tournament.
The Madrid Open is also special because it’s played on high-altitude red clay courts, which alters the bounce and flight of the ball so the play is slightly faster than average clay-court tournaments.
8. Italian Open (Rome)
The Italian Open, or Internazionali BNL d’Italia, is held in Rome, Italy, in May of each year. This ATP Masters 1000 and WTA 1000 tournament is the last one of the season played on clay and brings the best talent to Rome.
This tournament takes place at the Foro Italico with outdoor clay courts and is critical in preparing tennis players for Roland Garros. It is well appreciated by the fans and players for its historic venue, the beautiful Foro Italico.
9. Cincinnati Masters
The Cincinnati Masters also referred to as the Western & Southern Open, is held annually in August in Mason, Ohio. This ATP Masters 1000 and WTA 1000 event is the oldest outdoor hard court tournament in North America and is considered a vital tune-up event leading into the US Open for many of the world’s top players.
In 2023, Coco Gauff won her first-ever WTA 1000 title there at 19 years old, to become the youngest winner of the tournament. This hard court has a faster and more consistent surface, which benefits aggressive and all-court players and offers fast-paced and exciting matches.
10. ATP and WTA Finals
The ATP and WTA finals are the last tennis tournament of the season, where the best eight singles players and the eight best doubles teams participate. The ATP Finals will take place in Turin, Italy in 2024 and 2025 while the WTA Finals will be held in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia from 2024 to 2026.
The specific format of the tournaments is round-robin followed by knockout rounds; this results in intense games and an exciting climax to the tennis season. The ATP and WTA finals have large prize funds and ranking points, giving tennis fans a great finale.