Grand Slams are the biggest tournaments in tennis. These are also called the majors since players aspire to play in them from the beginning of their careers and win.
Merely participating in a Grand Slam is bound to enhance the career of a tennis player, let alone winning them. It has the potential to increase their ranking as well as prize money prospects.
Winning a Grand Slam is not easy by any means. These four major tournaments — the Australian Open, French Open, Wimbledon, and US Open — are all played on different surfaces and thus require different physical and mental skill sets. Only the players who are able to weed out inconsistency from their games can flourish.
The players who are also able to adapt and adjust to different surfaces on a regular basis are able to compete at the highest level consistently. Only those who have the mental fortitude and strength to fight till the last ounce of their breath — figuratively speaking — can count themselves among the legends.
The players who have managed to keep themselves physically and mentally fit over a period of time have been able to aim for these titles. They have also managed to play against their opponents at a high level and not let their intensity drop no matter what happens. This is the hallmark of any great player.
The Australian Open and US Open are played on hard surfaces that allow the ball to bounce evenly and come onto the racquet. The pace of the game is quick here, and those players who have strong forehands can flourish if they keep faith in themselves and their preparation.
The French Open is played on a clay court in Roland Garros in Paris. The mud in the surface ensures that the bounce is uneven and the ball is slow to come onto the players. The ones who can use their feet well and go up to the net regularly can create angles for themselves on this surface and succeed.
Wimbledon, which is the most historic Grand Slam tournament, is played on grass. This was also the surface where tennis was originally played (hence the name lawn tennis). On this natural surface, the pace of the game is quick since the ball comes on fast. Players who defend well from the baseline can get a lot of points.
The bounce of the ball is predictable to some extent on grass, and this allows players who have good technique to trust it and play their shots. This surface aids a lot of rallies but sometimes the skiddy nature of the grass makes for good points while serving first time, also known as aces.
Novak Djokovic and Margaret Court have Won the Most Grand Slams
As for the records, Novak Djokovic (men) and Margaret Court (women) are tied on the pole position for winning the most number of Grand Slams in men’s and women’s singles categories, respectively, in tennis history.
Both have won 24 Grand Slams, with Djokovic being primed to go for more. He looks far from being finished and still has a lot of tennis left inside his hungry body.
The recently retired Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer come second on the men’s singles list for having won 22 and 20 Grand Slams, respectively.
In the women’s singles category, Serena Williams of the USA comes in second after having won 23 Grand Slams. Several fans of tennis consider Williams to be the greatest player ever and not Court.
Let us explain this. Court played at a time when professionals were not allowed to participate in major tennis tournaments. She won 13 of her singles Grand Slams when only amateurs were allowed to participate in Grand Slams.
Many contest that since she won just 11 of her titles in the Open Era (when professionals started being allowed to participate), Williams is the true holder of this record since all her titles came during the latter era.
Court’s achievements are looked down upon by a certain section of tennis followers since competition was not very high when only amateurs were allowed to participate in Grand Slams. It was only during the Open Era that competition increased and players had to innovate to either remain or perish. Of course, it is not Court’s fault that she was born at a time when only amateurs participated in major tournaments.
In the men’s doubles category, the American Mike Bryan holds the record for most number of Grand Slams (18). Bryan was highly renowned for his on-field partnership with his brother Bob. The latter comes second on this list with 16 titles of his own.
In the women’s doubles category, the legendary Martina Navratilova comes first with a whopping 31 titles to her name. What’s more, Navratilova also has 18 Grand Slam titles as a singles player! The Czech-American is considered to be among the best players to have ever graced a tennis court.
In the mixed doubles category (where men and women play together), Margaret Court comes on top of the list with 21 titles. Out of these, only seven titles, however, came in the Open Era.
The record-holders in the Open Era are Martina Navratilova (again!) and India’s Leander Paes, with ten titles each. The latter has made our country proud on the world stage on many occasions, and it is high time that we celebrate and honour him and his achievements.
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