At a glance
Professional tennis has four Grand Slam tournaments, run with the International Tennis Federation (ITF), and two year-round tours: the ATP for men and the WTA for women. Tour events are graded by the ranking points they offer, from 250-level events up to Masters/1000-level events and the season-ending Finals. India's Grand Slam success has come mainly in doubles and mixed doubles.
Key facts
- Grand Slams: Australian Open, French Open (Roland Garros), Wimbledon, US Open
- Oldest Slam: Wimbledon (first held 1877)
- ATP (Association of Tennis Professionals): men's tour, formed 1972, HQ London
- WTA (Women's Tennis Association): women's tour, founded 1973 by Billie Jean King, HQ St. Petersburg, Florida
- ITF (International Tennis Federation): world governing body, HQ London; runs the Davis Cup and Billie Jean King Cup
- ATP tiers: ATP Finals; Masters 1000 (nine events); ATP 500; ATP 250; Challenger below the main tour
- WTA tiers: WTA Finals; WTA 1000; WTA 500; WTA 250
- Davis Cup: men's national team event, since 1900; India were runners-up in 1966, 1974 and 1987
- Billie Jean King Cup: women's national team event (formerly the Fed Cup), since 1963
- India's first Grand Slam champion: Mahesh Bhupathi, 1997 French Open mixed doubles (with Rika Hiraki)
How it works
| Slam | City | Surface | Month |
|---|---|---|---|
| Australian Open | Melbourne | Hard (acrylic) | January |
| French Open (Roland Garros) | Paris | Clay | May–June |
| Wimbledon | London | Grass | June–July |
| US Open | New York | Hard (acrylic) | August–September |
A singles player who wins all four in one calendar year completes a "Calendar Grand Slam". Men play best-of-five sets at the Slams; tour events are best-of-three.
India's Grand Slam champions (senior titles):
| Player | Titles |
|---|---|
| Leander Paes | 18 (8 men's doubles, 10 mixed) |
| Mahesh Bhupathi | 12 (4 men's doubles, 8 mixed) |
| Sania Mirza | 6 (3 women's doubles, 3 mixed) |
| Rohan Bopanna | 2 (2017 French Open mixed; 2024 Australian Open men's doubles) |
Juniors: Ramanathan Krishnan (Wimbledon boys' 1954), Ramesh Krishnan (Wimbledon and French Open boys' 1979), Leander Paes (Wimbledon and US Open boys' 1990) and Yuki Bhambri (Australian Open boys' 2009) won junior singles Slams.
2026 Grand Slam singles champions:
| Slam | Men | Women |
|---|---|---|
| Australian Open | Carlos Alcaraz | Elena Rybakina |
| French Open | Alexander Zverev | Mirra Andreeva |
| Wimbledon | Jannik Sinner | Linda Nosková |
| US Open | Alexander Zverev | Elena Rybakina |
Recent developments
- 25 Oct 2026: Yuki Bhambri and Ryan Seggerman (USA) won the doubles title at the Almaty Open, an ATP 250 event in Kazakhstan. It was Bhambri's fifth ATP Tour doubles title; his biggest remains the 2025 Dubai ATP 500 with Alexei Popyrin. He reached a career-high doubles ranking of No. 18 in February 2026.
Exam traps
- Roland Garros is the French Open (clay); Wimbledon is the only grass-court Slam.
- The ATP is the men's tour and the WTA the women's; the ITF, not the ATP, governs the Davis Cup.
- The Fed Cup was renamed the Billie Jean King Cup in 2020.
- Bhupathi, not Paes, was India's first Grand Slam champion (1997 mixed doubles).
- Bopanna's 2024 Australian Open win was in men's doubles, with Matthew Ebden; his 2017 title was mixed doubles.
Quick check
- Q: Which Grand Slam is played on clay? A: The French Open (Roland Garros).
- Q: Who founded the WTA? A: Billie Jean King, in 1973.
- Q: Which Indian has won the most Grand Slam titles? A: Leander Paes (18).
In the news
Every time this topic has appeared in our current affairs, newest first:
- 26 October 2026Yuki Bhambri wins the Almaty Open doubles title