From Grand Slams such as Wimbledon and the French Open to the Italian Open and the Laver Cup, here are the biggest tennis tournaments in the world.
The sport of tennis attracts fans from all corners of the earth and is arguably now more popular than ever before.
With the sport producing some iconic moments and true legends that now reside in the International Tennis Hall of Fame, it’s easy to understand why casual sports fans and more hardcore spectators get so involved in the sport. In fact, for many, tennis is not simply a sport at all, but rather, a way of life.
One of the best things about a new tennis season starting is the anticipation leading up to each major tournament. Sure, we have the four Grand Slams in the form of the Australian Open, French Open, Wimbledon, and the US Open, but the sport has so much more to offer in terms of major tournaments.
If the Grand Slams have finished or are simply not your thing, there are plenty more global tennis tournaments to sink your teeth into. To prove it, in no particular order, here’s a look at the 13 biggest tennis tournaments in the world.
Australian Open
The Australian Open is the first of the four major Grand Slam tournaments to take place during the tennis season.
For tennis fans and players alike, the Australian Open is a tournament that many hold dear to their hearts, partly due to the fact that it signifies the start of yet another year of non-stop tennis action.
The Australian Open dates back to 1905 and, since 1988, has been held at the prestigious Melbourne Park. The women’s tournament is quite young, as it was first held in 1922 and is now every bit as competitive and exciting as the men’s.
In the early days of the tournament, when travel arrangements were much tougher, many players would not travel to Australia, though that is, of course, not the case anymore. Before Melbourne was selected as the permanent home for the Open, the tournament would be held in Sydney, Brisbane, and Adelaide.
This tournament is now a hard-surfaced tournament in which Novak Djokovic has enjoyed huge amounts of success over the years, as he has won here nine times since 2008, giving him the record for the most singles titles at this tournament.
Before utilizing a hard-surfaced court, from 1905 – 1987, the tournament was actually held on grass, just like Wimbledon.
French Open
The French Open is the second Grand Slam of the tennis season and is one of the most polarizing tennis tournaments in the tennis calendar due largely to the fact that it is the only tournament to be held on clay.
Playing on a clay surface is nothing like playing on grass. It’s actually very different to playing on a hard-surfaced court as well. The ball tends to move slower and can bounce erratically. It can also be harder to get your footing. This is why so many tennis players and fans alike either love the tournament or dislike it.
The Roland Garros French Open, as it is called, first began all the way back in 1891, when it was known as the French Championships. The women’s tournament was added in 1897.
Ever since 1928, the event has been held at the Stade Roland Garros in Paris. A lot of people don’t know, however, that before becoming a clay tournament, it was held on sand.
While some tennis players wake up in a cold sweat at the thought of playing on clay, others excel on this surface. The most obvious name when talking about the French Open is Rafael Nadal, known affectionately as the ‘King of Clay.’ Needless to say, with a nickname like that, you can probably imagine just how good he is here. Nadal currently holds the record for the most victories here, with a staggering fourteen French Opens to his name! His most recent victory here came in 2022.
US Open
The US Open is the fourth and final Grand Slam of a tennis season.
This Grand Slam typically begins at the end of August and runs through into the second week of September.
The tournament can be traced back to 1881, when it was initially known as the US National Championships before being renamed the US Open in 1968. The women’s tournament was added in 1887.
This is easily the most popular US professional tennis tournament. Held at the prestigious US National Tennis Center in Flushing Meadows, New York, the US Open has one of the best atmospheres of all the Open Tournaments. Fans tend to be louder and more excitable compared to the quieter Wimbledon. There’s live music, street food, drinks, and live entertainment.
Since 1978, the US Open has been a hard-court tournament, though before then, it had been played on both clay and grass.
In the Open Era, Pete Sampras, Roger Federer, and Jimmy Connors all hold the record for most victories here, with five each for the men.
For the women, however, both Chris Evert and Serena Williams picked up six singles wins here.
Wimbledon
Wimbledon is the penultimate Grand Slam tennis tournament to take place during the tennis season and is typically held from late June into the second week of July.
This summer tournament is held in Wimbledon, London, and is considered by many to be the most prestigious and most popular tennis tournament in the entire world.
The tournament can be traced back to 1877, when it was first held on the grass lawns of the All-England Club. To this day, it is still played on grass and has done since it was first created a century and a half ago.
The tournament is considered the biggest of its kind in the world, and consequently, only the best of the best play here. It attracts huge names from the world of Hollywood and Fashion to members of the Royal Family.
Expect plenty of strawberries and cream, all-white dress codes, and of course, rain delays thanks to that reliable British summer weather.
Wimbledon has produced some truly iconic moments, including the legendary showdown in the final between John McEnroe and Bjorn Borg in 1980. The player with the most singles victories here is Martina Navratilova with 9, closely followed by Roger Federer with 8.
ATP Finals
Arguably the most popular non-Grand Slam tennis tournament is the ATP Finals.
The origins of the ATP (Association of Tennis Professionals) Finals can be traced back to 1970. Since then, however, the tournament has undergone a number of name changes and tweaks.
The ATP Finals are played on hard-court surfaces, with the top 8 players in the overall rankings qualifying for the tournament. The match play itself adopts a round-robin style, with the top 4 reaching the semi-finals, with 2 of those 4 playing in the finals. Each player is placed into a group of 4 and will play every other player in their group, with the top 2 reaching a semi-final, before the championship final match.
Currently held in Turin, the ATP Finals have had many homes over the years. Before moving to Turin in 2021, the ATP Finals were held at the O2 Arena in London, England, from 2009 – 2020.
WTA Finals
The Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) Finals is undoubtedly, one of the prime events in women’s tennis. The esteemed tournament showcases the cream of the crop, as only the top-ranked players get a chance to participate and end their season on a high note.
Tracing its origins back to 1972, the WTA Finals is one of the most prestigious tennis events. It is held annually and marks the end of the tennis season. The participants in the event are the best performers of the year from the WTA tour.
Unique and competitive, the WTA Tour Finals’ format has seen numerous changes over the years. Since 2003, the tournament has been reserved for 8 players divided into two groups.
One unique aspect of the finals was the use of a best-of-five-sets match, but this was only from 1984 to 1998. This made the tournament the first one since 1901 to adopt this format for women’s matches.
The tournament significantly moved several times across continents, hosted in different cities like New York, Munich, Madrid, Doha, Istanbul, Singapore, and Shenzhen. For the year 2022, the WTA Finals took place in Fort Worth, Texas.
The Davis Cup
Those who are familiar with golf and the Ryder Cup may very well be familiar with the Davis Cup.
The Davis Cup began as a simple men’s competition between tennis players from the USA and Great Britain. Like many tournaments, however, it has changed and evolved over the years and is now considered one of the biggest international tennis team competitions.
Dating back to 1900, it’s safe to say that Great Britain is trailing in terms of wins, having lifted the cup just 10 times in more than a century. In fact, before 2015, it took them 79 years to win the cup, when Andy Murray finally brought the trophy back to the UK.
While tennis is generally a quiet and civilized event, the Davis Cup is a stark contrast to this. Here, fans can unashamedly let their hair down, drink beer, wave flags, chant and wave, and cheer their countrymen on. For the atmosphere from the crowd alone, the Davis Cup has to be seen as one of the most popular tennis tournaments in the world, if not for the same reasons as the Grand Slams we’ve looked at.
The Laver Cup
The Laver Cup is one of the newer tennis tournaments to start doing the rounds, but don’t let that fool you; it is still one of the most popular tournaments in the world today, regardless of its infancy.
Held at the O2 Stadium in London, the very first event took place in 2017 and has been held there ever since, with the exception of 2020 as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Named after the late, great Australian tennis megastar Rod Laver, the Laver Cup is held over a weekend and sees a team of players from Europe battle it out against teams of players from all over the globe. Each team is made up of 6 players; 3 of these players automatically qualify as a result of their ATP rankings, whereas the other 3 are chosen by team captains.
To add to the excitement, John McEnroe and Bjorn Borg have both served as team captains for Team World and Team Europe, respectively, since the tournament began in 2017.
While the tournament is seen as more for fun and bragging rights, it still attracts huge numbers and is quickly becoming one of the most eagerly anticipated tournaments on the tennis calendar.
BNP Paribas Open (Indian Wells Masters)
This is another hugely prestigious tournament and is one of the largest outside the four Grand Slams. Needless to say, it attracts big names and big crowds. Each year, hundreds of thousands of fans flock here in early to mid-March to enjoy some of the most competitive tennis played outside of the Grand Slams.
The BNP Paribas Open takes place at Indian Wells, Palm Springs, California. The location is unofficially dubbed ‘Tennis Paradise.’ The location offers amazing scenery, stunning weather, and an amazing atmosphere which certainly makes the tournament popular. Ultimately, though, it is the quality of tennis on display here that really seals the deal.
Also known as Indian Wells, the BNP Paribas Open is another hard-court event that began in 1974 and moved to Indian Wells permanently in 1987.
With names such as Nadal, Williams, Federer, Djokovic, Connors, Sampras, Becker, Graf, Navratilova, and many more all having picked up wins here over the years, you can see just how prestigious and competitive this tournament is.
Western and Southern Open (Cincinnati Masters)
As we continue our journey exploring the biggest tennis tournaments in the world, our next stop is at the Western and Southern Open, often referred to as the Cincinnati Masters. This grand-scale ATP Masters 1000 event, held at the Lindner Family Tennis Center, has come a long way from its humble beginnings and rightfully earned its reputation as one of the oldest and most prestigious tennis tournaments in the United States.
First played in 1899 at the Avondale Athletic Club, the Cincinnati Masters has successfully preserved its rich heritage while constantly evolving over the years. This thrilling tournament has been home to numerous remarkable moments and welcomed some of tennis’s greatest players.
The Cincinnati Masters is the second-largest summer tennis event in the US after the US Open and has been continuously held in its original city longer than any other tennis tournament in the country. Past champions include all-time greats such as Ivan Lendl, Stefan Edberg, Pete Sampras, Rafael Nadal, Roger Federer, and Novak Djokovic. In 2018, Djokovic clinched a victory in Cincinnati, making history as the first person to win all ATP Masters’ 1000 titles, achieving the “Career Golden Masters.”
The Western and Southern Open continues to thrive and captivate audiences with its historical background and the amazing feats of the tennis champions that have graced this stage, making it truly one of the biggest tennis tournaments in the world.
Madrid Open
Madrid Open, also known as Masters de Madrid, is one of the biggest and most prestigious tennis tournaments globally. Since its inception in 2002, Spaniards, including Rafael Nadal, have dominated the court. Carlos Alcaraz also delivered noteworthy victories in 2022 and 2023, establishing his position in the world of tennis.
The Madrid Open has undergone significant changes since its establishment. Initially, it was an exclusive men’s event when it was established in 2002, but it expanded to include a premier women’s contest seven years later in 2009. That same year, the tournament transitioned from a hard court surface to clay, offering a completely different challenge to the players. For a brief period in 2012, it had the unique feature of blue-colored courts. However, this color was not retained in subsequent editions, as the ATP chose not to use blue courts again.
Miami Open
The Miami Open referred to as the “Winter Wimbledon,” is a bustling tennis tournament that attracts hundreds of thousands of visitors every year. Held at the Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, Florida, this tournament forms part of both the men’s ATP Tour Masters 1000 circuit and the Women’s WTA circuit.
The Miami Open has become a top-tier tennis event since its creation in 1985. Notably, it was named the ATP Masters 1000 Tournament of the Year multiple times – from 2002 to 2006 and again in 2008. Apart from being a significant event on both the ATP and WTA tours, the Miami Open is also the second tournament in the Sunshine Double, which is achieved when a player secures victories at both the Indian Wells Open and the Miami Open consecutively, making it an exceptional accomplishment in tennis.
The appeal of the Miami Open lies not only in its stunning venue and well-organized proceedings but also in its illustrious history. First dreamt of in the 1960s, the Miami Open was conceptualized by some top tennis players such as Jack Kramer, Frank Sedgman, Pancho Gonzalez, Pancho Segura, and Butch Buchholz. It was these tennis greats who first toured the country with the dream of an international tennis tournament, playing in darkened arenas and fairgrounds. This dream finally came to fruition in 1985.
Italian Open
The tennis season wouldn’t be complete without the prestigious and exciting Italian Open. One of the most significant Tennis tournaments globally, the Italian Open is part of the nine ATP Masters 1000 tournaments and the WTA 1000 tournaments.
The Italian Open, also known as the Rome Masters, is held annually in Rome. The tournament has a rich history that dates back to 1930 and has become a crucial clay-court event leading up to the French Open.
The tournament is held at the Foro Italico sports complex, renowned for its beautiful marble statues and intimate atmosphere. The stunning setting not only provides a unique backdrop for top-ranking players but also creates an unforgettable experience for the audience. Matches at the Italian Open take place on outdoor clay courts, which are known for their slower game pace, longer rallies, and strategic gameplay, demanding both physical and mental preparation from players.
The Italian Open attracts top tennis athletes, with Nadal dominating on clay and Williams showcasing relentless skill. Winning this tournament offers not only a substantial prize but also serves as an indicator of potential success in the upcoming French Open. It challenges both physical endurance and strategic prowess.
