The Grand Slams are made up of the four major tennis tournaments: The Championships, Wimbledon, The French Open, The US Open and The Australian Open.
The term 'Grand Slam' originated from Don Budge's achievement of winning the French Open, Wimbledon, the US Open and the Australian Open in 1938. The distinguished American writer Allison Danzig suggested that like a successful bridge player, Budge had scored a 'Grand Slam' of victories in the four major tennis events in one calendar year.
The phrase gained use in common parlance and now is used to refer to the four most prestigious tennis tournaments in the world. In 1989, the Grand Slams joined forces for the first time to form the Grand Slam Committee which, among other responsibilities, administers the Grand Slam rules.
| The US Open
The US Open is held at Flushing Meadows, New York, USA, and will run from Aug. 27 to Sept. 9, 2007.
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| The Australian Open
The Australian Open is held at Melbourne Park, Melbourne, Australia. At the 2007 tournament, Roger Federer captured his third men's title by defeating Fernando Gonzalez, 7-6, 6-4, 6-4, while unseeded Serena Williams cruised to victory over top-seed Maria Sharapova, 6-1, 6-2, to win the women's championship.
The 2008 Australian Open will be held Jan. 14-27.
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| French Open
At the 2007 French Open, Rafael Nadal of Spain became the first man since Bjorn Borg to win three straight championships, when he beat top-ranked Swiss Roger Federer, 6-3, 4-6, 6-3, 6-4, in the men's final. On the women's side, Justine Henin-Hardenne of Belgium took home her fourth French Open title, with a 6-1, 6-2 victory over Serbia's Ana Ivanovic.
The 2008 French Open will take place May 25 to June 8.
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| The Championships, Wimbledon
The Championships are held at the All England Lawn Tennis Club, Wimbledon, England. Roger Federer tied the legendary Bjorn Borg's record of winning five straight Wimbledon championships by defeating Rafael Nadal in a five-set classic, 7-6, 4-6, 7-6, 2-6, 6-2. In the women's event, Venus Williams picked up her fourth Wimbledon crown in eight years, beating Marion Bartoli, 6-4, 6-1, in the final.
The Championships, Wimbledon of 2008 will be held June 23 to July 6.
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The Tennis Masters Cup
| The Tennis Masters Cup
The Tennis Masters Cup, initiated in November 2000 and co-owned by the Grand Slams, the ITF and the ATP, features the top eight men in the world, according to the Champions Race, including the Grand Slam winners. This year, the tournament will be held in Shanghai, China, from Nov. 11-18, 2007.
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