The first championships at Wimbledon, in London were played in 1877. The U.S. National Men's Singles Championship, now the U.S. Open, was first held in 1881 at Newport, Rhode Island.
In 1926, a group of American tennis players established a professional tennis circuit, playing exhibition matches to paying audiences. For 40 years professional and amateur tennis remained strictly separate. In 1968 however, commercial pressures led to the abandonment of this distinction, inaugurating the Open era, in which all players could compete in all tournaments, and top players made their living from tennis.
Thus Wimbledon, the U.S. Open, the French Open (since 1891) and the Australian Open (dating to 1905) became and have remained the most prestigious events in tennis. Together these four events are called the Grand Slam (a term borrowed from bridge).
Winning the Grand Slam, by capturing these four titles in one calendar year, is the highest ambition of most tennis players.
Also, a handy-dandy list of the Champions of all-time.
Pre-Open Era Champions
| Year | Australian Open | French Open | Wimbledon | US Open |
| 1877 | - | - | Spencer Gore | - |
| 1878 | - | - | Frank Hadlow | - |
| 1879 | - | - | John Hartley | - |
| 1880 | - | - | John Hartley | - |
| 1881 | - | - | William Renshaw | Richard Sears |
| 1882 | - | - | William Renshaw | Richard Sears |
| 1883 | - | - | William Renshaw | Richard Sears |
| 1884 | - | - | William Renshaw | Richard Sears |
| 1885 | - | - | William Renshaw | Richard Sears |
| 1886 | - | - | William Renshaw | Richard Sears |
| 1887 | - | - | Herbert Lawford | Richard Sears |
| 1888 | - | - | Ernest Renshaw | Henry Slocum Jr |
| 1889 | - | - | William Renshaw | Henry Slocum Jr |
| 1890 | - | - | Willoughby Hamilton | Oliver Campbell |
| 1891 | - | - | Wilfred Baddeley | Oliver Campbell |
| 1892 | - | - | Wilfred Baddeley | Oliver Campbell |
| 1893 | - | - | Joshua Pim | Robert Wrenn |
| 1894 | - | - | Joshua Pim | Robert Wrenn |
| 1895 | - | - | Wilfred Baddeley | Fred Hovey |
| 1896 | - | - | Harold Mahoney | Robert Wrenn |
| 1897 | - | - | Reginald Doherty | Robert Wrenn |
| 1898 | - | - | Reginald Doherty | Malcolm Whitman |
| 1899 | - | - | Reginald Doherty | Malcolm Whitman |
| 1900 | - | - | Reginald Doherty | Malcolm Whitman |
| 1901 | - | - | Arthur Gore | William Larned |
| 1902 | - | - | Lawrence Doherty | William Larned |
| 1903 | - | - | Lawrence Doherty | Lawrence Doherty |
| 1904 | - | - | Lawrence Doherty | Holcombe Ward |
| 1905 | Rodney Heath | - | Lawrence Doherty | Beals Wright |
| 1906 | Anthony Wilding | - | Lawrence Doherty | William Clothier |
| 1907 | Horace Rice | - | Norman Brookes | William Larned |
| 1908 | Fred Alexander | - | Arthur Gore | William Larned |
| 1909 | Anthony Wilding | - | Arthur Gore | William Larned |
| 1910 | Rodney Heath | - | Anthony Wilding | William Larned |
| 1911 | Norman Brookes | - | Anthony Wilding | William Larned |
| 1912 | Cecil Parke | - | Anthony Wilding | Maurice McLoughlin |
| 1913 | E F Parker | - | Anthony Wilding | Maurice McLoughlin |
| 1914 | Pat O'Hara Wood | - | Norman Brookes | Norris Williams |
| 1915 | Francis Lowe | - | - | Bill Johnston |
| 1916 | - | - | - | Norris Williams |
| 1917 | - | - | - | Lindley Murray |
| 1918 | - | - | - | Lindley Murray |
| 1919 | A R F Kingscote | - | Gerald Patterson | Bill Johnston |
| 1920 | Pat O'Hara Wood | - | Bill Tilden | Bill Tilden |
| 1921 | Rhys Gemmell | - | Bill Tilden | Bill Tilden |
| 1922 | James Anderson | - | Gerald Patterson | Bill Tilden |
| 1923 | Pat O'Hara Wood | - | Bill Johnston | Bill Tilden |
| 1924 | James Anderson | - | Jean Borotra | Bill Tilden |
| 1925 | James Anderson | René Lacoste | René Lacoste | Bill Tilden |
| 1926 | John Hawkes | Henri Cochet | Jean Borotra | René Lacoste |
| 1927 | Gerald Patterson | René Lacoste | Henri Cochet | René Lacoste |
| 1928 | Jean Borotra | Henri Cochet | René Lacoste | Henri Cochet |
| 1929 | John Gregory | René Lacoste | Henri Cochet | Bill Tilden |
| 1930 | Gar Moon | Henri Cochet | Bill Tilden | John Doeg |
| 1931 | Jack Crawford | Jean Borotra | Sid Wood | Ellsworth Vines |
| 1932 | Jack Crawford | Henri Cochet | Ellsworth Vines | Ellsworth Vines |
| 1933 | Jack Crawford | Jack Crawford | Jack Crawford | Fred Perry |
| 1934 | Fred Perry | Gottfried von Cramm | Fred Perry | Fred Perry |
| 1935 | Jack Crawford | Fred Perry | Fred Perry | Wilmer Allison |
| 1936 | Adrian Quist | Gottfried von Cramm | Fred Perry | Fred Perry |
| 1937 | V B McGrath | Henner Henkel | Don Budge | Don Budge |
| 1938 | Don Budge | Don Budge | Don Budge | Don Budge |
| 1939 | John Bromwich | Donald McNeil | Bobby Riggs | Bobby Riggs |
| 1940 | Adrian Quist | - | - | Donald McNeil |
| 1941 | - | - | - | Bobby Riggs |
| 1942 | - | - | - | Ted Schroeder |
| 1943 | - | - | - | Joe Hunt |
| 1944 | - | - | - | Frank Parker |
| 1945 | - | - | - | Frank Parker |
| 1946 | John Bromwich | Marcel Bernard | Yvon Petra | Jack Kramer |
| 1947 | Dinny Pails | Jozsef Asboth | Jack Kramer | Jack Kramer |
| 1948 | Adrian Quist | Frank Parker | Bob Falkenburg | Pancho Gonzales |
| 1949 | Frank Sedgman | Frank Parker | Ted Schroeder | Pancho Gonzales |
| 1950 | Frank Sedgman | Budge Patty | Budge Patty | Art Larsen |
| 1951 | Dick Savitt | Jaroslav Drobny | Dick Savitt | Frank Sedgman |
| 1952 | Ken McGregor | Jaroslav Drobny | Frank Sedgman | Frank Sedgman |
| 1953 | Ken Rosewall | Ken Rosewall | Vic Seixas | Tony Trabert |
| 1954 | Mervyn Rose | Tony Trabert | Jaroslav Drobny | Vic Seixas |
| 1955 | Ken Rosewall | Tony Trabert | Tony Trabert | Tony Trabert |
| 1956 | Lew Hoad | Lew Hoad | Lew Hoad | Ken Rosewall |
| 1957 | Ashley Cooper | Sven Davidson | Lew Hoad | Mal Anderson |
| 1958 | Ashley Cooper | Mervyn Rose | Ashley Cooper | Ashley Cooper |
| 1959 | Alex Olmedo | Nicola Pietrangeli | Alex Olmedo | Neale Fraser |
| 1960 | Rod Laver | Nicola Pietrangeli | Neale Fraser | Neale Fraser |
| 1961 | Roy Emerson | Manuel Santana | Rod Laver | Roy Emerson |
| 1962 | Rod Laver | Rod Laver | Rod Laver | Rod Laver |
| 1963 | Roy Emerson | Roy Emerson | Chuck McKinley | Rafael Osuna |
| 1964 | Roy Emerson | Manuel Santana | Roy Emerson | Roy Emerson |
| 1965 | Roy Emerson | Fred Stolle | Roy Emerson | Manuel Santana |
| 1966 | Roy Emerson | Tony Roche | Manuel Santana | Fred Stolle |
| 1967 | Roy Emerson | Roy Emerson | John Newcombe | John Newcombe |
Open Era Champions
| Year | Australian Open | French Open | Wimbledon | US Open |
| 1968 | Bill Bowrey | Ken Rosewall | Rod Laver | Arthur Ashe |
| 1969 | Rod Laver | Rod Laver | Rod Laver | Rod Laver |
| 1970 | Arthur Ashe | Jan Kodes | John Newcombe | Ken Rosewall |
| 1971 | Ken Rosewall | Jan Kodes | John Newcombe | Stan Smith |
| 1972 | Ken Rosewall | Andrés Gimeno | Stan Smith | Ilie Nastase |
| 1973 | John Newcombe | Ilie Nastase | Jan Kodes | John Newcombe |
| 1974 | Jimmy Connors | Björn Borg | Jimmy Connors | Jimmy Connors |
| 1975 | John Newcombe | Björn Borg | Arthur Ashe | Manuel Orantes |
| 1976 | Mark Edmondson | Adriano Panatta | Björn Borg | Jimmy Connors |
| 1977 | Roscoe Tanner | Guillermo Vilas | Björn Borg | Guillermo Vilas |
| Vitas Gerulaitis | ||||
| 1978 | Guillermo Vilas | Björn Borg | Björn Borg | Jimmy Connors |
| 1979 | Guillermo Vilas | Björn Borg | Björn Borg | John McEnroe |
| 1980 | Brian Teacher | Björn Borg | Björn Borg | John McEnroe |
| 1981 | Johan Kriek | Björn Borg | John McEnroe | John McEnroe |
| 1982 | Johan Kriek | Mats Wilander | Jimmy Connors | Jimmy Connors |
| 1983 | Mats Wilander | Yannick Noah | John McEnroe | Jimmy Connors |
| 1984 | Mats Wilander | Ivan Lendl | John McEnroe | John McEnroe |
| 1985 | Stefan Edberg | Mats Wilander | Boris Becker | Ivan Lendl |
| 1986 | - | Ivan Lendl | Boris Becker | Ivan Lendl |
| 1987 | Stefan Edberg | Ivan Lendl | Pat Cash | Ivan Lendl |
| 1988 | Mats Wilander | Mats Wilander | Stefan Edberg | Mats Wilander |
| 1989 | Ivan Lendl | Michael Chang | Boris Becker | Boris Becker |
| 1990 | Ivan Lendl | Andrés Gómez | Stefan Edberg | Pete Sampras |
| 1991 | Boris Becker | Jim Courier | Michael Stich | Stefan Edberg |
| 1992 | Jim Courier | Jim Courier | Andre Agassi | Stefan Edberg |
| 1993 | Jim Courier | Sergi Bruguera | Pete Sampras | Pete Sampras |
| 1994 | Pete Sampras | Sergi Bruguera | Pete Sampras | Andre Agassi |
| 1995 | Andre Agassi | Thomas Muster | Pete Sampras | Pete Sampras |
| 1996 | Boris Becker | Yevgeny Kafelnikov | Richard Krajicek | Pete Sampras |
| 1997 | Pete Sampras | Gustavo Kuerten | Pete Sampras | Patrick Rafter |
| 1998 | Petr Korda | Carlos Moya | Pete Sampras | Patrick Rafter |
| 1999 | Yevgeny Kafelnikov | Andre Agassi | Pete Sampras | Andre Agassi |
| 2000 | Andre Agassi | Gustavo Kuerten | Pete Sampras | Marat Safin |
| 2001 | Andre Agassi | Gustavo Kuerten | Goran Ivanisevic | Lleyton Hewitt |
| 2002 | Thomas Johansson | Albert Costa | Lleyton Hewitt | Pete Sampras |
| 2003 | Andre Agassi | Juan Carlos Ferrero | Roger Federer | Andy Roddick |
| 2004 | Roger Federer | Gastón Gaudio | Roger Federer | Roger Federer |
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