The four major international tennis Opens are referred to as the Four Grand Slams. They include:

Australian Open

Wimbledon

French Open

United States Open

1. Australian Open

Introduction

Australian Open It is managed by the Australian Tennis Sports Center. The Australian Open is the earliest event among the four major Opens every year. The events are scheduled from January to February.

History

The Australian Open is the latest of the four major open tournaments to be created. The first match was played at Melbourne's Will Horseman Cricket Ground in 1905. Among them, the men's competition was founded in 1905, and the women's competition began in 1922. When the competition was first held, grass tennis courts were used, and it was not until 1988 that it was changed to hard tennis courts. In 1968, after the professionalization of international tennis, it was listed as one of the four major open tournaments. In 1972, in order to attract more spectators, the event was held in Melbourne, a large city in Australia. For a long time after its establishment, the Open championship was won by locals. From 1946 after World War II to 1978, most men's and women's singles championships were won by Australian players. However, after entering the 1980s, no local player was lucky enough to win this honor. As the scale of the competition continues to expand and its popularity continues to increase, the facilities at the competition venue need to be improved accordingly, and the Shard Park Stadium came into being. Construction of this multi-functional sports center started in 1986 and was completed in January 1988. In the same year, the 1988 Ford Australian Open was successfully held here. Since then, the sports center has been further expanded. In 1995, the second phase of the competition venue project was started and it was officially used in the 1997 competition. On January 29, 1996, Shard Park Stadium was officially renamed Melbourne Park.

Venue Introduction

The venue is at the Tennis Center of Melbourne, Australia's second largest city. Melbourne Park facilities - Center Court: retractable roof, 15,021 seats; Court 1: 6,000 seats; Court 2: 3,000 seats; Court 3: 2,000 seats; Court 4: 1,100 seats; open air Practice court: 19 blocks; indoor practice court: 4 blocks. In Melbourne, Australia, it is midsummer and the climate is so hot that the temperature of the competition venue is as high as 60 degrees Celsius. The players are physically exhausted and cannot perform to their best, which affects the successful conclusion of the game. If these problems cannot be properly resolved, its status as an open competition will be affected. Hard to keep. Since it is a hard tennis court, players with a well-rounded playing style can have a certain advantage. It is not only good for baseline hitting, but also suitable for serving and hitting the net. It is suitable for topspin and backspin, as well as lobs and short balls.

Name of the center court: ROD LAVER

Total prize money

The total prize money of the Australian Open is as high as 6.2 million US dollars. The prize money for the men's singles champion is US$360,000. This is one of the reasons why it has a place among the four major open tournaments.

2. Wimbledon Tennis Open

Introduction

This event is held regularly from the last week of June to the beginning of July every year. It has formed a tradition. Qualification is determined by cumulative points won in various major competitions during the previous year. The Wimbledon Tennis Championships are jointly organized by the All England Club and the British Lawn Tennis Association, but the All England Club actually controls the tournament, including the millions of dollars in ticket sales for each tournament. Today's Wimbledon matches have more than 300,000 viewers, and more than 500 million people watch live television broadcasts.

History

The Wimbledon Tennis Championships is the earliest competition in the history of modern tennis. It was founded in 1877 by the All England Club and the British Lawn Tennis Association. The first official match was played at the club's Wimbledon headquarters in southwest London and was called the All England Lawn Tennis Championships. The first competition was positioned as a competition for amateur players, and only had men's singles events. At that time, tickets for the finals only sold for one shilling. A pupil named Spencer Gower from Harrow School came first among 22 contestants and won the Challenge Cup (the name of the championship trophy). In 1884, the organizing committee established women's singles for the first time. Mud Watson defeated 12 other players and became the first women's singles champion in Wimbledon history. In the same year, men's doubles also became an official event. In 1899, women's doubles and mixed doubles were added. Wimbledon only began to accept foreign players in 1901. At that time, participation was limited to small countries in the British Dominion. It was officially opened in 1905, and players from the United States, France and other countries came across the sea to participate in the competition. Two reforms were carried out in 1922. One was to build a central court that could accommodate 15,000 spectators, and the other was to abolish the challenge. From this year onwards, to win the championship, men must start from the first round and win 7 games in a row. , the women must win 6 games in a row.

In 1968, the International Tennis Federation allowed professional players to participate in the competition. At the same time, the organizers also raised huge bonuses to attract top players from all over the world to participate, so the level of competition has improved year by year. Anyone who wins first place in each individual competition will immediately become a world-famous figure. Therefore, during the competition, elites gathered, players gathered, and the competition was fierce. It reflected the highest level and development trend of tennis technology. As of 2000, the Wimbledon Tennis Championships has been held for 114 times, including 10 suspensions due to two world wars. Counting from its inception in 1877, it has a history of more than 100 years.

Venue Introduction

Wimbledon now has 18 grass courts, 9 hard courts and two indoor courts. All of them are only available when the club holds a dinner party in mid-May every year. open. The main court is called "Centre Court" and is where the finals are held. Due to the unpredictability of London weather during matches, the stadium is equipped with a retractable roof and is expected to be completed by 2009. Court One underwent a major reconstruction in 1997 and was moved from its original location adjacent to the Center Court to a new purpose-built venue that can accommodate more spectators. The original No. 1 course was said to have a unique atmosphere and was a favorite place for many players, so many people were saddened by its move. Court One usually hosts some very important matches, such as the singles quarter-finals, and it also has a huge external screen for fans who gather outside the court on Henman Hill to watch the game. Every year, thousands of fans come to this hillside to cheer on the local players who are competing for the championship, but unfortunately, since 1936, British players have never lifted the championship trophy again.

Name of the Center Court: Wimbledon Center Court

Court Two has the title of "Graveyard of Champions" because seeded players who play here are usually defeated by lower-ranked opponents. eliminated. Previous victims include Andre Agassi, Roger Federer and Pete Sampras, who nearly beat Tim in the first round in 2005. Tim Henman pulled the plug.

Total prize money

The prize money of the Wimbledon Tennis Championships has increased year by year. In 1984, the prize money for the men's singles champion was 100,000 pounds and the women's singles champion was 90,000 pounds. The 1985 men's singles championship was worth ￡130,000. The prize money for the men's singles champion in 1987 was ￡155,000. In 1991, the men's singles champion received 240,000 pounds, and the women's singles champion received 216,000 pounds. Even the players eliminated in the first round could also receive a bonus, 3,600 pounds for men and 2,790 pounds for women. The high prize money makes the Wimbledon Tennis Championships extremely attractive and makes this tournament a century-old event.

3. French Open

The French Open began in 1891. At the beginning, only French players participated. It was not until 1925 that foreign players were allowed to participate. Since 1928, the French Open has been held every year from the end of May to the beginning of June at the Roland Garros Tennis City on the edge of the Bois de Boulogne in the west of Paris. The competition venue is a red clay court, so it is also called clay court tennis. This tennis city covers an area of ??8 hectares and has 20 formal competition venues, including 3 large competition venues with stands around them. The largest center court has nearly 16,000 seats. Over the past 75 years, the French Open has received a cumulative audience of more than 3.5 million people.

Among the four Grand Slams, the French Open is undoubtedly the most passionate, just like its red venue. Since it is played on slow clay soil, patient stalemate, strong topspin and fast running are considered to be the main weapons to win here, and best-of-five sets often last for several hours. Both physical fitness and willpower are severe tests. Spanish and South American players who are good at fighting on clay have excellent records here. However, due to the special nature of the venue, many famous players who won here were unable to win in the other three Grand Slams throughout their lives, such as Bruguera, Muster, Kuerten, Moya, Costa, and Zhang Depei. and Gomez have yet to win other Grand Slams. At the same time, top players like Sampras, Becker, Edberg and the "Swiss King" Federer have never been able to win their own trophies in Paris.

The name of the center court: Philippe Chatelier

The total prize money of the French Open is 12.23485 million euros, and the 2-day competition has entered its third day. Ticket prices range from 8 euros to 53 euros depending on the venue and event.

4. U.S. Tennis Open

The U.S. Tennis Open began in 1881. Each competition is held from the end of August to the beginning of September every year at the National Tennis Association in New York City. Held at the Tennis Center. Since 1997 the tournament has been held at the newly built Arthur Ashe Tennis Center. The center covers an area of ??18.2 hectares and has 33 competition venues. The venues are also hard courts. To win in the competition, athletes must have good physical strength. It takes more time for athletes to score each point than in other major championships, and there will be more fights.

Name of the center court: Arthur Ashe

The US Open is the only one among the four major tennis Opens that maintains an equal pay bonus system for men and women. This year’s event The bonuses distributed will reach 16.1742 million US dollars (1 US dollar is equivalent to 1.18 yuan). Ticket prices range from 22 yuan to 92 US dollars. Masters Cup History

The Tennis Masters Cup was born on December 9, 1999. On this day, the four major championship committees, ITF (International Tennis Federation) and ATP (Men's Professional Tennis Players Association)* ** also announced that the ATP Year-End Finals and the Men's Grand Slam Cup will no longer continue, and will be replaced by a new event - the Year-end Finals of the Men's Professional Tennis Tour jointly owned by the three organizations - - "Tennis Masters Cup".

The new Tennis Masters Cup means a new cooperative relationship between all parties in the tennis industry, and a Tennis Masters Cup management entity with decision-making power has also been established.

The Tennis Masters Cup brings together the top eight tennis players in the world to compete for a total prize money of US$4.45 million and the highest honor of the year-end number one in men's professional tennis, presenting the strongest player in history to tennis audiences around the world. Visually stunning.

As the finals of the men's professional tennis tour, the Tennis Masters Cup is the highest level event in tennis. Starting from January 1 of each year, male professional players will earn points from the four major championships, the nine Masters series and the five ATP Tour events with the best personal results. As of Monday, the top seven players in the "ATP Champions Ranking" are eligible to enter the Tennis Masters Cup, and the eighth spot is reserved for players ranked in the top 20 and one of the four major championships that year. , or the eighth-ranked player. Therefore, the Masters Cup is a real event where masters compete for supremacy and represents the highest level of competition in today's tennis world.

[Edit this paragraph] Shanghai Tennis Masters Cup

The Masters Cup finals are held in major cities around the world. Shanghai was fortunate to host the 2002 Masters Cup, making it the most successful in history. One of the tournaments, it has received unanimous praise from the ATP and participating players, and has also set off a tennis craze in Shanghai.

Looking back at the 2002 Shanghai Masters Cup, the "Eight Kings" of tennis gathered in Shanghai and presented a thrilling battle for the Chinese audience: Lleyton Hewitt, Andre Agassi, Marat Safin, Juan Carlos Ferrero, Carlos Moya, Roger Federer, Albert Costa. After fierce competition, "Australian Hare" Hewitt successfully defended his title.

In 2005, after three years, the Masters Cup returned to Shanghai. On November 20, Nalbandian and Federer staged a thrilling championship battle, which made the audience excited. In the end, Nalbandian staged a shocking reversal and defeated Federer to win the championship.

In March 2006, ATP and the Shanghai Municipal Sports Bureau renewed the Masters Cup until 2008. Therefore, in the next three years, the Masters Cup will be located at the Shanghai Qizhong Tennis Center. The Qizhong Tennis Center is located in Maqiao Town, Minhang District, southwest of Shanghai, about 27 kilometers from the center of Shanghai. In the competition area, there is a main stadium and 18 outdoor tennis courts (10 of which are competition venues with stands and the other 8 are practice venues). The roof is a steel structure and can be opened. The opening method is like the blooming process of the magnolia, Shanghai's city flower, which is the first of its kind in the world. From November 12th to 19th, the Masters Cup continued to write brilliant stories. Both the player lineup and the event organization reached their peak, bringing fans a shocking event experience.

2007 has just begun, and ATP professional players are already fighting hard to get a "ticket" to come to Shanghai in major tennis tournaments. The final participating players will be determined as the schedule progresses. Revealed one by one.

Introduction to the Masters Cup event

Competition format: The contestants are determined by the "ATP Champions Ranking" (ATP Race). Starting from January 1 of each year, players will earn points from the four majors, the nine Masters Series and the five ATP Tour events with the best personal results until the Monday after the last ATP Tour event of the year. , the top seven players in the "ATP Championship Points Ranking" are eligible to enter the Masters Cup, and the eighth place is reserved for the top 20 players who are one of the four major championships of the year. If If all Grand Slam champions cannot meet this condition, then the eighth spot will be obtained by the player ranked eighth on the "ATP Champions Ranking".

Singles competition format: The competition adopts a single round-robin format in the group stage. Each athlete competes once with other players in his group to determine the top two in each group and advance to the semi-finals. The two winners of the semi-finals will enter the finals to compete for the year-end championship.

All matches except the final adopt a best-of-three-set system, which adopts a best-of-five-set system.

Doubles competition format: the same as singles

Singles players are divided into two groups, with four players in each group. The eight seed players are determined by the ATP championship rankings. The top-seeded players are in the red group, and the second-seeded players are in the blue group.

The third and fourth seeds, the fifth and sixth seeds, and the seventh and eighth seeds will draw pairs respectively. The first draw will be divided into the red group. Each player must play against three other players in the same group. The top two teams in each group advance to the semi-finals, cross-elimination, and the winner advances to the finals.

Grouping method for doubles players: Same as singles

Total prize money: US,450,000

Youth prize money: US, 000

Singles can be allocated Prize money: US,650,000

Substitute player: US,000

Appearance fee: US,000

Group stage win: US0,000

Final win: US0,000

Undefeated champion: US ,520,000

Doubles allocable prize money: US0 ,000

Substitute player: US,000

Appearance fee: US,000

Group stage win: US,000

Half Final win: US,000

Final win: US0,000

Undefeated champion: US0,000

ATP Championship points/ATP doubles match points< /p>

Group tour win: 20 points

Semi-final win: 40 points

Final win: 50 points

Undefeated champions: 150 points

[Edit this paragraph] Tennis Masters Cup Rankings

2000 Tennis Masters Cup·Lisbon

Ranking of Singles Participants

Kuerten Champion

Agarcia Trophy

Safin Final Four

Sampras Final Four

Cretega

Hewitt

Kafelnikov

Norman

* Nyqvist

2001 Tennis Masters Cup·Sydney

Ranking of singles players

Hewitt champion

Grosjean runner-up

Card fee Ernikov Four

Ferrero Four

Agassi

Ivanisevic

Kurten

＊Rafter

2002 Tennis Masters Cup·Shanghai

Ranking of Singles Players

Hewitt Champion

Ferrero runner-up

Federer's top four

Moya's top four

Costa

Novak

Safin

Agassi

Thomas Johnson

2003 Tennis Masters Cup·Houston

Singles player Ranking

Federer Champion

Agcia Trophy

Shuttler Semi-Final

Roddick Semi-Final

Corea

Moya

Nalbandian

Ferrero

＊Philipsis

Bow Bryan/Mai Bryan champion

Rodella/Santoro runner-up

Etlis/ Rodriguez semi-finals

Knowles/Nestor semi-finals

Arthurs/Hanley

Bjorkman/Woodbridge< /p>

Bhupati/Mirny

Dam/Suk

2004 Tennis Masters Cup·Houston

Singles Competition Ranking< /p>

Federer champion

Hewitt runner-up

Roddick semi-finals

Safin semi-finals

Moya

Henman

Gaudio

Corea

*Canas

Ranking of Doubles Players< /p>

Bowen Bryan/Mai Bryan winner

Blake/Uriet runner-up

Bjorkman/Woodbridge semi-finals

Knowles/Nestor Final Four

Etlis/Rodriguez

Dame/Suker

Bupati /Mirny

Marise/O-Roches

2005 Tennis Masters Cup·Shanghai

Ranking of Singles Players

Nalbandian champion

Federer runner-up

Gaudio semi-finals

Davydenko semi-finals

Ljubicic

Gonzalez

Corea

Puerta

Agassi

Johansson

Ranking of doubles players

Lourda/Santoro champion

Pace/Zemondjic runner-up

Bob Bryan/Mai- Bryan's top four

Blake/Uriet's top four

Bjorkman/Mirny

Huss/Mody

Arthurs/Hanley

Knowles/Nestor

2006 Tennis Masters Cup·Shanghai

Ranking of Singles Players

Blake runner-up

Nadal semi-finals

Nalbandian semi-finals

Davydenko< /p>

Robredo

Ljubicic

Roddick

Ancic

Berdych

Ranking of Doubles Players

Bjorkman/Mirny Champion

Knowles/Nester Runner-up

Damm/Pace Semi-finalist

Hanley/Uriet semi-finals

Airy/Rham

Santoro/Zimonjic

Feitenberg/Mycoskie

Bowen Bryan/Mai Bryan

2007 Tennis Masters Cup·Shanghai

Ranking of Singles Participants

Federer champion

Ferrer runner-up

Nadal semi-finals

Roddick semi-finals

Da Videnko

Gonzalez

Djokovic

Gasquet

Robredo

Ranking of doubles players

Knowles/Nestor champions

Aspirin/Noles runner-up

Hanley/Uriet fourth Strong

Damm/Pace semi-finals

Bjorkman/Mirny

De Rossi/Vezina

Airy /Dam

Clement/Lodera

*Cozy/Wassen