The Australian Open, Roland-Garros (the French Open), The Championships, Wimbledon, and the US Open are 4 of the most famous and most historic tennis tournaments on the planet. As a quartet, they are referred to as the Grand Slam tennis tournaments, or the majors. Grand Slam success can, for a professional player, be the difference between boasting a great career and a legendary career, and as a result these trophies are hotly contested every year, with an extremely high quality of tennis on show during every tournament session. It is unsurprising, then, that hardcore tennis aficionados and casual sports fans alike purchase a total of hundreds of thousands of Grand Slam tickets every year – but what if you don’t know how much tickets cost, or where to sit, or what day to attend your chosen event? Well, here’s everything you need to know about buying your perfect Grand Slam ticket and attending one of these illustrious events!
- Annual Grand Slam Schedule
- Grand Slam Players & Rivalries
- 2024 Grand Slam Tickets & Prices
- How to Get to a Grand Slam
Annual Grand Slam Schedule
The 4 Grand Slam tournaments as we know them today were first played together in the same year in 1925, although each individual tournament dates back longer: The Championships, Wimbledon was first played in 1877, the US Open was first held in 1881, Roland-Garros began in 1891, and the Australian Open was first held in 1905.
Today, the Grand Slams are played in the same order each season, and each is played at roughly the same time in the season every year. The first Grand Slam tournament of the season is the Australian Open, which is played in January; Roland-Garros is held from late May to early June, Wimbledon is held in July, sometimes starting in early June, and the US Open takes place between August and September. Each Grand Slam is staged across 2 weeks, though the exact length of the tournaments can differ slightly, for example due to qualifying periods.
Each Grand Slam is typically preceded in the professional tennis calendar by other, smaller events which are played on the respective Grand Slam’s court surface. For example, Roland-Garros, a clay court event, is preceded by many other clay court tournaments, in the weeks prior to the Grand Slam.
Grand Slam tournament dates are usually announced almost a year in advance, shortly after the conclusion of the previous year’s edition.
Grand Slam Players & Rivalries
The 4 Grand Slams are arguably the most coveted titles in tennis. As a result, all professional tennis players endeavour to appear at all 4 of these events every year, whether they’re a highly ranked player seeking out silverware, a youngster looking to test themselves on the biggest stages, or a veteran hoping to roll back the years in front of an appreciative crowd. Singles players compete across 7 rounds at the Grand Slams, whilst doubles pairs compete across 5 rounds. There are therefore plenty of matches for fans to enjoy, and plenty of world-class players ready to play them!
Many famous tennis rivalries have become immortalised at Grand Slam events. The best-remembered instalment of the Borg-McEnroe rivalry, for example, is their meeting in the men’s singles final at Wimbledon in 1980. Some of examples of more modern rivalries which have often been exhibited at Grand Slams include the rivalries shared by men’s tennis’ “Big Four”, Novak Djokovic, Roger Federer, Andy Murray, and Rafael Nadal, as well as head-to-head rivalries such as Serena Williams versus Venus Williams.
2024 Grand Slam Tickets & Prices
The price of Grand Slam tennis tickets is on average higher than the price of tickets for other tennis events, due to the stature of the 4 tournaments, but this does not mean that affordable tickets cannot be acquired at each event. Grounds passes and outer court seats, are typically more affordable than tickets for the main show courts. For those who want to be seated on the main show courts, the price of tickets during the opening rounds of a Grand Slam are cheaper than those for the latter rounds of the competition. Discounted tickets, for example for children, are also available at some of the Grand Slams.
Ticket prices can vary depending on which Grand Slam tournament you are attending. At the 2024 Australian Open, the most affordable adult ticket costs just AUD $19 (USD $13), and the most affordable adult ticket for Rod Laver Arena costs AUD $99 (USD $64). At Roland-Garros in 2023, adult grounds tickets started from EUR €20 (USD $22), and Court Philippe-Chatrier tickets started from EUR €40 (USD $43). In 2024, grounds tickets in the Wimbledon public ballot started at GBP £20 (USD $25), whilst tickets for Centre Court started at GBP £90 (USD $110). At the US Open in 2023, grounds tickets started at USD $58, and Arthur Ashe Stadium tickets started from USD $61. Multi-day, premium, or hospitality tickets will always cost more, regardless of the Grand Slam, sometimes upwards of USD $1,000.
How to get Cheap Tickets
Tickets for the opening days of a Grand Slam tennis tournament, when opening round matches are being played, are typically more affordable than tickets for the latter days of the event, when players are competing in the final rounds of the competition. Moreover, tickets for outer show courts – grounds tickets often provide access to these courts – are more affordable than tickets for the main show courts. If you wish to sit on one of the main show courts at a Grand Slam, tickets for seats along the sideline or in the very upper rows of the grandstands are often the most affordable. Koobit compares the prices offered by official ticket sellers and secondary resellers, so that you can find the perfect Grand Slam tennis ticket at the cheapest price possible.
Where to Buy Tickets
Whilst most Grand Slam tennis tickets cannot be purchased in-person at venue ticket offices, there are a couple of exceptions to this rule. Firstly, standard, non-hospitality tickets for Wimbledon cannot be directly reserved online – they are mostly sold via an online public ballot – but fans can queue up outside the All England Club on the day of play in the hope of acquiring a day ticket. Another exception can be found during qualifying for the US Open, during which fans are permitted to enter the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center free of charge, without a ticket.
Most tickets for the Australian Open, Roland-Garros, and the US Open can however be purchased online. Buying tickets online allows fans to access sales as soon as they open, and quickly and easily compare prices on different tournament days and across different courts and viewing areas. Tickets purchased online can be downloaded and presented digitally, upon entry.
How to Get to a Grand Slam
The Grand Slams are huge events, and each is held in a major, internationally renowned city. As a result, each of the Grand Slam host venues is connected to multiple public transport links, and is also accessible via road. All 4 Grand Slams provide ticket holders with recommended car parks to use when attending, and official parking passes are often available for purchase too. Koobit provides travel and parking information for all Grand Slam venues, including information about car parking and a range of public transport links: visit a venue page for more information, or see an individual event page’s Travel & Parking tab for tournament-specific information.
For more information on the Grand Slam tennis tournaments, including ticket prices, click here.