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Majors are the events a career is measured by. A player wins one through seven rounds of tennis or four rounds of golf, alone, against a field that changes little from year to year. 2025 offered a clay final that set a duration record, a 6–0, 6–0 grass final and a golf title that completed a career set.
Four tennis majors, four different tests
Each tennis major has a 128-player singles draw, so a champion wins seven matches. Men play best-of-five sets and women best-of-three, and the surface changes which kind of player thrives.
| Major | Surface | Men's champion | Women's champion |
|---|---|---|---|
| Australian Open | Hard court | Jannik Sinner | Madison Keys |
| Roland-Garros | Clay | Carlos Alcaraz | Coco Gauff |
| Wimbledon | Grass | Jannik Sinner | Iga Świątek |
| US Open | Hard court | Carlos Alcaraz | Aryna Sabalenka |
Winning all four in a single calendar year is called the Grand Slam. No man won more than two in 2025, and the four women's titles went to four different players, which shows how rarely one profile fits every surface. Madison Keys won her first major in Melbourne by beating Aryna Sabalenka, the two-time defending champion, in the final.
Roland-Garros rewarded stamina in Paris
Carlos Alcaraz beat Jannik Sinner in the final after trailing by two sets, saving three championship points in the fourth set and winning a fifth-set tie-break. It was the longest final in the tournament's history, at more than five hours. Clay slows the ball and lifts the bounce, so rallies stretch and fitness becomes a tactic.
The women's title went to Coco Gauff, who came from a set down against Aryna Sabalenka to win her second major.
Wimbledon turned on grass and an Italian first
Sinner beat Alcaraz in four sets five weeks after losing to him in Paris, and became the first Italian to win the men's singles title at the All England Club. Alcaraz had won the two previous Wimbledon finals, so the result was a change of order rather than a continuation. Grass is fast and low, which rewards serving and short points.
In the women's final, Iga Świątek beat Amanda Anisimova 6–0, 6–0, the first Wimbledon final to end that way since 1911, for her first title on grass. Anisimova was playing her first major final, a reminder that a lopsided scoreline can still close a breakthrough run.
The Masters stays in one place; the other golf majors travel
The Masters Tournament is the only golf major played at the same venue every year, Augusta National Golf Club in Georgia, and its field is by invitation. Winners receive a green jacket. Rory McIlroy won in a playoff against Justin Rose, and the victory completed a career Grand Slam: a win at each of the Masters, the PGA Championship, the U.S. Open and The Open Championship.
| Major | Venue | Winner |
|---|---|---|
| Masters Tournament | Augusta National Golf Club | Rory McIlroy |
| PGA Championship | Quail Hollow Club | Scottie Scheffler |
| U.S. Open | Oakmont Country Club | J.J. Spaun |
| The Open Championship | Royal Portrush Golf Club | Scottie Scheffler |
Apart from the Masters, the venue rotates, so each major tests something different. J.J. Spaun's win at Oakmont, his first major, is the kind of result usually described as an upset.
Reading a major result
- Count the rounds: seven in a tennis singles draw, four in a golf major.
- Note the surface or course, because it shapes who contends.
- Compare career counts, but also variety: winning on every surface, or at all four golf majors, is a separate achievement.
- Remember the field: the Masters is invitational, while the other golf majors take qualifiers.
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Event questions
Short answers on majors, upsets and how to compare unlike events.
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