When most hear the phrase “grand slam,” they imagine a baseball diamond-bases loaded, bottom of the ninth, when after two strikes, the man at bat smacks the ball out of the park. However, this phrase has a completely different meaning to tennis players.

They think of the Grand Slam competitions, which are a series of four tournaments held across the world: in Paris, New York, London, and Melbourne (Australia). These are widely considered “the most prestigious tennis competitions in the world,” according to senior Asher Chou. To qualify, one must either be within the top 100 across the world, or they may participate in a qualifying tournament one to two weeks prior to each Grand Slam.

Once qualified, the players can compete in either the singles or doubles matches. The four Grand Slams are held in Melbourne in January, in Paris in May to June, in London in June to July, and then in New York in September. According to Asher, “the greatest feat in tennis is for a player to win all four Grand Slams in one year”; this is called The Grand Slam. Also, a player will hope to achieve what is known as the Golden Slam which is the accumulation of a gold Olympic medal and the conquering of all four Grand Slams within one year of the player’s career. Very few players have achieved this, and this term was coined by Steffi Graf in 1988: the first player to ever accomplish the Golden Slam. Another popular duo, America’s own Venus and Serena Williams, pulled off the Grand Slam in the doubles division in 1999-2001.

According to junior Anita Nacea, it’s every player’s dream to “make it to the just one of the Grand Slams”; it’s a truly crowning moment in a tennis player’s career. The next and final Grand Slam for the year will be the US Open, in New York City, starting August 29.