What makes a major tournament major?

The Indian Wells tournament and the Players Championship are often unofficially referred to as the “fifth Grand Slam” and the “fifth major” of tennis and golf respectively. But could those nicknames ever become a reality – and who gets to confer that status on them? What makes some tournaments ‘major’, and why do they seem to matter more?

BBC golf correspondent Iain Carter talks to More than the Score’s Ade Adedoyin about how the Open, the Masters, the US Open and the US PGA came to be regarded as the four majors of the men’s game – even though other tournaments previously had that status too. He explains why, despite the Players Championship’s importance within golf, it’s not generally viewed as being on the same level as the big four, and what the relative concentration of majors in the US reveals about where power lies within the sport. He also discusses why the situation differs in the women’s game – where there are already five major tournaments.

Ben Rothenberg, editor of tennis magazine Bounces, also joins the pod to explain what sets the Australian Open, the French Open, Wimbledon and the US Open apart from the rest of tennis, and tells the stories of the many other tournaments that have vied to reach the same level over the decades. He reflects on why many of the biggest names in the sport in recent decades haven’t come from Grand Slam host nations, but also considers whether adding another tournament to the ranks of the Slams could serve to dilute their prestige. How much does entering their name into history still motivate golfers and tennis players today?

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