Grand Slam Tennis
A 2009 Wii tennis sim with all four Grand Slams.
Grand Slam Tennis (called Grand Chelem Tennis in France) is a 2009 tennis simulation video game from EA Canada, released exclusively for the Wii. It was the first game in Europe to come packaged with the Wii MotionPlus accessory. The game includes all four Grand Slam venues, with a fully licensed Wimbledon, and its soundtrack was written and produced by Paul van Dyk.
The game features 23 playable characters: ten tennis legends and 13 top-ranked ATP and WTA players from around the time of release. A "Create-A-Player" mode lets users design up to nine custom players, adjusting their physical appearance, branded clothing, racquet style, and accessories. These custom players can be used in every game mode. Commentator Pat Cash provides commentary even when he appears as a playable character. The game offers 12 authentic stadiums across the four Grand Slam sites, and it is the first tennis game since *Top Spin 2* to include a licensed Wimbledon.
"Play Now" mode lets players jump into a singles or doubles match, either solo or with others. They can choose the venue, set length, number of sets, difficulty, and whether to use tie-breaks. "Grand Slam" mode is a career path for a created player. The player travels to each of the four Grand Slam tournaments, starting with a warm-up match against a fictional rookie. They can then challenge a legend or current player to learn that player's special ability (e.g., Rafael Nadal's forehand topspin or Björn Borg's fitness). Only one ability can be equipped at first, but more slots unlock as the player improves. After a party-style mini-game with fictional players, the tournament begins at the round of 32.
"Party Mode" is a collection of mini-games with altered tennis rules: Tag Team (2-on-2 with rotating turns), Aussie Doubles (2-on-1 with rotation after each set), Drop and Lob (double points for drop shots and lob winners), Champs (time-based, win a rally to become champ), King of the Court (only the king scores points), Net-masters (net shots worth double), and Triplets (2-on-1 without rotation).
Online multiplayer offers ranked and unranked matches. Ranked matches award points that determine a player's global ranking, and winning also contributes points to the player's country on a national leaderboard. Unranked matches are friendly and do not affect rankings.
Quick Facts
- Title
- Grand Slam Tennis
- Developer
- EA Canada
- Publisher
- EA Sports
- Released
- NA · June 8, 2009 · AUS · June 9, 2009 · UK · June 12, 2009
- Genre
- Sports
- Modes
- Single Player, Multiplayer
- Platforms
- Wii
Facts from the source article.
Lore & Background
Grand Slam Tennis features 23 total players, including 10 tennis legends and 13 of the top ATP and WTA players at the time of release. It includes a Create-A-Player mode allowing customization of clothing, racquet styles, accessories, and physical appearance, with up to nine created players. Pat Cash serves as commentator even when he is playing in a match. The game offers 12 authentic stadiums from all four Grand Slam venues and is the first video game since Top Spin 2 to feature a licensed Wimbledon.
Gameplay modes include Play Now for singles or doubles matches, a Grand Slam career mode where players create a character and attempt to win all four tournaments, and Party Mode with mini-games such as Tag Team, Aussie Doubles, and King of the Court. Online multiplayer offers ranked and unranked matches, with ranked matches awarding points to both the player and their country, tracked on a national leaderboard.
Reader's Guide
Grand Slam Tennis received generally favorable reviews according to Metacritic. In Japan, Famitsu gave it a score of 27 out of 40. 411Mania rated it 8 out of 10, stating it is likely as good as tennis gets on the Wii. The Daily Telegraph also gave it 8 out of 10, praising EA's commitment to the Wii format while noting it lacked the precision of a truly great tennis game. Teletext GameCentral similarly gave it 8 out of 10, calling EA's tennis and Wii MotionPlus debut a success. The game is noted for its in-game music created by Paul van Dyk, who wrote and produced all tracks. It was the first title in Europe to be bundled with the Wii MotionPlus, and its inclusion of all four Grand Slam locations, particularly a licensed Wimbledon, marked a return for the venue in tennis video games.
Did You Know?
- Grand Slam Tennis is known as Grand Chelem Tennis in France.
- All in-game music was written and produced by Paul van Dyk.
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