Some tennis trophies are famous for their shape; others carry the names of players, champions, or rivalries that helped build the sport. From Wimbledon’s silver cup to the Davis Cup, each one tells a different story about tennis history.
Here are the best-known tennis trophies, what they look like, and why players care about lifting them. The Grand Slam prizes get most of the attention, but team competitions have trophies with histories of their own.
Grand Slam Tennis Trophies
Each Grand Slam tournament awards separate singles trophies to its men’s and women’s champions. Some have famous names, while others are known mainly for their design and the champions who have held them.
| Tournament | Men’s singles trophy | Women’s singles trophy |
|---|---|---|
| Wimbledon | Gentlemen’s Singles Challenge Cup | Venus Rosewater Dish |
| French Open | Coupe des Mousquetaires | Coupe Suzanne-Lenglen |
| US Open | US Open men’s singles trophy | US Open women’s singles trophy |
| Australian Open | Norman Brookes Challenge Cup | Daphne Akhurst Memorial Cup |
Wimbledon: the Challenge Cup and Venus Rosewater Dish
Wimbledon’s men’s singles prize is a silver-gilt cup, often called the Gentlemen’s Singles Challenge Cup. It has a long history and is one of the sport’s most recognizable trophies. The women’s singles winner receives the Venus Rosewater Dish, a wide silver salver decorated with figures from classical mythology. It is a dish rather than a cup, which makes it an unusual prize among major sports trophies.
The trophies are part of Wimbledon’s formal traditions, but the final itself is what gives them meaning. A player who has battled through two weeks of grass-court tennis—where points can turn quickly on a low bounce—gets to lift the prize on Centre Court. Champions pose with the original trophies, while replicas help winners keep a lasting memento.
French Open: the Musketeers’ Cup and Suzanne-Lenglen Cup
The French Open men’s trophy, the Coupe des Mousquetaires, honors France’s “Four Musketeers”: Jean Borotra, Jacques Brugnon, Henri Cochet, and René Lacoste. The quartet helped France win the Davis Cup repeatedly in the late 1920s and early 1930s. Their names link the trophy to a defining era in French tennis.
The women’s singles trophy is the Coupe Suzanne-Lenglen, named for Suzanne Lenglen, the French star whose bold play and success helped shape women’s tennis. Both prizes suit a tournament played on clay. Winning in Paris often demands patience: players may have to construct points, slide into shots, and stay composed through long rallies before they can celebrate with a trophy.
US Open: a shared design for men and women
The US Open awards men’s and women’s singles champions trophies with a matching design. Unlike Wimbledon’s named prizes, these are generally known simply as the US Open singles trophies. Their clean silver look fits a tournament that has become synonymous with the bright lights and noise of New York.
The setting can make the trophy feel like a reward for more than tennis skill. Players often face late-night matches, loud crowds, and the pressure of a packed stadium. Winning in that atmosphere—whether through powerful serving or a steady baseline game—makes the final trophy presentation especially memorable.
Australian Open: cups named for tennis pioneers
The Australian Open’s men’s singles trophy is the Norman Brookes Challenge Cup, named for the Australian champion and tennis leader Norman Brookes. The women’s prize is the Daphne Akhurst Memorial Cup, named for a five-time Australian Championships singles winner.
The names connect today’s champions to the tournament’s early history. The event has changed dramatically since its beginnings, moving from grass to hard courts and becoming a major international stop. Its summer heat can also test a player’s fitness and decision-making, making the trophy a marker of endurance as well as skill.
Famous Team Tennis Trophies
Davis Cup
The Davis Cup is one of tennis’s most recognizable team prizes. It began in 1900 as a contest between the United States and Great Britain, organized by American player Dwight Davis. Unlike a Grand Slam trophy, it represents a country’s team effort. Players can lift it after winning under a different kind of pressure: they are competing for their teammates and national colors, not only for themselves.
Laver Cup
The Laver Cup is a newer event, launched in 2017 and named after Australian great Rod Laver. It pits Team Europe against Team World, with players competing in singles and doubles. Its trophy has a modern, geometric look, setting it apart from the traditional silver cups of the Grand Slams. The competition is also known for its team benches and close player interaction, which gives the prize a different feel from an individual championship trophy.
Why Tennis Trophies Matter
A trophy is a lasting symbol of a result that may have taken years of work to achieve. The same prize can mean different things to different players: a first major title, a comeback after injury, or another step in a record-breaking career. It also gives fans a simple way to connect a tournament with its history.
Names and designs help make the prizes memorable, but the match adds the story. A Wimbledon trophy may recall a tense final on Centre Court; the Musketeers’ Cup may bring to mind a long clay-court battle; the Davis Cup can stand for a team’s run through a tough tie. That mix of tradition and competition is why these trophies remain so recognizable.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the most famous tennis trophy?
Wimbledon’s Gentlemen’s Singles Challenge Cup is often the most instantly recognizable, thanks to its long history and prominent place in the tournament’s traditions. The Venus Rosewater Dish is another widely known prize.
What is the name of the French Open men’s trophy?
It is the Coupe des Mousquetaires, or Musketeers’ Cup. It honors the four French players who helped their country dominate the Davis Cup in the late 1920s and early 1930s.
Do tennis champions keep the original trophies?
It depends on the event and its trophy tradition. At Wimbledon, the original trophies stay with the tournament and champions receive replicas. Other tournaments may have different arrangements, so it is best not to assume every winner takes home the displayed original.
Which tennis trophy is named after a woman?
Several are. The Venus Rosewater Dish is Wimbledon’s women’s singles prize, while the Coupe Suzanne-Lenglen and Daphne Akhurst Memorial Cup honor influential women in tennis history.
Final Thoughts
Famous tennis trophies are more than prizes for winning a final. Their names and designs preserve stories about legendary players, national teams, and the tournaments that shaped the sport. Whether it is a silver cup at Wimbledon or the Davis Cup lifted by an entire team, each trophy marks a moment fans and players remember.
