How to play THE SLAM

THE SLAM is a free tennis strategy game built around one simple, brutal idea: draft a composite player from the real champions who played Wimbledon, then run that player through all seven rounds of the Championships. Win every match and you go a perfect 7–0. Lose once and you go home.

The goal: go 7–0

Wimbledon is a single-elimination tournament. A player must win seven matches in a row — first round, second round, third round, fourth round, quarterfinal, semifinal and final — to lift the trophy. In THE SLAM you do not control a single real player; instead you assemble a custom champion out of individual signature shots drawn from history, and then send that champion into the draw. Only a tiny fraction of builds ever survive all seven rounds, which is exactly what makes the chase addictive.

Step 1 — choose your draw and style

Before you draft, you pick three things:

• Tour — ATP (men, best of five sets) or WTA (women, best of three sets). Best-of-five is more forgiving of a single bad set; best-of-three is swingier.
• Mode — Standard shows every card’s rating, or Classic hides them so you draft on pure tennis knowledge.
• Playing style — Pusher, Baseliner or Serve & Volley. Your style decides which eight attribute slots you need to fill, so it shapes the kind of champion you are building.

Step 2 — draft your eight shots

Each round you are shown a Wimbledon year and a field of real players from that year’s draw. Every card offers one specific shot — a serve, a forehand, a backhand, a volley, a return, movement, mental strength and more. You pick one player and lock their shot into the matching slot of your build. Players who went deeper that year (champions, finalists, semifinalists) carry a rating boost, so a champion’s forehand is worth more than a first-round loser’s.

The art is balance. A monster serve is useless if your return and movement are weak against an elite opponent in the final. Strong builds spread quality across all eight slots rather than chasing one flashy number.

Step 3 — play the seven rounds

Once your build is complete, your composite rating is calculated and you face the draw. Each round the engine pits your rating against an opponent drawn from a difficulty band that ramps up as you advance. Early rounds are gentle; from the quarterfinals on you only meet genuinely elite opposition, so a deep run demands a genuinely strong build. The bigger your rating edge, the more reliably you win — but an upset is always possible, just as in real tennis.

The Daily Challenge — Road to Wimbledon

Every day in the run-up to Wimbledon a brand-new Daily Challenge drops, and everyone in the world plays the exact same puzzle: the same tour, the same style, the same cards on offer and the same opponents. Because the scenario is identical, your result is directly comparable to everyone else’s. Finish the Daily to:

• extend your streak — play every day to keep it alive;
• earn a re-draw token you can spend in normal play to re-roll a draw;
• see what percentage of players you beat today, and share your result.

Clear the full countdown of daily challenges and you arrive at Wimbledon as a Road-to-Wimbledon Champion.

Strategy tips

1. Don’t over-invest in serve. A 90 serve looks great, but returns and movement win the long matches.
2. Prioritise champions for your weakest slots. The result boost makes their shot meaningfully stronger.
3. Match shots to your style. A Serve & Volley build wants elite volleys and movement; a Baseliner leans on groundstrokes and power.
4. Mental strength matters late. The semifinal and final are where tight matches are decided.