The four
Grand Slam tournaments, also called the
Majors, are the most important
tennis events
of the year in terms of world ranking points, tradition,
prize-money awarded, and public attention. They are:
A
singles player or
doubles team that wins all four Slam
tournaments in the same year is said to have achieved the
Grand
Slam. If the player or team wins all four consecutively, but
not in the same calendar year, it is called a
Non-Calendar Year
Grand Slam. Winning all four at some point in a career, even
if not consecutively, is referred to as a
Career Grand
Slam, while winning the four majors and a gold medal in tennis
at the Summer Olympics has been called a
Golden Slam since
1988, when
Steffi Graf accomplished that
feat in a single calendar year.
History
Used in golf since 1930, the term
Grand Slam was first applied to tennis by
New York Times columnist
John Kieran according to
Total Tennis, The
Ultimate Tennis Encyclopedia by
Bud
Collins. In the chapter about 1933, Collins writes that after
the Australian player
Jack
Crawford had won the Australian, French, and Wimbledon
Championships, speculation arose about his chances in the U.S.
Championships. Kieran, who was a
bridge player, wrote: "If Crawford wins, it
would be something like scoring a grand slam on the courts, doubled
and vulnerable." Crawford, an
asthmatic,
won two of the first three sets of his finals match against
Fred Perry, then tired in the heat and
lost the last two sets and the match.
Grand Slam (four majors in one calendar year)
Men's singles
Women's singles
Men's doubles
Women's doubles
- Maria Bueno
(1960), with Christine Truman Janes
at the Australian
Championships
, then
Darlene Hard at the French Championships
, Wimbledon
, and the U.S.
Championships
.
- Martina
Navrátilová and Pam Shriver (1984)
- Note: Navratilova and Shriver won 8
consecutive Grand Slam titles from 1983 Wimbledon to the 1985
French Open.
- Martina Navrátilová (1986),
with Andrea Temesvári at the
French
Championships
, then
Pam Shriver at Wimbledon
, and the U.S.
Championships
.
- Note: Australian Championships were not played
in 1986 but Navrátilová won both the December 1985 and the January
1987 tournaments.
- Martina Hingis (1998), with
Mirjana Lučić at the
Australian Open, then Jana Novotná
at the French Open, Wimbledon, and the US Open.
Mixed doubles
Boys' singles
Non-Calendar year Grand Slam (four consecutive majors
regardless of year)
In 1982, the ITF redefined the Grand Slam as four consecutive
victories that could span two consecutive years and put up a
US$1 million bonus for any
player who accomplished the feat. After
Martina Navrátilová won her
fourth consecutive major championship at the 1984 French Open, she
was duly awarded the $1 million bonus in recognition of her
achievement. Navratilova would go on to win a total of six Grand
Slam titles in a row but did not complete the calendar-year Grand
Slam. This redefinition of the Grand Slam by the ITF was the source
of great controversy in the tennis world and, in the years since,
the ITF has distanced itself from the 1982 decision, seemingly
reverting to the traditional calendar-year definition of the Grand
Slam. No other sources consider this a true Grand Slam.
Women's singles
Women's doubles
- Pam Shriver (1986-87)
- Four consecutive titles from 1986 Wimbledon through the 1987
French Open (all with Navratilova).
- Gigi Fernández and Natasha Zvereva (1992-93)
- Six consecutive titles from the 1992 French Open through 1993
Wimbledon.
Most Grand Slam titles in a row (consecutive)
Men's singles
Women's singles
Men's doubles
Team:
Player:
- 8: Frank Sedgman (from the 1950 US
Championships through the 1952 Wimbledon Championships)
Women's doubles
Team:
- 8: Martina
Navrátilová and Pam Shriver (1983
Wimbledon Championships/US Open/Australian Open, 1984 French
Open/Wimbledon Championships/US Open/Australian Open, 1985 French
Open)
- 6: Gigi Fernández and
Natasha Zvereva (1992 French
Open/Wimbledon Championships/US Open, 1993 Australian Open/French
Open/Wimbledon Championships)
Player:
- 6: Martina
Navrátilová (1985 Australian Open, 1986 French Open/Wimbledon
Championships/US Open, 1987 Australian Open/French Open)
Most consecutive Grand Slam singles finals
Note: minimum 4 consecutive finals.
Men
Women
Most Grand Slam singles titles in a row (non-consecutive)
Helen Wills Moody won all 16 of
the Grand Slam singles tournaments she played beginning with the
1924 U.S. Championships and extending through the 1933 Wimbledon
Championships (not counting her defaults in the 1926 French and
Wimbledon Championships). The first 15 of those were won without
losing a set. During this period, she won 6 Wimbledons, 4 French
Championships, and 6 U.S. Championships. She also won the
1924 Summer Olympics during this
period. Moody never entered the Australian Championships.
Most Grand Slam mixed doubles titles in a row
(non-consecutive)
Doris Hart won all 13 of the Grand Slam
mixed doubles tournaments she played beginning with the 1951 French
Championships and extending through the 1955 U.S. Championships.
During this period, she won 5 Wimbledons, 3 French Championships,
and 5 U.S. Championships.
Career Grand Slam
Winning all four Grand Slam tournaments during a career is termed a
Career Grand Slam. Six men and nine women have
accomplished this in singles play, but only three men (
Rod Laver,
Andre
Agassi and
Roger Federer) and five
women (
Margaret Court,
Chris Evert,
Martina Navrátilová,
Steffi Graf and
Serena Williams) have won all four Grand
Slam singles tournaments at least once since the beginning of the
open era.
A number of high-achievement players have failed to achieve the
Career Grand Slam because they did not have long careers or because
particular tournaments were ill-suited to their games.
Björn Borg never won the US
Open
or the Australian Open
. John McEnroe
never won the Australian Open or the French Open
. Ken Rosewall,
Guillermo Vilas, Ivan Lendl, Monica
Seles, Justine Henin and Mats Wilander failed to win Wimbledon
. John Newcombe,
Arthur Ashe,
Jimmy Connors,
Boris
Becker,
Stefan Edberg,
Pete Sampras,
Martina
Hingis,
Lindsay Davenport and
Maria Sharapova failed to win the
French Open, and
Althea Gibson never
won the Australian Open.
Venus Williams thus far has failed to
win either the Australian Open or the French Open, and
Rafael Nadal has yet to win the US Open.
The following lists the players who have won all four Grand Slam
singles tournaments. The year in which they won their first Grand
Slam singles tournament is listed first. The tournaments (or years)
needed to complete their first Career Grand Slam were won are then
listed. The ages of the players when their Career Grand Slam was
completed are shown in square brackets.
Men's singles
- Fred Perry (1933 US Championships,
1934 Australian Championships, 1934 Wimbledon Championships &
1935 French Championships) [26]
- Don Budge (1937 Wimbledon
Championships, 1937 US Championships, 1938 Australian Championships
& 1938 French Championships) [23]
- Rod Laver (1960 Australian
Championships, 1961 Wimbledon Championships, 1962 French
Championships & 1962 US Championships) [24]
- Roy Emerson (1961 Australian
Championships, 1961 US Championships, 1963 French Championships
& 1964 Wimbledon Championships) [27]
- Andre Agassi (1992 Wimbledon,
1994 US Open,
1995 Australian
Open & 1999
French Open) [29]
- Agassi also accomplished a Career
Golden Slam by winning the Singles Olympic Gold Medal at the
Atlanta 1996 Olympic Games to go with his career Grand Slam. However, tennis was absent
from the Olympics for 60 years, from 1924–1984.
- Roger Federer (2003 Wimbledon,
2004 Australian
Open, 2004 US
Open & 2009
French Open) [27]
Women's singles
Men's doubles
The teams and individual players who won all four Grand Slam
doubles tournaments during their careers are listed. The year in
which they won their first Grand Slam doubles tournament is listed
first. The years in which the tournaments needed to complete the
Career Grand Slam were won are then listed.
Male doubles players who won a Career Grand Slam (7):
Women's doubles
Female doubles players who won a Career Grand Slam (13):
Mixed doubles
In the following, the players who won all four Grand Slam mixed
doubles tournaments during their careers are listed. (The year in
which they won their first Grand Slam mixed doubles tournament is
listed first. The years in which the tournaments needed to complete
the Career Grand Slam were won are then listed.)
Male doubles players who won a Career Grand Slam:
Female doubles players who won a Career Grand Slam:
Boys singles
Boys doubles
Calendar Year Golden Slam
The term
Golden Slam (initially "Golden Grand Slam") was
coined in 1988 when
Steffi Graf won all
four Grand Slam singles tournaments and the singles gold medal in
tennis at the Summer
Olympics in the same calendar year.
Tennis was not an
Olympic sport from
1928 through
1984 (except as a
demonstration sport in
1968 and
1984); therefore, many
top tennis players from the past never had the chance to complete a
Golden Slam. Nevertheless, even with tennis on the Olympics, a
Calendar Year Golden Slam could not have been accomplished by any
player except
Maria Bueno (1960) and
Martina
Navrátilová/
Pam Shriver
(1984).
Career Golden Slam
A player who wins all four Grand Slam tournaments and the
Olympic Gold Medal during his
or her career is said to have achieved a
Career Golden
Slam.
- Singles players who won a Career Golden Slam
(a Singles Career Grand Slam plus the Olympic Gold Medal in
Singles):
- Steffi Graf (1988 French Open, 1988
Australian Open, 1988 Wimbledon, 1988 Olympic Gold Medal (Women's
Singles) & 1988 US Open)
- Steffi Graf's Golden Slam is also a
Calendar Year Golden Slam as she won all four Grand Slams
and the Olympic Gold Medal all in the same calendar year of
1988.
- Andre Agassi (1992 Wimbledon, 1994
US Open, 1995 Australian Open, 1996 Olympic Gold Medal (Men's
Singles) & 1999 French Open)
- Doubles teams that won a Career Golden Slam (a
Doubles Team Career Grand Slam & the Olympic Gold Medal in
Doubles):
- Individual doubles players who won a Career Golden
Slam:
Three Slams
Players who have won three of the four Grand Slam tournaments in
the same year.
Men's singles
- Jack Crawford
- 1933: Australian, French & Wimbledon Championships
- Fred Perry
- 1934: Australian, Wimbledon & U.S. Championships
- Tony Trabert
- 1955: French, Wimbledon & U.S. Championships
- Lew Hoad
- 1956: Australian, French & Wimbledon Championships
- Ashley Cooper
- 1958: Australian, Wimbledon & U.S. Championships
- Roy Emerson
- 1964: Australian, Wimbledon & U.S. Championships
- Jimmy Connors
- 1974: Australian, Wimbledon & US Open
- Mats Wilander
- 1988: Australian, French & US Open
- Roger Federer
- 2004: Australian, Wimbledon & US Open
- 2006: Australian, Wimbledon & US Open
- 2007: Australian, Wimbledon & US Open
Women's singles
- Helen Wills
- 1928: French Championships, Wimbledon, & U.S.
Championships
- 1929: French Championships, Wimbledon, & U.S.
Championships
- Margaret Court - also winner
of a Calendar Year Grand Slam in 1970
- 1962: Australian, French, & U.S. Championships
- 1965: Australian, Wimbledon, & U.S. Championships
- 1969: Australian, French, & US Open
- 1973: Australian, French, & US Open
- Billie Jean King
- 1972: French Open, Wimbledon, & US Open
- Martina
Navrátilová - won six consecutive Grand Slam titles in
1983-84
- 1983: Wimbledon, US Open, & Australian Open
- 1984: French Open, Wimbledon, & US Open
- Steffi Graf - also winner of a
Calendar Year Grand Slam in 1988, a Calendar Year Golden Slam in
1988, and a Non-Calendar Year Grand Slam (ending with the 1994
Australian Open)
- 1989: Australian Open, Wimbledon, & US Open
- 1993: French Open, Wimbledon, & US Open
- 1995: French Open, Wimbledon, & US Open
- 1996: French Open, Wimbledon, & US Open
- Monica Seles
- 1991: Australian Open, French Open, & US Open
- 1992: Australian Open, French Open, & US Open
- Martina Hingis
- 1997: Australian Open, Wimbledon, & US Open
- Serena Williams - winner of
a Non-Calendar Year Grand Slam after winning the 2003 Australian
Open
- 2002: French Open, Wimbledon, & US Open
Men's doubles
- Jacques Brugnon
- 1928: Australian Championships, French Championships,
Wimbledon
- John Van Ryn
- 1931: French Championships, Wimbledon, U.S. Championships
- Jack Crawford
- 1935: Australian Championships, French Championships,
Wimbledon
- John Bromwich
- 1950: Australian Championships, Wimbledon, U.S.
Championships
- Ken McGregor
- 1952: Australian Championships, French Championships,
Wimbledon
- Frank Sedgman
- 1952: Australian Championships, French Championships,
Wimbledon
- Ken Rosewall
- 1953: Australian Championships, French Championships,
Wimbledon
- 1956: Australian Championships, Wimbledon, U.S.
Championships
- Lew Hoad
- 1953: Australian Championships, French Championships,
Wimbledon
- 1956: Australian Championships, Wimbledon, U.S.
Championships
- Tony Roche
- 1967: Australian Championships, French Championships, U.S.
Championships
- John Newcombe
- 1967: Australian Championships, French Championships, U.S.
Championships
- 1973: Australian Open, French Open, US Open
- Anders Jarryd
- 1987: Australian Open, French Open, US Open
- 1991: French Open, Wimbledon, US Open
- John Fitzgerald
- 1991: French Open, Wimbledon, US Open
- Jacco Eltingh
- 1998: Australian Open, French Open, Wimbledon
Women's doubles
- Margaret Osborne duPont
- 1946: French Championships, Wimbledon, U.S. Championships
- 1949: French Championships, Wimbledon, U.S. Championships
- Louise Brough Clapp
- 1946: French Championships, Wimbledon, U.S. Championships
- 1949: French Championships, Wimbledon, U.S. Championships
- 1950: Australian Championships, Wimbledon, U.S.
Championships
- Doris Hart
- 1951: French Championships, Wimbledon, U.S. Championships
- 1952: French Championships, Wimbledon, U.S. Championships
- 1953: French Championships, Wimbledon, U.S. Championships
- Shirley Fry Irvin
- 1951: French Championships, Wimbledon, U.S. Championships
- 1952: French Championships, Wimbledon, U.S. Championships
- 1953: French Championships, Wimbledon, U.S. Championships
- Althea Gibson
- 1957: Australian Championships, Wimbledon, U.S.
Championships
- Darlene Hard
- 1962: French Championships, Wimbledon, U.S. Championships
- Lesley Turner Bowrey
- 1964: Australian Championships, French Championships,
Wimbledon
- Nancy Richey Gunter
- 1966: Australian Championships, Wimbledon, U.S.
Championships
- Betty Stove
- 1972: French Open, Wimbledon, US Open
- Margaret Court
- 1973: Australian Open, French Open, US Open
- Virginia Wade
- 1973: Australian Open, French Open, US Open
- Helen Gourlay Cawley
- 1977: Australian Open (January), Wimbledon, Australian Open
(December)
- Martina
Navrátilová
- 1982: French Open, Wimbledon, Australian Open
- 1983: Wimbledon, US Open, Australian Open
- 1986: French Open, Wimbledon, US Open
- 1987: Australian Open, French Open, US Open
- Pam Shriver
- 1983: Wimbledon, US Open, Australian Open
- 1987: Australian Open, French Open, US Open
- Helena Suková
- 1990: Australian Open, French Open, Wimbledon
- Gigi Fernández
- 1992: French Open, Wimbledon, US Open
- 1993: Australian Open, French Open, Wimbledon
- 1994: Australian Open, French Open, Wimbledon
- Natasha Zvereva
- 1992: French Open, Wimbledon, US Open
- 1993: Australian Open, French Open, Wimbledon
- 1994: Australian Open, French Open, Wimbledon
- 1997: Australian Open, French Open, Wimbledon
- Jana Novotná
- 1990: Australian Open, French Open, Wimbledon
- 1998: French Open, Wimbledon, US Open
- Virginia Ruano Pascual
- 2004: Australian Open, French Open, US Open
- Paola Suárez
- 2004: Australian Open, French Open, US Open
- Serena Williams
- 2009: Australian Open, Wimbledon, US Open
- Venus Williams
- 2009: Australian Open, Wimbledon, US Open
Mixed doubles
- Eric Sturgess
- 1949: French Championships, Wimbledon, U.S. Championships
- Frank Sedgman
- 1951: French Championships, Wimbledon, U.S. Championships
- 1952: French Championships, Wimbledon, U.S. Championships
- Doris Hart
- 1951: French Championships, Wimbledon, U.S. Championships
- 1952: French Championships, Wimbledon, U.S. Championships
- 1953: French Championships, Wimbledon, U.S. Championships
- Vic Seixas
- 1953: French Championships, Wimbledon, U.S. Championships
- Margaret Court
- 1964: Australian Championships, French Championships, U.S.
Championships
- 1969: Australian Open, French Open, US Open
- Billie Jean King
- 1967: French Championships, Wimbledon, U.S. Championships
- Marty Riessen
- 1969: Australian Open, French Open, US Open
- Bob Hewitt
- 1979: French Open, Wimbledon, US Open
- Martina
Navrátilová
- 1985: French Open, Wimbledon, US Open
- Mark Woodforde
- 1992: Australian Open, Wimbledon, US Open
Boys' singles
Girls' singles
Boys' doubles
Girls' doubles
- Beth Herr
- 1982: French Open, Wimbledon, US Open
- Corina Morariu & Ludmilla Varmuzova
- 1995: Australian Open, French Open, US Open
- Viktoria Azarenka
- 2005: Australian Open, French Open, Wimbledon
- Anastasia
Pavlyuchenkova
- 2006: Australian Open, French Open, Wimbledon
- Urszula Radwańska
- 2007: French Open, Wimbledon, US Open
Career "Boxed Set"
Another Grand Slam-related accomplishment is winning a "boxed set"
of Grand Slam titles – winning the singles, doubles, and mixed
doubles at all four Grand Slam events.
The top men's singles players have played comparatively few
doubles, and very few mixed doubles. Three women have completed the
"boxed set" during their careers:
Serena Williams has come closer than
any other currently active player to joining this elite group.
She is
yet to win the mixed doubles at the Australian
and French
opens
(finishing as the runner-up at the 1999 Australian Open and 1998
French Open)
See also
References
External links