Along tennis history, one of the main objectives and motivation engine for the best players in the world has been winning all the four tournaments. Today from Slazenger Heritage, vintage sportswear clothing, we want to talk about professional tennis players who have won all four Grand Slam podiums.
What is the Career Golden Slam?
The Career Golden Slam is winning all four Grand Slam tournaments and an Olympic gold medal in tennis. The Grand Slam tournaments are the Australian Open, the French Open (Roland Garros), Wimbledon, and the US Open.
Winning the Career Golden Slam is considered one of the greatest achievements in tennis. It is a rare feat, with only a handful of players having accomplished it. The first player to achieve the Career Golden Slam was Steffi Graf in 1988.
The Career Golden Slam is different from the calendar year Grand Slam and non-calendar year Grand Slam. The calendar year Grand Slam is winning all four Grand Slams in one year. Whereas the non-calendar year Grand Slam is winning all four Grand Slams at any point in a player’s career.
Tennis players who have won all four Grand Slam
The non-calendar year Grand Slam, also known as the Career Grand Slam, refers to winning all four Grand Slam tournaments during the course of a player’s career, but not in the same calendar year.
There are eight players, three men (Don Budge, Rod Laver, Novak Djokovic) and five women (Maureen Connolly, Margaret Court, Martina Navratilova, Steffi Graf, Serena Williams), who have achieved the non-calendar year Grand Slam.
Women who have won 4 consecutive Grand Slam
- Maureen Connolly: 9 titles (1 Australian Open, 2 Roland Garros, 3 Wimbledon and 3 US Open).
- Margaret Court: 24 titles (11 Australian Open, 5 Roland Garros, 3 Wimbledon and 5 US Open). Grand Slam annual in 1970.
- Martina Navratilova: 18 titles (3 Australian Open, 2 Roland Garros, 9 Wimbledon and 4 US Open).
- Steffi Graf: 22 titles (4 Australian Open, 6 Roland Garros, 7 Wimbledon and 5 US Open). *Golden Slam in 1988.
- Serena Williams: 24 titles (7 Australian Open, 3 Roland Garros, 7 Wimbledon and 6 US Open).
Men who have won all four Grand Slam
- Don Budge: 6 titles (1 Australian Open, 1 Roland Garros, 2 Wimbledon and 2 US Open). *Grand Slam annual in 1938.
- Rod Laver: 11 titles (3 Australian Open, 2 Roland Garros, 4 Wimbledon and 2 US Open). *Grand Slam annual in 1962 and 1969.
- Novak Djokovic: 17 titles (8 Australian Open, 1 Roland Garros, 5 Wimbledon and 3 US Open).
Grand Slam tournaments
Australian Open, Roland Garros, Wimbledon and US Open. So far, in the list of those who have succeed, at least once in each of the Big 4, we can mention eight men and ten women.
The first reaching all four titles
We start with the pre-Open Era. Here we find two of the greatest pioneers of this sport: Fred Perry and Don Budge. In those times, it was complicated traveling to the four events.
In addition, Second World War damaged the career of several tennis players. However, the British and the American, respectively, inscribed their names in the history of the Big Four.
Roy Emerson and Rod Laver also won. Laver not only won all four titles, but did so in the same season and twice, once in 1962 and the second one in the Open Era (1969).
About women, Doris Hart, Mauren Connolly and Shirley Fry, reached the victory in the first stage of women’s tennis. They were succeeded by the dual of Margaret Court – Billie Jean-King and, later, Chris Evert – Martina Navratilova.
Late 20th century
Two names stand out: André Agassi and Steffi Graf. André triumphed in Melbourne, Paris, London and New York. Steffi achieved the only Golden Slam in the history of this sport. She won four Grand Slam titles and Olympic gold in the same season. She was relieved by Serena Williams and Maria Sharapova.
In men’s tennis, Big 3 arrived with Roger Federer, Rafa Nadal and Novak Djokovic, who have made what seemed impossible looking easy.
When are the next Grand Slam Tournaments?
You can check the calendar of Grand Slams here:
- Australian Open: 17-30 January 2022, Melbourne Park, Melbourne, Australia
- Roland Garros French Open: 16 May-5 June 2022, Stade Roland Garros, Paris, France
- The Championships Wimbledon: 27 June-10 July 2022, All England Lawn Tennis & Croquet Club, London, England
- US Open: 29 August-11 September 2022, USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center, Flushing Meadows, New York, US
From Slazenger Heritage, vintage tennis clothing, we hope you liked this post and enjoyed remembering historical moments with tennis players who have won all four Grand Slam. See you soon readers!
