Grand Slam (tennis)

In tennis, a singles player or doubles team is said to have achieved the True Grand Slam if they succeed in winning all four of the following championship titles in the same calendar year or just "Grand Slam" by owning all four at the same time:
* Australian Open
* French Open
* Wimbledon
* US Open

These tournaments are therefore also known as the Grand Slam tournaments. They rank as the most important tennis tournaments of the year in the public mind, as well as in terms of world ranking points and prize-money awarded. The titles are known as Grand Slam titles.

History

The term Grand Slam was first used in 1933, by the American journalist John Kieran. In describing the attempt that year by Jack Crawford to win all four titles, he compared it with "a countered and vulnerable grand slam in bridge". Kieran singled out these four titles as being the biggest in tennis because, at the time, they were the main international championships held in the only four countries who had won the Davis Cup. Crawford failed to achieve the Grand Slam that year as he lost in the US Championships final to Fred Perry. It was not until 1938 that Donald Budge became the first person to achieve the Grand Slam.

The expression Grand Slam, initially used to describe the winning of the tennis major events, was later incorporated by other sports, notably golf, to describe a similar accomplishment.

Winners

True Grand Slam

Singles

* Don Budge (1938)
* Maureen Connolly (1953)
* Rod Laver (1962 • 1969)
* Margaret Smith Court (1970)
* Steffi Graf (1988) (also the Olympic Gold medal, thus winning a Golden Slam)

Junior Singles

The only winner of the Grand Slam in Junior singles is:
* Stefan Edberg (1983)

Doubles

* Frank Sedgman & Ken McGregor (1951)
* Margaret Smith & Ken Fletcher (1963)
* Martina Navrátilová & Pam Shriver (1984)

Additionally, three players won all four Doubles Grand Slam titles, but switched partners after the Australian Open:
* Maria Bueno (1960), with Christine Truman then Darlene Hard.
* Owen Davidson (1967), with Lesley Turner then Billie Jean King.
* Martina Hingis (1998), with Mirjana Lucic then Jana Novotná.

Margaret Smith also won one more Doubles Grand Slam, switching partners twice:
* Margaret Smith (1965), with John Newcombe, then Ken Fletcher and finally, Fred Stolle.

Four consecutive Grand Slam titles (Not True)

Though the term was originally restricted to the winning of all four tournaments in the same calendar year, the International Tennis Federation declared the official term as a player holding all four titles simultaneously, regardless of the calendar year.

After Martina Navrátilová won four consecutive major championships, holding all four at once, the International Tennis Federation awarded her the Grand Slam $1 million bonus, as she held all four titles at once. Bud Collins sarcastically called her accomplishment the "Grand Snap" because he did not believe that she had won a true Grand Slam and because Playtex was the sponsor of the $1 million bonus.

Two other players —Steffi Graf and Serena Williams— have also completed this Grand Slam (by ITF regulations).

Winners of all four Grand Slam tournaments consecutively, but not in a single calendar year:
*Singles:
** Martina Navrátilová (1983-84) (six consecutive tournaments)
***Note: The Australian Open was held in December from 1977 through 1985, returning to its original January date in 1987. Her streak was Wimbledon, US, and Australian in 1983, followed by French, Wimbledon, and US in 1984.
** Steffi Graf (1993-94)
***Note: Graf also won a True Grand Slam in 1988.
** Serena Williams (2002-03)
***Note: She coined her accomplishment of this feat as the "Serena Slam".
*Doubles:
** Gigi Fernandez & Natasha Zvereva (1992-93) (six consecutive titles from French Open '92 to Wimbledon '93.)

Most Grand Slam Titles in a Row (non-Consecutive)

Between 1924 and 1933, Helen Wills won 16 straight Grand Slam singles tournaments, the first 15 without losing a set. During this period, she won 5 Wimbledons, 4 French Championships, and 7 United States Championships. She also won the 1924 Summer Olympics during this period. Wills never entered the Australian Championships, which was in its infancy.

Career Grand Slam

Winning all four Grand Slam tournaments non-consecutively is described as a "Career Grand Slam."

Singles

Players who won all four Grand Slam tournaments but not in a row include (age between square brackets):
* Men:
** Fred Perry (1933-34-35) [26]
** Roy Emerson (1961-63-64) [28]
** Andre Agassi (1992-94-95-99) [29]
* Women:
** Doris Hart (1949-50-51-54) [29]
** Shirley Fry (1951-56-57) [30]
** Billie Jean King (1966-67-68-72) [29]
** Chris Evert (1974-75-82) [28]
** Martina Navratilova (1978-82-83) [27]
** Steffi Graf
** Serena Williams
** Margaret Court

Especially in the men's game, a number of players dominant in their eras have failed to achieve the Career Grand Slam because of their inability to win a particular tournament, often due to that tournament being ill-suited to the player's game. John Newcombe, Jimmy Connors, Boris Becker, Stefan Edberg and Pete Sampras all failed to win the French Open, while Ken Rosewall, Guillermo Vilas, Ivan Lendl, and Mats Wilander all failed to win Wimbledon.

Doubles

Teams that have won a Career Grand Slam:
* Roy Emerson & Neale Fraser (1959-60-62) - Neale Fraser completed the Career Grand Slam in 1957-58-59
* John Newcombe & Tony Roche (1965-67)
* Kathy Jordan & Anne Smith (1980-81)
* Todd Woodbridge & Mark Woodforde (1992-93-95-2000)
* Jacco Eltingh & Paul Haarhuis (1994-95-98)
* Serena Williams & Venus Williams (1999-2000-01)
* Bob Bryan & Mike Bryan (2003-2005-06)

Players who won a Career Grand Slam in doubles:
* Adrian Quist (1935-36-39)
* Shirley Fry (1950-51-57)
* John Fitzgerald (1982-84-86-89)
* Anders Jarryd (1983-87-89)
* Helena Suková (1989-90-93)
* Jana Novotná (1989-90-94)
* Jonas Björkman (1998-2002-03-05)
* Lisa Raymond (2000-01-05-06)

Mixed doubles

Teams that have won a Career Grand Slam:
* Frank Sedgman & Doris Hart (1949-51)
* Ken Fletcher & Margaret Smith (1964-65)

Players who won a Career Grand Slam in mixed doubles:
* Billie Jean King (1967-68)
* Martina Navrátilová (1974-85-2003)
* Todd Woodbridge (1990-93-94-95)
* Mark Woodforde (1992-93)
* Mahesh Bhupathi (1997-99-2005-06)
* Daniela Hantuchová (2001-02-05)

Serena and Venus Williams won what could be called "Williams family Slam" in mixed doubles in 1998 when they held all 4 mixed doubles Grand Slam titles.

Golden Slam

The Golden Slam, or Golden Grand Slam, is winning all four Grand Slam tournaments, as well as the Gold medal in tennis at the Summer Olympics, in the same calendar year. The opportunities to do so have been rare, not just because the Summer Olympics are held only once every four years, but also because in between the games of 1924 and 1988, tennis was not a medal sport at the Games.

True Golden Slam

So far this feat has been achieved only once:
* Steffi Graf (1988)

Career Golden Slam

Winning all tournaments in a True Golden Slam, but not in the same calendar year:
*Players who won a Career Golden Slam:
** Andre Agassi (1992-94-95-96-99)
*Teams that won a Career Golden Slam:
** Serena Williams & Venus Williams (1999-2000-01)
** Gigi Fernandez won in the 1992 and 1996 Olympics, partnering Mary Joe Fernandez. But won a career Grand Slam in Doubles partnering Natasha Zvereva

Small Slam

Players who have won three of the four Grand Slam tournaments in the same year, are sometimes said to have achieved a small slam.

Men

*Jack Crawford (1933): Australian, French & U.S. 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 & U.S. Open
*Mats Wilander (1988): Australian, French & U.S. Open
*Roger Federer (2004): Australian, Wimbledon & U.S. Open

Juniors:
*Mark Kratzmann (1984): Australian, Wimbledon & U.S. Open
*Nicolas Pereira (1988): French, Wimbledon & U.S. Open
*Gaël Monfils (2004): Australian, French & Wimbledon Open

Women

*Helen Wills (1928, '29): French, Wimbledon & U.S. Championships
*Margaret Smith Court - also winner of True Grand Slam
** 1962, '69, '73: Australian, French & U.S. Championships/Open
** 1965: Australian, Wimbledon & U.S. Championships
*Billie Jean King (1972): French, Wimbledon & U.S. Open
*Martina Navrátilová - completed the ITF Grand Slam and won six majors in a row
** 1983: Australian, Wimbledon & U.S. Open
** 1984: French, Wimbledon & U.S. Open
*Steffi Graf - also winner of True Grand Slam
** 1989: Australian, Wimbledon & U.S. Open
** 1993, '95, '96: French, Wimbledon & U.S. Open
*Monica Seles (1991, '92): Australian, French & U.S. Open
*Martina Hingis (1997): Australian, Wimbledon & U.S. Open
*Serena Williams (2002): French, Wimbledon & U.S. Open - completed Serena Slam by winning the 2003 Australian Open titleJuniors:
*Natalia Zvereva (1987): French, Wimbledon & U.S. Open
*Magdalena Maleeva (1990): Australian, French & U.S. Open

The career "Boxed Set"

Perhaps the greatest Grand Slam-related accomplishment imaginable is winning a "boxed set" of Grand Slam titles – winning the singles, doubles, and mixed doubles at all four Grand Slam events. No male player has ever achieved this feat, but three women have completed the "boxed set" during their careers:
*Doris Hart
*Margaret Smith Court
*Martina Navrátilová

Serena Williams has come closer than any other currently active player to joining this elite group. She has yet to win the mixed doubles in the Australian and French Opens.

See also

* List of Grand Slam Men's Singles champions
* List of Grand Slam Women's Singles champions
* List of Grand Slam Men's Doubles champions
* List of Grand Slam Women's Doubles champions
* List of Grand Slam Mixed Doubles champions
* List of Grand Slam Boys' Singles champions
* List of Grand Slam Girls' Singles champions
* Tennis statistics