If nothing else, 2015 has reminded us just how special winning a calendar Grand Slam is. It’s a bloody hard feat to accomplish – if it were easy, then everybody would be doing it.
Only five people have managed to achieve winning all four majors in the one year, and the last person to do so was Steffi Graf in 1988. The German topped this off by making it a Golden Grand Slam, by adding the Olympic gold medal that year – the only person to have achieved this.
The other winners of the calendar Grand Slam are American Don Budge, in 1938, and fellow American, Maureen Connolly in 1953.
The next two are Australian tennis legends Rod Laver and Margaret Court. ‘Rocket’ Rod won it twice, in 1962 and again in 1969, while Court won it in 1970. She also has two calendar Grand Slams in mixed doubles.
It is the elusiveness of the calendar Grand Slam that makes tennis such a magical sport.
In its long history it is hard to believe that so few have achieved it. Yes, there have been many champions who have won multiple Grand Slam titles, but all four in one year is a the quest that draws many to tennis, either as players or as fans.
This year the dream of calendar Grand Slam glory ran through both the ATP and WTA narratives.
In the WTA the excitement surrounded Serena Williams achieving the feat.
Williams already has the career Grand Slam and she’s also given birth to the ‘Serena Slam’ by winning the US Open in 2014, then the Australian, French and Wimbledon all in 2015.
Williams walked away from the first three majors of the year as the title holder, leaving her with just the US Open. Had she been successful, not only would she have won all four majors in one year, she would have won the last five.
As much as she tried to talk the pressure down, by the time New York rolled around, it was palpable. For the first couple of rounds Williams was a little shaky. Bethanie Mattek-Sands had her all over the place in the first set of their second-round match, and Williams looked to be playing history rather than tennis.
Although she survived that encounter, history was not rewritten. Italian Roberta Vinci defeated the world number one in a three-set upset in the semi-finals. A gutted Williams ended her season early, skipping the WTA Finals in Singapore.
Williams is undoubtedly one of the greatest, if not the greatest women’s tennis player of all time. A calendar Grand Slam would be a magnificent achievement for a remarkable career. But the fact she has never won one doesn’t so much speak about her, it speaks to the difficulty of winning all four majors in the same year. It’s a difficulty that is too often overlooked by casual observers.
Over at the ATP there were also dreams of Grand Slam glory. Novak Djokovic is yet to achieve a career Grand Slam, with the French Open the only major missing from his trophy cabinet.
The 2015 tennis season began with the low hum of excitement that this could be the year Djokovic not only collected his career Grand Slam, but that he could achieve a calendar Grand Slam.
Particularly with Rafael Nadal on the wane, the possibility of collecting the missing French Open gained momentum. But the tennis gods are quick to remind us that nothing is certain.
Swiss number 2 Stan Wawrinka is a formidable opponent, and he confirmed that he is no one-slam wonder by snatching the coveted prize in Paris.
To date, 2015 is Djokovic’s most successful year, only losing six matches. Phenomenal.
In some ways it’s a shame such an unbelievable year wasn’t topped off with a calendar slam. Had he won the French along with all the other tournaments he won this year, Djokovic would have been the first man in the history of the sport to have won the Super Slam – the four majors and the end of year event in the same year.
But this means the record is still up for grabs, and perhaps Djokovic will make this piece of history in the coming years.
Roger Federer may still be playing great tennis but Nadal’s best days are possibly in the past. Andy Murray hasn’t been able to match Djokovic, although he’s had some good results this year. The next generation seem a long way behind the pack and are in danger of being a promising group that doesn’t quite deliver.
No one can predict what 2016 has to offer for Djokovic, but we eagerly wait the flipping of the calendar into the New Year.
2015 offered tennis fans a tantalising treat of possibilities for Grand Slam glory. Add to this the magic potential of a Golden Grand Slam in an Olympic year and 2016 should be another cracking year for those of us who hope to see history written before our eyes.
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