Before a single ball is struck in anger at this year’s Australian Open, consider this: it is the only time of the year that 256 men and women can lay claim to a wild and fanciful notion.
They are all potential winners of the holy grail of tennis – the Grand Slam. Win the four majors; the Australian, French, Wimbledon and US titles, within a calendar year and tennis immortality is yours.
Mind you, it’s only been done six times and only by five players – Don Budge (1938), Maureen Connolly (1953), Rod Laver (1962 and 1969), Margaret Court (1970) and Steffi Graff (1988).
Australia has always punched way above its weight when it comes to competing in sport on the world stage. Tennis is no exception. And when it comes to achieving one of the rarest feats in world sport and the pinnacle of tennis, Australia has its sun-bronzed fingerprints all over the prize.
Yes, the great American player, Don Budge, was the first to achieve the feat, and even claims to have created it (there’s a chapter in his autobiography called ‘The Grand Slam – My Favourite Invention’). But no other country more so than Australia has been as deeply connected to the Grand Slam.
Out of the five players to have won the Grand Slam, two are Australians. Out of the six times it’s been won, three times it’s been claimed by an Australian.
The American Maureen Connolly was the first woman to win the Grand Slam in 1953. She was coached during that year by Harry Hopman, Australia’s Davis Cup Captain.
Only four players in history have won the first three majors and fallen at the final hurdle at the US Open – Jack Crawford (1933), Lew Hoad (1956), Serena Williams (2015) and Dylan Alcott (2019). Three of the four are Australians.
As the first major of the year, the Australian Open is where the dream starts. With the looming controversy surrounding Margaret Court’s 50-year commemoration of her 1970 Grand Slam at this year’s Australian Open threatening to steal the limelight, perhaps it’s worth taking a quiet moment to celebrate and acknowledge the dominant role Australia has played in tennis’ jewel in the crown.
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Remo Shankar
Roar Pro
Glad you mentioned Little Mo - she's in danger of being forgotten and she has to be one of the top three greatest women players of all time. I'll have an article on her in a few weeks to coincide with a podcast episode of her on Off The Frame (a tongue in cheek Tennis Podcast launched recently) that will be out in a few weeks.
Mark
Guest
No worries. I actually overlooked Maureen Connolly'as achievement in 1952/53 of also winning 6 in a row (the last 2 of 1952 and the calendar year slam of 1953). She duplicated Budge's feat of 1937/38 in winning first a non-calendar year slam then a calendar slam. "Little Mo" was amazing - she actually won the last 9 grand slams she played in, prior to retiring due to a badly broken leg at just age 19. In all, she competed in just 11 slams, and won 9 of them, with the only 2 she didn't win being when she was 14 and 15.
Remo Shankar
Roar Pro
Mark, Thanks for rectifying my oversight. I think I stared at the stats too long and had it in my head that in 1984 the Australian was still being played as the first slam instead of the last and so discounted it as a contender for 'falling at the final hurdle' as per Crawford, Hoad, Serena and Alcott.
Mark
Guest
Just a bit more trivia re the Slams. The author left Navratilova off the list of players to win the first 3 slams in a year. She won the first 3 in 1984, which meant she had won 6 in a row, a feat only Don Budge (1937/38) has achieved. She looked odds on to win the Grand Slam at Kooyong in December 1984, as the Aust Open was then the last slam in the year. By the time of the semis she was on a 74 match winning streak. But Helena Sukova stopped the streak. In relation to non-calendar year slams the players to have won them are Navtatilova, Williams twice, Djokovic and Graf (93/94). You could say Budge achieved the feat in 1937/38, as he won 4 in a row after winning the 1938 French title. He then won the final 2 slams of 1938 to also achieve his calendar year slam.
Mark
Guest
In relation to your question about whether anybody didn’t play the Aust Open but won the other 3 slams in a calendar year, I don’t believe so. From 1977-1985 the Aust Open was held in a December as the last slam of the year. Born Borg won the first 2 slams of the year in each of 1978-1980, and there was a lot of talk that if he won the US Open he would travel to Kooyong to attempt the Grand Slam (Borg had only ever played the Aust Open once, when he was a teenager). But he couldn’t win the US title - Connors beat him in the final in 1976 and 1978, and McEnroe in 1980 & 1981. So we didn’t get the chance to see Borg (or Connors for that matter) at the Aust Open in the late 70s and early 80s when they were the best players in the world. Even McEnroe didnt come out here until 1983.
matth
Roar Guru
Thanks Mark
Mark
Guest
Serena has twice won 4 slams in a row (2002/03 & 2014/15). Novak did it in 2015/16. Martina Navratilova won 6 in a row in 1983/84. In 1974 Jimmy Connors won the Australian, Wimbledon and US titles, but he wasn’t allowed to play in the French that year, because he had signed with World Team Tennis.
matth
Roar Guru
I know Serena Williams hasn’t achieved a calendar grand slam, but she has held all four titles simultaneously at one point. Has Djoker done that as well? We know that the Australian was skipped by many top players in the 1970’s and 1980’s. I’d be curious if any of the top players in that era won the other three in a year.
tsuru
Roar Rookie
Because of recent statements she has made - about Casey Dellacqua for instance.
Bazza200
Guest
Just celebrate her as she is a legend. Greatest tennis player for women easily.
Micko
Roar Rookie
Why is Margaret Court's 50 year anniversary celebrations of her Grand Slam "controversial"?