Tennis Grand Slam
While my favorite Grand Slam involves crisp bacon and a trip to Denny’s, the Grand Slam in tennis should not be forgotten despite its lack of food choices. Much more media attention is paid to the Grand Slam in golf, especially since the arrival of Tiger Woods, but the Grand Slam in tennis is equally as important to its sport.
The Grand Slam in tennis is the four events considered to be the most important in a single year. Currently, the last Grand Slam event of the year, the U.S. Open, is being played in New York, and Roger Federer is attempting to defend his title for a SIXTH consecutive year. Specifically, the Grand Slam events are (in order by calendar year):
- Australian Open
- French Open
- Wimbledon
- U.S. Open
Graf
What makes achieving the Grand Slam (winning all FOUR events in a single calendar year) so impressive is how different the events are because of the different surfaces used. The Australian Open is currently played on hard courts since 1988 (grass courts were previously used) while the French Open is played on clay, a very different surface than hard courts, creating a slower, finely tuned game. Wimbledon, as most people know, is played on grass, and the Grand Slam is completed with the U.S. Open, played on hard courts.
Some quick facts (doubles matches not included):
- The last man to achieve a true Grand Slam – Rod Laver, 1969
- Roger Federer has a CAREER Grand Slam 1, but no single year Grand Slam
- The last woman to achieve a true Grand Slam – Steffi Graf, 1988
- Serena Williams, Graf, & Navratilova held non-calendar year Grand Slams2 at different times
With the U.S. Open being played right now, it’s the perfect time to share your new-found information in the next couple days or at your Labor Day barbecue.
Read on:
Wikipedia – Grand Slam (tennis)
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