Two Tennis Greats and the Grand Slam
Last week, Rafael Nadal made history with his career Grand Slam, completed by his triumph at the US Open. Rafa joined the ranks of the seven men in history who have successfully won each of the four Grand Slam tournaments at least once.
However, there is a difference between a Grand Slam and a Career Grand Slam. In fact, in the strictest sense of the term, a Grand Slam can only be completed by winning the title for each tournament in one calendar year. The Career Grand Slam was developed
by the International Tennis Federation; to win a Career Grand Slam, one must win the four Majors, though not necessarily in the same calendar year. Offshoots of the Grand Slam have also been developed, for example, the Serena Slam and in recent weeks, discussion
of the Rafa Slam, named after Serena Williams and Rafael Nadal respectively.
The only Grand Slam which is considered by most sources is the Grand Slam, in the same calendar year. This feat is difficult to accomplish, because it requires exceptional performance on part of the players. Winning a Grand Slam demands constant training,
in order to stretch out stamina and endurance.
Out of the seven men who have won all four Majors titles in the duration of their career, an actual Grand Slam has only been accomplished by two men in the history of tennis. These two men are Don Budge and Rod Laver.
John Donald Budge, also known as Don or Donnie, was an American professional tennis player who had his greatest successes in the years 1937 and 1938. He was a World Number 1 player for five years, initially as an amateur, and later on as a professional.
Out of his six Grand Slam titles, four of them were won in the year 1938, making him a Grand Slam champion. Don Budge was the first man to complete a calendar year Grand Slam; to accomplish this he beat some of the best players of his time. In the Australian
Open, he upset John Bromwich; he defeated Roderick Menzel at the French Open; at Wimbledon, he beat Henry “Bunny” Austin, and at the last Major, the US Open, he defeated Gene Mako to become the first person in tennis history to win a Grand Slam. He died in
January 2000, at the age of 84.
Rod Laver is an Australian former tennis player who stayed as World Number 1 for seven consecutive years, from 1964 to 1970. He is the only tennis player in the history of the sport to have achieved the coveted calendar year Grand Slam twice, once in 1962
and once in 1969. Out of his eleven titles, eight were won in these two years. The remaining three were achieved at the Australian Open in 1960 and at Wimbledon in 1961 and 1968. He is the only player from the Open Era to have won the Grand Slam twice, in
1962 as an amateur and in 1969 as a professional. The centre court at Melbourne Park has been named the Rod Laver Arena to honour this legend. He is often regarded as one of the all time greatest players in the history of tennis.
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