Only five men have managed to complete the Career Grand Slam in men’s tennis in the Open Era, and Carlos Alcaraz is looking to make it a six-man club while he is also aiming to head to the top of said list in terms of the youngest man to achieve the feat.
As things stand, Rod Laver was the first to secure the historic achievement and to date, he is also the only man to actually secure the Career Grand Slam in one season as he completed the Calendar Grand Slam in 1969.
Meanwhile, Rafael Nadal holds the record as the youngest, but it is in danger as the 22-year-old Alcaraz is one win Australian Open match win away from beating him by two years.
If you were wondering, Steffi Graf holds the record for the youngest player – man or woman – to win a Career Grand Slam as she was just 19 when she completed the feat in 1988 while she also won gold at the Olympics that year to claim an illustrious Golden Slam.
Ages Of Men To Complete Career Grand Slam In Open Era
Rod Laver – 31 (1969)
The all-time great first completed the Calendar Slam and thus the Career Grand Slam in 1964, but that was four years before the sport turned professional, so it doesn’t count towards Open Era records.
But he only went and completed it a second time in 1969 as he beat Andres Gimeno in the Australian Open final, Ken Rosewall at Roland Garros, John Newcombe at Wimbledon and Tony Roche at the US Open.
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He completed the feat one month after he turned 31 as he was born on August 8, 1983 while the US Open final was held on September 9, 1969.
Andre Agassi – 29 (1999)
It would take another three decades before another player would join the list with American Agassi becoming the second man to win all four majors.
Having won Wimbledon in 1992, the US Open two years later and the Australian Open in 1995, Agassi was just a French Open crown away from emulating Laver and he did so at Roland Garros in 1999.
Just over two months after celebrating his 29th birthday (April 29), he defeated Andrei Medvedev in the final in Paris.
Novak Djokovic – 29 (2016)
Djokovic is the only man to have won three Career Grand Slams, but the first arrived at Roland Garros in 2016. At that points, he was already a six-time Australian Open champion, won Wimbledon three times and the US Open twice.
The Serbian turned 29 on May 22 and on June 5 he beat Andy Murray in the final in Paris.
Career Grand Slam No 2 came in 2021 when he won his second French Open crown and two years later he made it three with another title at Roland Garros.
Roger Federer – 27 (2009)
If at first you don’t succeed, try, try and try again was Federer’s mantra as he had lost three consecutive French Open finals against Nadal before he finally got the job done.
Federer had already won three Australian Open titles, five in a row at Wimbledon and five consecutive US Open titles when he arrived at the French Open in 2009.
Many would have predicted another Federer-Nadal final with the latter the overwhelming favourite to win yet again, but the Swiss received an unexpected boost when his rival was stunned by Robin Soderling in the fourth round.
Swede Soderling went on to reach the final and Federer beat him in straight sets to claim the Career Grand Slam.
Rafael Nadal – 24 (2010)
The King of Clay completed his Career Grand Slam at the US Open as at that point he had five Roland Garros titles (including in 2010), one Australian Open crown (2009) and two Wimbledon trophies (2008 and 2010).
Playing in the Flushing Meadows final for the first time, the Spaniard beat Djokovic in four sets to win the US Open for the first time and complete the feat at the age of 24.
He won a second Career Grand Slam in 2022 when he won his second Australian Open crown.
The post Youngest men to complete Career Grand Slam in Open Era: Alcaraz looks to beat Federer, Djokovic, Nadal appeared first on Tennis365.
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