Grand Slam in tennis
A Grand Slam is a term in tennis used to denote winning all four of the following championship titles in the same year:
These tournaments are therefore also known as the Grand Slam tournaments, and rank as the most important tennis tournaments of the year in the public mind as well as in terms of the ranking points and prizemoney awarded for performances in them.
History
The term Grand Slam was first used in 1933, by the American journalist John Kieran, to describe the attempt that year by Jack Crawford to win all four titles. However, in the finals of the U.S. Championships, Crawford was unable to defeat Fred Perry. It wasn't until 1938 that Donald Budge became the first person to win the Grand Slam.
Winners
True Grand Slams
The winners of the grand slam (all four tournaments in the same calendar year) are:
Of these, Steffi Graf was the only one to win each title on a different surface: Carpet, clay, grass, and hardcourt.
Holding four titles
Though the term was originally restricted to the winning of all four tournaments in the same calendar year, it is now sometimes used for holding all four titles at the same time, regardless of the calendar. Serena Williams, when attempting to win four consecutive grand slam tournaments, though not within one calendar year, described such a feat as a "Serena Slam." She did indeed succeed in winning this honour she named after herself.
Winners of all four grand slam tournaments consecutively, but not in a single calendar year, include:
Career Grand Slams
Winning all four grand slam tournaments but not by winning consecutive tournaments, is described as a "career grand slam".
Players who won all four grand slam tournaments but not did not do so within one year, include:
Golden Slam
The Golden Slam, or Golden Grand Slam, is winning all four Grand Slam tournaments, as well as the Gold medal in tennis at the Summer Olympics, in the same calendar year. The opportunities to do so have been rare, not just because the Summer Olympics are held only once every four years, but also because in between the games of 1924 and 1988, tennis was not a medal sport at the Games.
So far this feat has been performed only once:
