Winning a Major is one of the most difficult tasks in tennis, let alone winning all four in a calendar year—known as the Grand Slam. Only a handful of players have been able to achieve the feat. However, none of the current players have managed to accomplish it, albeit a few have come pretty close.
Former pros Margaret Court, Steffi Graf, and Rod Laver are the only singles champions who hold calendar-year Grand Slams in the Open Era. A 11-time Major singles winner, Australian tennis icon Laver achieved this great triumph twice—first in 1962 before the Open Era, and again in 1969. Court, a fellow Aussie who holds an all-time record of most Major singles, won four of her 24 Majors in 1970. Graf, the last player to complete the Grand Slam, accomplished hers in 1988. The German star also won an Olympic gold that year, earning the coveted Golden Slam.
With the 2018 Australian Open behind us, winners Roger Federer and Caroline Wozniacki are the only two singles players this year who have a chance to claim their maiden calendar-year Grand Slams. All they need to do is to win the remaining three Majors, which is close to impossible since the 36-year-old Swiss is skipping Roland Garros, while 27-year-old Wozniacki has only won one Slam her entire career.
