As the years went by, the achievement took on mythic status: From 1978 to ’80, Bjorn Borg had won the French Open, on slow clay, and Wimbledon, on fast grass, with just two weeks between them. By 2008, after an interval when few men even approached the “Channel Slam,” it seemed to be the product of a once-in-a-century talent. But that was before the game was graced with two once-in-a-lifetime talents at the same moment, Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer. The Channel Slam was back: Nadal beat Federer in the French and Wimbledon finals in ’08; Federer won both the following year; and, keeping it in the family, Nadal took them back in 2010. While the rise of all-court tennis and the firmer grass at Wimbledon have helped, this three-year run is also a testament to how special this moment in tennis is. Federer and Nadal made it look routine, but don’t be surprised if their swims across the Channel become the stuff of myth as the years go by.
Originally published in the November/December 2010 issue of TENNIS.
2010 Aces & Faults
—Sock Hopping: Sock goes from high school to pros
—After the Hype, Miller Doesn't Bode Well: Skier tries tennis, again
—Booted: The story of Serena's injured foot
—Match of the Year: The Isner-Mahut Wimbledon epic
—Unwelcome Milestones: American mens' struggles
—Gone...And Back Again: Querrey's quick turnaround
—Swimming the Channel: Rafa does the clay-grass double
—Biggest Disappointment: Dinara Safina
—All in a Day's Work: Blake's beef with Shriver
—Coach of the Year: Hernan Gumy
—Seizing the Clay: Schiavone's unlikely title run
—Struck Out: Soderling ends Federer's semifinal streak
—Comeback, Interrupted: Henin's return cut short
—Wayne's Shame: Odesnik caught with HGH
—Dee Worst, Judge Says: The world's worst player
—Most Improved: Sam Stosur
—Player of the Year: Rafael Nadal
—Newcomer of the Year: Larry Ellison