Talking about male tennis players who have achieved the career Grand Slam

The four major tennis Grand Slam events have a rich heritage. Wimbledon, the earliest, started in 1877 and has lasted over three centuries, celebrating its 150th year this year; the US Open began in 1881, the French Open in 1891; and the Australian Open, the latest, started in 1905, with a history exceeding 120 years.

Throughout the three centuries of Grand Slam history, numerous champions have risen, creating everlasting legends. Among these, the greatest milestone is the career Grand Slam, which means a player has won all four major titles—Australian Open, French Open, Wimbledon, and US Open—at least once during their career!

The first male tennis player to achieve a career Grand Slam was the British player Fred Perry. In 1935, Fred Perry finally conquered Roland Garros and won the French Open title, becoming the first man in tennis history to complete the career Grand Slam.

In 1938, American Donald Budge won the French Open, becoming the second male player in tennis history to achieve the career Grand Slam. Moreover, at 22 years and 11 months old, Budge remains the youngest male player to have ever completed the career Grand Slam to date.

The third male player in tennis history to complete the career Grand Slam was Australian Rod Laver. In 1962, Laver seemed like a god descended to earth, winning all four Grand Slam titles—the Australian Open, French Open, Wimbledon, and US Open—in a single year, achieving the calendar-year Grand Slam, an unprecedented and unmatched feat. In 1969, Laver repeated this extraordinary accomplishment, becoming the only man in tennis history to achieve the calendar-year Grand Slam twice across three centuries of Grand Slam history.

The fourth male player to complete the career Grand Slam was also Australian, Roy Emerson. In 1964, Emerson finally conquered Wimbledon and won the title, thereby completing his career Grand Slam achievement.

American Andre Agassi was the fifth male player in tennis history to achieve the career Grand Slam. In 1999, thirty years after Rod Laver’s second calendar-year Grand Slam in 1969, Agassi won the French Open, matching the legendary predecessors and becoming the fifth male career Grand Slam champion.

Then came the era of the "Big Three," who continued the legacy and created even more dazzling achievements in men's tennis. In 2009, Swiss maestro Roger Federer finally conquered Roland Garros, winning the French Open and completing his career Grand Slam, becoming the sixth male player to do so. A year later, Spanish star Rafael Nadal won the US Open at 24 years and 3 months old, joining the ranks of legends as the seventh male career Grand Slam champion. In 2016, Serbian Novak Djokovic finally captured the French Open title, completing his career Grand Slam and becoming the eighth and, so far, the most recent male player to achieve this feat.

The eight male career Grand Slam champions in tennis history can be further detailed.

Since 1968, the Open Era began in tennis, allowing both amateur and professional players to compete in the Grand Slam tournaments. Before this, only amateurs were eligible to participate. Therefore, the calendar-year Grand Slam achieved by Rod Laver in 1969 and afterward holds greater prestige and represents a higher level of accomplishment.

The playing surfaces of the four Grand Slam tournaments have changed over time. The Australian Open switched to hard courts only in 1988; before that, it was played on grass. The French Open has always been held on clay courts since 1928 at Roland Garros in Paris. Wimbledon has consistently been played on grass since its inception. The US Open was played on grass from 1881 to 1974, on clay from 1975 to 1977, and changed to hard courts in 1978. Thus, it was only from 1978 onward that the four Grand Slams were truly contested on three distinct surfaces: grass, clay, and hard courts. From this perspective, starting with Agassi’s career Grand Slam in 1999, these achievements represent the true meaning of winning all four majors across all three surfaces.

(Source: Tennis Home, Author: Qicai Doufen)