US Open Grand Slams

The term 'Grand Slam' allegedly originates from the card game, bridge - the achievement of winning all 13 tricks is known as a 'Grand Slam'. 

The popular term was then hijacked by the world of sports and can mean two things:

  • A major competition that is part of a series is known as a Grand Slam. The Grand Slams of the golfing world include the US Masters, the PGA Championships, the US Open and the British Open. The four major international tennis events, or Grand Slams, are the Australian Open, the French Open, Wimbledon and the US Open
  • The winning of all major events. If a player wins all four Grand Slam events in a single year, they have accomplished a calendar year Grand Slam, however if they win all four events in their career, they have achieve a career Grand Slam.

There are various forms a Grand Slam can take:

  • Calendar Year Grand Slam or The Grand Slam - winning all four Grand Slam events in a single year. No man, since Rod Laver in 1962 and 1969, has ever achieved a career Grand Slam, but Maureen Connolly in 1953, Margaret Court in 1970 and Steffi Graf in 1988 accomplished the coveted calendar year Grand Slam.
  • Non-Calendar Year Grand Slam - winning all four Grand Slam events, but not in a single, calendar year. Steffi Graf and Serena Williams are some of the players to have achieved a non-calendar year Grand Slam.
  • Career Grand Slam - winning all four events at some point in their careers, not necessarily in succession. At the 2003 Australian Open Serena Williams became the 9th woman to have achieved a career Grand Slam. Andre Agassi and Steffi Graf also have career Grand Slams under their belts.
  • Calendar Year Golden Slam - winning all four events and Olympic gold in a single year. Only the great Steffi Graf can boast the achievement of a calendar year Golden Slam.
  • Career Golden Slam - winning Olympic gold and all four Grand Slam events at some point in their career. Andre Agassi accomplished a career Golden Slam in singles and Todd Woodbridge/Mark Woodforde and the Williams sisters in doubles.
  • Small Slam - winning a minimum of three Grand Slam tournaments in a single year. Although he has won the US Open Grand Slam tournament four times in a row now, Roger Federer has never been able to tame the clay at Roland Garros, but he has achieved a Small Slam on more than one occasion.
  • The Career 'Boxed Set' - winning the singles, doubles and mixed doubles at all four Grand Slam events. Only Margaret Court Smith and Martina Navratilova have managed a 'boxed set' in recent years. Serena Williams only has to win the mixed doubles at the French and Australian Opens to achieve her career boxed set.

All time Grand Slam singles titles leaders:

(Does not include players active on tour.)

LONDON, UNITED KINGDOM: Australian tennis player Margaret Court-Smith plays a forehand, 03 July 1970, during the Wimbledon championships in London. Court-Smith won 24 women's singles titles in Grand Slam tournaments, 11 of them in Australia, between 1960 and 1973.(AFP/Getty Images)