What the FAQ: What is the calendar grand slam in tennis and why is it special?

The calendar grand slam is a rare feat in tennis when a player wins all the four major tournaments — Australian Open, French Open, Wimbledon and US Open in a single year. These are the four grand slams that are contested every year.

A golden slam is a special type of calendar grand slam that comes once every four years when the Summer Olympics are held and if a player is able to win the gold medal in addition to the four majors.

Can Novak Djokovic win a golden slam this year?

No, Djokovic lost his shot at the golden slam when he lost to Alexander Zverev at the 2020 Summer Olympics at Tokyo earlier this year. But he can still win the calendar slam if he defeats Daniil Medvedev in Sunday's US Open Men's Singles final at the Flushing Meadows in New York.

Who was the last tennis athlete to achieve a calendar slam?

Martina Hingis was the last player to achieve a calendar slam when she won all four grand slam doubles titles with different partners in 1998. The last player to achieve the feat in singles was Steffi Graf in 1988. In fact, she won the golden slam that year as she won the tennis singles gold at the Seoul Summer Olympics as well.

Has anyone managed the feat in men's singles?

Yes. In fact, it has been done three times. It was first done by Don Budge in 1938 when the American won 6 consecutive grand slams over two years. It was then done twice by Rod Laver, first in 1962 and then seven years later in 1969.