“If Djokovic, Federer & Nadal couldn’t manage it, don’t see anyone” – Fans debate the possibility of seeing the Calendar Slam achievement in future

Recently, fans of the tennis world took to social media to discuss whether an active player could accomplish the impressive feat of winning a Calendar Slam. The last time this accomplishment was seen was in the 1988 season, when Steffi Graf achieved it.

Winning a Calendar Slam is an immense feat for any tennis player. It requires triumphing in all four Majors within a single year, competing on various surfaces while maintaining a high level of physical fitness, and conquering mental exhaustion by the time the US Open takes place in the latter half of the season.

The rarity of this accomplishment, which has only occurred three times since the Open Era began in 1968, emphasizes the difficulties and obstacles that a player must overcome to achieve it. These three players who have successfully completed a Calendar Slam in the Open Era are Rod Laver (1969), Margaret Court (1970), and Steffi Graf (1988).

A fan recently posed a question on Reddit, sparking speculation about the possibility of a player achieving the highly sought-after Calendar Slam.

“Do you think that we will see this extremely rare feat being achieved in our lifetime?”the fan posted.

The only 3 players to win the Calendar Slam in the Open era, do you think that we will see this extremely rare feat being achieved in our lifetime? byu/squeezito intennis

There was a general agreement among fans that even if the Big Three, consisting of Federer, Nadal, and Djokovic, were unable to accomplish it, the chances of a player achieving a Calendar Slam in the future were low.

“If Novak roger and Rafa couldn’t manage it I don’t see anyone managing it in the future,”one fan replied.

Comment byu/squeezito from discussionin tennis

A different supporter pointed out that winning both the Wimbledon and French Open in succession presents a technical difficulty for players, since the two tournaments are held in close proximity. As a result, players have less time to adapt their playing styles to the different surfaces of clay and grass.

“The French Open -> Wimbledon duo is really, really hard”

Comment byu/squeezito from discussionin tennis

It was also noted by fans that a player must possess incredible talent and be relatively young to achieve a Calendar Slam. Even for experienced players like Novak Djokovic and Serena Williams, achieving a Calendar Slam in the later stages of their career is a challenging feat.

“By the time you’re older, its sooo much pressure, that it really is too much. Novak and Serena are great examples.”

Comment byu/squeezito from discussionin tennis

Additional responses from fans include:

Comment byu/squeezito from discussionin tennis

Nadal breaks Djokovic’s record for most Grand Slam titles in 2023

Day Fourteen: The Championships - Wimbledon 2023 — Day Fourteen: The Championships – Wimbledon 2023

Despite being vocal about his aspirations, Novak Djokovic has yet to achieve his goal of winning a Calendar Slam. Additionally, he holds a strong desire to win a gold medal for his country at the Olympics, completing a Golden Slam for the year. Unfortunately, in 2024, Djokovic’s ambitions were not fulfilled as he was defeated by Jannik Sinner in the semi-finals of the Australian Open.

Yet, despite his impressive performance, Djokovic fell just short of achieving a Calendar Slam during the 2023 season. He reached the finals of all four Majors but ultimately lost to Carlos Alcaraz in the Wimbledon final, after an intense five-set match that lasted almost five hours.

Despite his strong performance in 2021, Djokovic narrowly missed out on achieving a Calendar Slam. He was defeated by Daniil Medvedev in the US Open final, just one match away from making history.