What Makes a Slam?
There seem to be several “versions” of the Grand Slam, i.e. winning the Australian Open, French Open, Wimbledon and U.S. Open in the same year. Decades ago, Rod Laver won two Grand Slams, but yet three of the four Slams were on the same surface, i.e. grass. Today, a player must win on three different surfaces and maybe four depending on how differently the hard courts play at the Australian and U.S. Opens. With all
due respect to Rod Laver, winning a Grand Slam as Steffi Graf did in the 80s on multiple surfaces seems even more impressive. At the same time, players such as Serena Williams who won all four Grand Slam titles in a row, i.e. the “Serena Slam,” have accomplished something maybe even more difficult than winning four Slams in the same year when three of the four are on the same surface. Then there is also Andre Agassi who won titles at all four Grand Slams during his career, which is a rare, but different “Career Slam.” The bottom line is that winning titles against the very best players in the world on different surfaces is an accomplishment that few great champions can say that they have ever done. Will Roger Federer achieve this during his career?
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