Rod Laver’s Calendar Grand Slam: What Does It Mean In Today’s Game?

By
at Internationaled.org

Published: October 14, 2010

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The history of any sport is filled with magical moments and hallowed records.  Baseball has the home run record and Ted Williams' 56-game hitting streak.  The Chicago Bulls' 72-10 record is the standard teams strike for every season in basketball. American football has the Miami Dolphins' 1972 perfect season and the Pittsburgh Steelers' record six Super Bowl titles.  There are more, but these are some of the highlights.

Tennis, like any of these sports is no different.  It has it's share of hallowed records too.  Of course there is Roger Federer's record 16 Grand Slam record, but there are others.

One of it's most hallowed records is Rod Laver's calendar Grand Slam in 1969.  To win all four major slam tournaments in a single year is something players have been trying to duplicate for the last four decades, but without any success.  Some have come close.  Federer has nearly done it twice by winning the Australian Open, Wimbledon and U.S. Open, but lost in the finals of Roland Garros to Rafael Nadal.

The most recent attempt was by Rafael Nadal who became the first man to win three consecutive slams in a calendar year since Laver's magical season.  Nadal won Roland Garros, Wimbledon and the U.S. Open, but failed to win the Australian Open. What he did though was win on three different surfaces which is something that is becoming increasingly difficult.

But what does Laver's Grand Slam mean today? What does it mean when there have been drastic changes to court surfaces over the years?  Back in 1969, three of the four surfaces were played on grass which heavily favored a serve and volley player of Laver's caliber. 

These days there are three distinct surfaces.  The clay of Roland Garros, the grass of Wimbledon, and the hard courts of both the Australian Open and the U.S. Open.  Even the two hard court surfaces are different enough that they each h...
Article Source: Bleacher Report - Tennis

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