The Golden Slam is a dream of every pro tennis player. Only 13 tennis players of all time have managed to earn the title. Recently, another great tennis star, Novak Djokovic, won the last piece to his puzzle at the 2024 Paris Olympics.
The Golden Slam is a string of major tennis competitions that include titles at the French Open, Australian Open, U.S. Open, Wimbledon, and the Olympics. Let’s dig deeper into each Grand Slam he won to achieve the fabled Golden Slam title.
The French Open is the first key to unlocking the Golden Slam. The French Open is a very prestigious event held for two weeks in May. It brings the best talent together from around the globe. There are different types of tennis courts, but in this competition, the matches are played on a clay court. In 2024, the French Open winner was Novak Djokovic. What might surprise you is that he has won the French Open a staggering three times! This year is the most recent one. Still, it is a huge accomplishment to win that event. As Novak said, “It was extremely challenging both physically, mentally, and emotionally.” A star tennis player noted that it was still a struggle, but he managed to pull it off again.
Next up is the Australian Open. This event is held for two weeks in January. The highest-attended Grand Slam is the Australian Open, which attracts more than 900,000 people. Novak’s latest win in this competition was in 2019. He won in straight sets, giving the crowd an amazing show to watch. Topping his remarkable accomplishment at the French Open, Novak has won 10 Australian Open titles throughout his decorated career.
The U.S. Open is another major Grand Slam event attracting people from around the world, whether in person or on TV, at the end of August annually. This is one of the oldest Grand Slams to date, starting in 1895. This is Novak’s strongest tournament by far, as he has won it a whopping four times over the past 13 years. His accomplishments have left many players in tears as he shattered their dreams of winning that Grand Slam. Just a few days ago, he was playing in this tournament but ended up losing in the third round to a newer player in the tennis world with amazing talent, as the new generation is bringing.
Another Grand Slam, Wimbledon, is considered the most prestigious Grand Slam championship of them all. Held in England on grass courts, it takes incredible skill to play on and keep track of the ball. Novak has taken home the title in this event seven times, also being runner-up multiple times. He is considered the best grass court player in the history of the sport, outplaying Rafael Nadal, Roger Federer, and other great tennis stars. His most recent win was in 2022, and as of this year, he was runner-up, still a great accomplishment that brought home a pretty penny.
Lastly, what we come here to talk about is not considered a Grand Slam, but the key part and hardest of them all to complete the Golden Slam is the Olympics. Held once every four years, getting the chance to play is very rare, let alone win, making it a true tennis accomplishment. This is where Novak struggled most to win. He has held multiple wins in every other major event but had never won this one before 2024. Then this year, while playing Carlos Alcaraz, who just recently beat Novak at Wimbledon, Novak came to the Olympics with one thing on his mind. Nothing was going to stop him, not even his age or a recent knee injury he sustained. He did what he went there to do. He brought the crowd to their feet, giving them what they came for: a close and very intense match. Novak pulled away in the end and won gold. He broke down in emotion after winning, having just completed his life’s dream goal and every tennis player’s biggest dream: completing the Golden Slam. He immediately joined his team and family to enjoy the moment, as he had just accomplished one of the hardest feats in tennis history.
