Has Any Tennis Player Won All Four Majors? The Full List and History

Winning all four Grand Slam tournaments in a single calendar year is one of the most impossible feats in sports. But what about winning them all over the course of a career? That’s called the career Grand Slam. And yes, a handful of tennis players have done it. But not as many as you might think.

The four majors - the Australian Open, the French Open, Wimbledon, and the US Open - are played on three different surfaces: hard, clay, and grass. Each demands a completely different style of play. Winning just one is hard. Winning all four? That takes genius, adaptability, and years of relentless consistency.

Who Has Won All Four Grand Slams?

Only nine players in history have completed the career Grand Slam. Six are men, three are women. And none of them did it without facing legendary rivals, injuries, or long droughts.

The first man to do it was Rod Laver is an Australian tennis player who won all four Grand Slam singles titles across his career, becoming the only player to achieve a calendar-year Grand Slam twice. Also known as The Rocket, he was active from the late 1950s through the 1970s.. He won his first major in 1960 and completed the set in 1962 - the same year he swept all four in a single calendar year. He did it again in 1969, after returning from professional tennis. No one else has matched that.

The next man to join the club was Roy Emerson is an Australian tennis player who won 12 Grand Slam singles titles and completed the career Grand Slam by winning the French Open in 1967. Also known as The Emo, he was dominant in the 1960s.. He won his final major - the French Open - in 1967, making him the second man to complete the set. Unlike Laver, he never won a calendar-year Slam.

Then came Bjorn Borg is a Swedish tennis player who won 11 Grand Slam singles titles, including six consecutive Wimbledon titles and six French Open titles, completing his career Grand Slam in 1979. Also known as The Ice Man, he retired at age 26.. Borg won Wimbledon six times in a row and the French Open five times. He completed his career Grand Slam in 1979 by finally winning the US Open - his only title there.

Martin Clijsters is a Belgian tennis player who won 12 Grand Slam singles titles and completed the career Grand Slam by winning the Australian Open in 2004. Also known as Clijsters, she was a top player in the 2000s. - wait, no. That’s wrong. Let me correct that.

Actually, the third woman to complete the career Grand Slam was Steffi Graf is a German tennis player who won 22 Grand Slam singles titles and completed the career Grand Slam in 1988, the same year she won the Golden Slam. Also known as The Queen of Clay, she was dominant in the late 1980s and early 1990s.. She didn’t just win all four - she won them all in the same year, 1988, and added the Olympic gold medal to make it a Golden Slam. No one has done that since.

Here’s the full list of men who’ve done it:

• Rod Laver - completed in 1962 (won all four in 1962 and again in 1969)
• Roy Emerson - completed in 1967
• Bjorn Borg - completed in 1979
• Mats Wilander - completed in 1988
• Andre Agassi - completed in 1999
• Roger Federer - completed in 2009

And here are the women:

• Maureen Connolly - completed in 1953
• Donna Vekić - completed in 1997
• Steffi Graf - completed in 1988

Wait - correction again. Donna Vekić never won a Grand Slam singles title. That was a mistake. Let me fix it.

Here’s the correct list of women:

• Maureen Connolly - completed in 1953 (first woman ever)
• Billie Jean King - completed in 1972
• Steffi Graf - completed in 1988

That’s right. Only three women have ever done it. And Graf is the only one to complete it in a single year.

Why Is It So Hard to Win All Four?

Each Grand Slam is a different animal.

The Australian Open is played on hard courts in scorching heat. Players need explosive movement and endurance. It’s often won by aggressive baseliners - think Novak Djokovic or Serena Williams.

The French Open is on red clay. The ball slows down, rallies get longer, and physical stamina matters more than power. It’s the toughest surface to master. Many greats - like Pete Sampras and John McEnroe - never won it.

Wimbledon is grass. Fast, slippery, low bounces. Serve-and-volley was king here for decades. Even today, players need precision, instinct, and nerves. Roger Federer won it eight times. Only he and Pete Sampras have won more than five.

The US Open is hard court too, but faster than Melbourne. The crowd is loud, the pressure is high, and the conditions can change from day to day. Many players win here, but struggle elsewhere.

So to win all four? You need to be a clay-court grinder, a grass-court tactician, and a hard-court powerhouse - all at once. That’s why only nine players have ever done it.

Who Almost Made It?

Some of the greatest players in history never completed the career Grand Slam.

Pete Sampras won seven Wimbledons and two US Opens. But he never won the French Open. He lost in the semifinals three times. He said later, "I just didn’t have the game for clay."

John McEnroe won three Wimbledons and one US Open. He never made it past the semifinals in Paris. His serve-and-volley style didn’t work on clay.

Novak Djokovic had won 19 majors by 2023. He had all four - but he didn’t complete the set until 2016, when he finally won the French Open. He’d lost in the final three times before that. Even he needed seven tries.

Stefanos Tsitsipas, Carlos Alcaraz, and Jannik Sinner are all in their early 20s. They’ve won at least one major. But they’ve never reached the final in all four. It’s still too early - but the odds are against them.

What About the Calendar-Year Grand Slam?

Winning all four in one year? That’s even rarer.

Only two players have done it:

• Maureen Connolly - 1953 (women)
• Rod Laver - 1962 and 1969 (men)
• Steffi Graf - 1988 (women)

Connolly was just 18 when she did it. Laver did it twice - once as an amateur, once as a pro. Graf did it in 1988 and added the Olympic gold to make it a Golden Slam. No one else has come close.

Since 1988, no player - man or woman - has won even three majors in a single year. Not Djokovic. Not Federer. Not Serena. Not Nadal.

Can Anyone Do It Today?

Right now, the players with the best shot are:

• Novak Djokovic - already has all four. He completed it in 2016. He’s the only active player with a career Grand Slam.
• Rafael Nadal - won 14 French Opens. He’s missing Wimbledon and the US Open. He hasn’t won a major since 2020.
• Carlos Alcaraz - won the US Open in 2023. He’s won on hard and clay. He’s never played Wimbledon. He’s 21. He might.
• Jannik Sinner - won the Australian Open in 2024. He’s young, strong, and consistent. He’s never played clay at a high level. He’s 23. He could.
• Iga Świątek - won the French Open four times. She’s won the US Open and the Australian Open. She’s never won Wimbledon. She’s 23. She’s the favorite to be the next.

Świątek has a real chance. She’s the only active player - man or woman - who’s won three majors and is still improving. She’s got the game, the focus, and the hunger. Wimbledon is her last missing piece.

Final Thoughts

Winning all four majors isn’t just about talent. It’s about timing, health, and luck. You need to be at your peak when the clay, grass, and hard courts align. You need to beat legends on their best days. You need to survive injuries, slumps, and pressure.

Only nine people have done it. That’s fewer than the number of U.S. Presidents. It’s rarer than a perfect game in baseball or a 147 break in snooker.

So when someone says, "Has anyone ever won all four majors?" - the answer isn’t just yes. It’s: only nine. And that’s why it still stands as one of tennis’s greatest achievements.