Definition and History of the Grand Slam - The Grand Slam is the expression used to describe the achievement of winning the four major tennis championships - Australian Open, French Open, Wimbledon and US Open - in the same calendar year.
The term Grand Slam was first employed by New York journalist John Kieran to describe Australian Jack Crawford's attempts in 1933 to capture all four titles. However, the Grand Slam was actually achieved first in 1938 by American Donald Budge.
Great Britain's Fred Perry was the first player to have won all four tournaments, but not in a calendar year. He held the US singles title in 1933, 1934 and 1936, and the Wimbledon title in 1934, 1935 and 1936. He claimed the Australian title in 1934 and the French title in 1935.
Since Donald Budge, four players have captured the Grand Slam: Maureen Connolly (1953), Rod Laver as an amateur (1962) and as a professional (1969), Margaret Court (1971) and Steffi Graf (1988). In doubles, the only pairs to achieve this feat are Frank Sedgman and Ken McGregor (1951), and in mixed doubles Margaret Smith Court and Ken Fletcher won the Grand Slam (1963).
The tournament was first played in 1905 as The Australasian Championships, became the Australian Championships in 1927 and the Australian Open in 1969. Since 1905, The Championships have been staged at six different venues as follows: Melbourne [55 times], Sydney [17 times] Adelaide [14 times], Brisbane [eight times], Perth [three times] and New Zealand [twice] in 1906 & 1912.
In 1972, it was decided to stage the Tournament in the one city each year, as opposed to visiting various states across the nation, and the Kooyong Lawn Tennis Club was selected due to Melbourne attracting the biggest patronage.
Melbourne Park (formerly Flinders Park) was constructed in time for the 1988 Open to meet the demands of the evolving tournament that had outgrown Kooyong's capacity. The move to Flinders Park was an immediate success, with a 90 per cent increase in attendance in 1988 (266,436) on the previous year at Kooyong (140,000).
Trophies are presented to all winners of the major events. The men's champion receives the Norman Brookes Challenge Cup; the women's champion the Daphne Akhurst Memorial Cup.
Wilson supplies more than 4000 dozen tennis balls for use during the tournament. Six new balls are used for the five-minute warm-up and the first seven games and six new balls are provided every nine games thereafter. Used balls are sold on site.
Prior to the 2000 tournament, the centre court was christened Rod Laver Arena.
The $65-million development of Vodafone Arena was one of the most significant advancements in the Open's history. The tournament could now boast claim to a second state-of-the-art facility. The highlight of both stadiums is the presence of a retractable roof. This feature ensures that play can continue irrespective of inclement weather.
The retractable roof has been such a hit in the world of tennis that Wimbledon is now following our lead, with the Centre Court undergoing a radical re-development, including the installation of a similar roof. The tournament, which has so often plagued by poor weather, has taken a leaf out of our bookin attempt to array the fears of organisers.
Current Grand Slam venues: Australian Open - Melbourne Park, MELBOURNE French Open - Stade Roland Garros, PARIS Wimbledon Championships - Wimbledon, LONDON US Open - Flushing Meadows, NEW YORK
RECORDS
Youngest Champions
Men's singles: Ken Rosewall (18 years, 2 months) in 1953
Women's singles: Martina Hingis (16 years, 3 months) in 1997
Men's doubles: Lew Hoad (18 years, 2 months) in 1953
Women's doubles: Mirjana Lucic (15 years, 10 months) in 1998
Mixed doubles: Venus Williams (17 years, 7 months) in 1998
Oldest Champions
Men's singles: Ken Rosewall (37 years, 2 months) in 1972
Women's singles: Thelma Long (35 years, 8 months) in 1954
Men's doubles: Norman Brookes (46 years, 2 months) in 1924
Women's doubles: Thelma Long (37 years, 7 months) in 1956
Most successive singles
Men: Roy Emerson (5) 1963-1967
Women: Margaret Smith (7) 1960-1966
Most successive doubles
Men: Adrian Quist (10) 1935-1950
Women: Martina Navratilova / Pam Shriver (7) 1983-1989
Triple titles (singles, doubles, mixed doubles)
Men: John Hawkes 1926; Jean Borotra 1928; Jack Crawford 1932.
Women: Daphne Akhurst 1925 / 1928 / 1929; Nancye Wynne Bolton 1940/1947/1948; Thelma Long 1952; Margaret Smith 1963
Junior and Senior Champions (singles champions who previously won junior singles title)
Men: Jack Crawford, Vivian McGrath, Adrian Quist, John Bromwich, Dinny Pails, Frank Sedgman, Ken McGregor, Ken Rosewall, Lew Hoad, Rod Laver, John Newcombe, Stefan Edberg.
Women: Joan Hartigan, Emily Westacott, Thelma Long, Beryl Penrose, Mary Carter-Reitano, Kerry Reid, Evonne Cawley, Chris O'Neil.
Left-handed Singles Champions
Men: Horace Rice (1907), Norman Brookes (1911), John Hawkes (1926),Mervyn Rose (1954), Rod Laver (1960 / 1962 / 1969), Jimmy Connors (1974), Guillermo Vilas (Dec. 1978 / 1979), Roscoe Tanner (1977), Petr Korda (1998), Rafael Nadal (2009).
Men: (6-0 6-0 6-0) Recorded by six men - James Anderson (first round 1925), Fred Perry (quarter final 1935), John Bromwich (first round 1949), Neale Fraser (first round 1953), Martin Mulligan (first round 1960), Richard Russell (first round 1966)
Women: (6-0 6-0) Recorded by 20 women, including four in 1998 (Mary Pierce achieving the feat twice) and three in 2004 (Kim Clijsters, Claudine Schaul and Justine Henin-Hardenne) Margaret Court achieved the feat four times and Wendy Turnbull three times. Francesca Schiavone def. Maria Sanchez-Lorenzo (2006), Clijsters defeated Vasilisa Bardina (2007), Vera Zvonareva def. Edina Gallovits (2009), Dominika Cibulkova def. Chanelle Scheepers (2009), Maria Jose Martinez Sanchez def. Evgeniya Rodina (2010), Marion Bartoli def. Tathiana Garbin (2011), Kim Clijsters def. Dinara Safina (2011).
Unseeded Champions
Men: Mark Edmondson (1976)
Women: Chris O'Neil (1978), Venus Williams (2007)
Champions Abroad but not at Home (Seven former Australian players who won Grand Slam singles titlesoverseas but failed to capture their native crown)
Neale Fraser: three-times Australian runner-up (Wimbledon and US champion) Fred Stolle: twice Australian runner-up (French and US champion) Mal Anderson: twice Australian runner-up (US champion) Tony Roche: Australian semi finalist (French champion) Lesley Turner Bowrey: twice Australian runner-up (French champion) Pat Cash: twice Australian runner-up (Wimbledon champion) Pat Rafter: Australian semi finalist (US champion)
Oddity
John Newcombe won three Wimbledon titles and one US crown before winning the Australian Open at Melbourne in 1973
Rhys Gemmell (1921 men's singles champion) is the only Australian-born champion not to have played Davis Cup for his country
The 1998 Australian Open saw two of the five senior titles won by wildcards - Martina Hingis / Mirjana Lucic in the women's doubles and Justin Gimelstob / Venus Williams in the mixed doubles
Most number of Games in Final
Men's singles: 71 games: Gerald Patterson d. John Hawkes 3-6 6-4 3-618-16 6-3 in 1927 (Melbourne)
Mixed doubles: 45 games: Jack Crawford / Marjorie Cox Crawford d.Ellsworth Vines / Margorie Van Ryn 3-6 7-5 13-11 in 1933 (Melbourne)
Least Number of Games in Final
Men's singles: 23 games: Pat O'Hara Wood d. CB St John 6-1 6-1 6-3 in1923 (Brisbane); John Hawkes d. Jim Willard 6-1 6-3 6-1 in 1926
Women's singles: 14 games: Margaret Smith d. Jan Lehane 6-0 6-2 in 1962(Sydney); Steffi Graf d. Arantxa Sanchez-Vicario 6-0 6-2 in 1994(Melbourne)
Men's doubles: 19 games: Bob Bryan / Mike Bryan d. Mahesh Bhupathi / LeanderPaes, 6-3, 6-4 in Jan. 2011 (Melbourne)
Women's doubles: 12 games: Margaret Court / Evonne Goolagong d. LesleyHunt / Joy Emerson 6-0 6-0 in 1971 (Sydney)
Most Number of Titles
Men
Years
S
D
M
T
Adrian Quist
1936-1950
3
10
0
13
Jack Crawford
1929-1935
4
4
3
11
John Bromwich
1938-1950
2
8
1
11
Roy Emerson
1961-1969
6
3
0
9
John Newcombe
1965-1976
2
5
1*
8
Women
Years
S
D
M
T
Margaret Court
1960-1973
11
8
3*
21
Nancye Wynne Bolton
1926-1951
6
10
4
20
Thelma Long
1936-1958
2
12
4
18
Daphne Akhurst
1924-1930
5
4
4
13
Martina Navratilova
1975-2003
3
8
1
12
Evonne Cawley
1971-1983
4
5
0
9
Serena Williams
1998-2010
5
4
0
9
(* includes one shared title)
Winning Countries - Singles Titles
Country
Men
Women
Australia
50
43
USA
17
22
Sweden
7
0
Great Britain
5
3
Switzerland
3
3
Czech Republic
3
2 - Includes Czechoslovakia
New Zealand
2
0
Argentina
2
0
Germany
2
4
South Africa
2
0
Russia
2
1
Serbia
2
0
France
1
2
Spain
1
0
Belgium
0
2
Yugoslavia
0
3
Performance of Top Seeds
The Tournament went Open for the first time in 1969, so it is worth noting the performance of the top seeds since then: (NB: No tournament was held in 1986, due to the switch of the Tournament from December to January).
Year
Men's Singles
1969
Rod Laver won
1970
Tony Roche lost QF to Roger Taylor
1971
Rod Laver lost 3R to Mark Cox
1972
John Newcombe lost QF to Mal Anderson
1973
Ken Rosewall lost 2R to Karl Meiler
1974
John Newcombe to QF to Ross Case
1975
Jimmy Connors lost F to John Newcombe
1976
Ken Rosewall lost SF to Mark Edmondson
1977
Guillermo Vilas lost F to Roscoe Tanner
1978
Vitas Gerulaitis won
1978
Guillermo Vilas won
1979
Guillermo Vilas won
1980
Guillermo Vilas lost QF to Kim Warwick
1981
Guillermo Vilas lost 3R to Hank Pfister
1982
Johan Kriek won
1983
Ivan Lendl lost F to Mats Wilander
1984
Ivan Lendl lost 4R to Kevin Curren
1985
Ivan Lendl lost SF to Stefan Edberg
1987
Ivan Lendl lost SF to Pat Cash
1988
Ivan Lendl lost SF to Pat Cash
1989
Mats Wilander lost 2R to Ramesh Krishnan
1990
Ivan Lendl won
1991
Stefan Edberg lost SF to Ivan Lendl
1992
Stefan Edberg lost F to Jim Courier
1993
Jim Courier won
1994
Pete Sampras won
1995
Pete Sampras lost F to Andre Agassi
1996
Pete Sampras lost 3R to Mark Philippoussis
1997
Pete Sampras won
1998
Pete Sampras lost QF to Karol Kucera
1999
Marcelo Rios withdrew prior to the start of the tournament (injury)
2000
Andre Agassi won
2001
Gustavo Kuerten lost 2R to Greg Rusedski
2002
Lleyton Hewitt lost 1R to Alberto Martin
2003
Lleyton Hewitt lost 4R to Younes El Aynaoui
2004
Andy Roddick lost SF to Marat Safin
2005
Roger Federer lost SF to Marat Safin
2006
Roger Federer won
2007
Roger Federer won
2008
Roger Federer lost SF to Novak Djokovic
2009
Rafael Nadal won
2010
Roger Federer won
2011
Rafael Nadal lost QF to David Ferrer
Year
Women's Singles
1969
Billie Jean King lost F to Margaret Smith Court
1970
Margaret Smith Court won
1971
Margaret Smith Court won
1972
Evonne Goolagong lost F to Virginia Wade
1973
Margaret Smith Court won
1974
Chris Evert lost F to Evonne Goolagong
1975
Margaret Smith Court lost QF to Martina Navratilova
1976
Evonne Cawley won
1977
Dianne Fromholtz lost F to Kerry Reid
1978
Evonne Cawley won
1978
Sue Barker lost QF to Diane Evers
1979
Virginia Ruzici lost 1R to Mary Sawyer
1980
Martina Navratilova lost SF to Wendy Turnbull
1981
Chris Evert lost F to Martina Navratilova
1982
Martina Navratilova lost F to Chris Evert
1983
Martina Navratilova won
1984
Martina Navratilova lost SF to Helena Sukova
1985
Chris Evert lost F to Martina Navratilova
1987
Martina Navratilova lost F to Hana Mandlikova
1988
Steffi Graf won
1989
Steffi Graf won
1990
Steffi Graf won
1991
Steffi Graf lost QF to Jana Novotna
1992
Monica Seles won
1993
Monica Seles won
1994
Steffi Graf won
1995
Arantxa Sanchez-Vicario lost F to Mary Pierce
1996
Monica Seles won
1997
Steffi Graf lost 4R to Amanda Coetzer
1998
Martina Hingis won
1999
Lindsay Davenport lost SF to Amelie Mauresmo
2000
Martina Hingis lost F to Lindsay Davenport
2001
Martina Hingis lost F to Jennifer Capriati
2002
Jennifer Capriati won
2003
Serena Williams won
2004
Justine Henin-Hardenne won
2005
Lindsay Davenport lost F to Serena Williams
2006
Lindsay Davenport lost QF to Justine Henin-Hardenne
2007
Maria Sharapova lost F to Serena Williams
2008
Justine Henin lost QF to Maria Sharapova
2009
Jelena Jankovic lost 4R to Marion Bartoli
2010
Serena Williams won
2011
Caroline Wozniacki lost SF Lia Na
Championships won from Match Point Down
Margaret Molesworth survived a match point at 5-6 in final set of semifinal against Sylvia Lance
Gerald Patterson saved four match points at 12-13 and one at 15-16 in fourth set before beating John Hawkes in final Dinny Pails saved a match point at 5-6 in fifth set against John Bromwich in finals
Mary Carter survived a match point in defeating Thelma Long in final Rod Laver at 4-5 in fourth set saved a match point to defeat Neale Fraser in final
John Newcombe defeated Tony Roche in semifinal after Roche held two match points at 5-2 and one more at 8-7; Newcombe defeated Jimmy Connors in the final
Johan Kriek survived match point in semifinal against Paul McNamee at 3-5 in fifth set before going on to defeat Steve Denton in final
Stefan Edberg saved two match points in the fourth round against Wally Masur before defeating Mats Wilander in final
Monica Seles defeated Mary Joe Fernandez in semifinal after saving a match point at 5-6 30-40 in third set; Seles defeated Jana Novotna in the final
Jennifer Capriati saved three match points in the final against Martina Hingis and then went on to claim the women's singles title
Longest Singles Match
Number of games: 93 games: In 1970 Dennis Ralston d. John Newcombe in QF 19-17 20-18 4-6 6-3 in a match lasting 281 minutes Duration: 314 minutes: Rafael Nadal d. Fernando Verdasco in semifinals 6-7 6-4 7-6 6-7 6-4 in 2009
Longest Doubles Match
Duration: 329 minutes: In 1990 Pieter Aldrich / Danie Visser d. ScottDavis / Robert Van't Hof 6-4 4-6 7-6 4-6 23-21, the deciding set lasting173 minutes
Most Dominant Male Champion
Tony Wilding, in winning the 1909 title in Perth won 73 games andconceded only 11 in recording four straight sets victories
Champions without loss of a set
Men: Tony Wilding (1909), Rodney Heath (1910), Pat O'Hara Wood (1923),Donald Budge (1938), John Bromwich (1939), Roy Emerson (1964), KenRosewall (1971), Roger Federer (2007)
Women: Margaret Molesworth (1922), Daphne Akhurst (1926, 1928), CoralButtsworth (1932), Joan Hartigan (1934, 1936), Dorothy Bundy (1938),Emily Westacott (1939), Nancye Bolton (1946, 1947, 1948, 1951), MaureenConnolly (153), Thelma Long (1954), Shirley Fry (1957), Angela Mortimer(1958), Mary Carter-Reitano (1959), Margaret Court (1961, 1962, 1963,1964, 1966, 1970, 1973), Nancy Richey (1967), Billie Jean King (1968),Virginia Wade (1972), Evonne Goolagong Cawley (1975, 1976, Dec. 1977),Chris O'Neil (1978), Steffi Graf (1988, 1989, 1994), Martina Hingis(1997), Lindsay Davenport (2000), Maria Sharapova (2008)
