Five players to win the Career Golden Slam ft. Novak Djokovic
At the 2024 Paris Olympics, Novak Djokovic became the fifth player in tennis history to win the Career Golden Slam.
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Novak Djokovic looks to the sky after winning gold at 2024 Paris Olympics (via Imago)
For many players, winning a Grand Slam title or reaching World No. 1 is the pinnacle of their career. Some even feel they could retire after achieving these milestones, believing they have accomplished their ultimate goal. However, winning the Career Golden Slam is a completely different level of achievement. In 2024, Novak Djokovic joined this elite category with his historic gold medal win at the Paris Olympics.
The Career Golden Slam is achieved by winning all four Grand Slam titles and an Olympic Singles Gold medal. This rare feat highlights its difficulty, as even legendary players like Roger Federer have fallen short of reaching this milestone.
5) Steffi Graf
Steffi Graf reached the peak of her career in 1988 when she achieved the Career Golden Slam. However, her accomplishment goes beyond just reaching the milestone; it is how she achieved it.
Graf completed the Calendar Year Golden Slam in 1988 by winning all four Grand Slam titles and the Olympic Gold Medal in the same season. The only downside to her 1988 season was her loss at the WTA Finals, where she was upset by Pam Shriver. Remarkably, it was only her third loss of the entire season.
4) Andre Agassi
The fourth on our list is Steffi Graf’s husband, Andre Agassi. The duo has formed one of the most iconic tennis couples ever. However, the American made plenty of headlines outside his personal life for his achievements on the tennis court, reaching immortal heights in 1999.
That year, Agassi won Roland Garros for the first time, making him the first male player to win the Career Golden Slam. Interestingly, he was also the first player to win the Career Super Slam (winning all four Grand Slams, the ATP Finals, and the Olympic Singles Gold medal).
3) Serena Williams
Serena Williams enjoyed arguably the most dominant and longest career in the history of tennis. The American legend won her first Grand Slam title in 1999 and continued to add to her Grand Slam tally all the way until 2017, when she won her 23rd major.
However, she achieved tennis immortality at the 2012 London Olympics by winning the Olympic Singles Gold medal. The American demolished Maria Sharapova in the gold medal match to secure her first singles gold medal. She also has three double gold medals with her sister, Venus Williams.
2) Rafael Nadal
Rafael Nadal became the youngest Career Golden Slam winner in 2010 when he won his first US Open title. The Spaniard, at the age of 24, beat Novak Djokovic in the final at Flushing Meadows to take his Grand Slam tally to nine and achieve immortality at a young age.
Nadal won his Olympic Singles Gold medal at the Beijing Olympics in 2008. The left-hander defeated Djokovic in the semifinals before overcoming Fernando Gonzalez in the gold medal match to capture Gold and strengthen his hold on the World No.1 ranking.
1) Novak Djokovic
Novak Djokovic is arguably the greatest tennis player of all time, with almost all records checked. However, the Serbian found winning the Olympic Singles Gold medal most challenging throughout his career.
His persistence finally paid off at the Paris 2024 Olympics when he beat Carlos Alcaraz to win the one missing piece of silverware in his career. He also joined Andre Agassi as the only two male players to complete the Career Super Slam. Moreover, he is the only player in history to win all Masters 1000 titles, the Davis Cup, Grand Slams, Olympic Singles Gold medal, and the ATP Finals.
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Fahad Hamid
(593 Articles Published)