What Is a Career Grand Slam In Tennis?

Every professional tennis player dreams of reaching the pinnacle of the sport. That opportunity comes four times a year, when the Grand Slam tennis tournaments are played.

Those four tournaments, for the uninitiated, are the Australian Open, the French Open, Wimbledon, and the U.S. Open.

Most players spend their whole careers hoping to win one of the four just once. But for a special, historically elite group of players, there’s an additional achievement to unlock: The Career Slam.

What Is a Career Grand Slam?

A Career Slam, or Career Grand Slam, is when a player successfully wins all four of the Grand Slam tournaments at least one time.

The challenge of this, beyond the obvious competitive factors, is that the four tournaments are totally different. The Australian Open and Wimbledon are fast-paced courts, while the French Open and U.S. Open are slower. A specialized skill set that makes a player great in one spot may make them worse in another.

Players must master different strategies and styles to achieve a Career Slam. It’s common in tennis to see players who thrive on the Parisian dirt but melt a month later on Wimbledon’s London lawn. Or, vice versa.

Carlos Alcaraz is the only player you’ll find in current tennis betting markets – everyone else with a completed Career Slam is retired. 

In total, there are 11 players who have completed their career slam since the Open Era began in 1968. 

Players With a Successful Career Grand Slam

Active Players Close to Completing Their Career Grand Slam

• Jannik Sinner (Needs French Open)
• Stan Wawrinka (Needs Wimbledon)
• Iga Swiatek (Needs Australian Open)
• Aryna Sabalenka (Needs Australian Open and Wimbledon)