Novak Djokovic recently reached the pinnacle of his extraordinary tennis career by securing the gold medal at the 2024 Paris Olympics. This victory made the Serb the latest player to accomplish a Career Golden Slam (singles).
A Career Golden Slam is defined as winning all four Grand Slam titles and an Olympic gold medal at least once. Achieving this milestone is one of the toughest challenges in tennis. Even legendary players like Roger Federer, Martina Navratilova, Boris Becker, and Venus Williams couldn’t attain it.
Let’s have a look at the five players who have completed the Career Golden Slam
1. Novak Djokovic
With his gold medal at the 2024 Paris Olympics, Novak Djokovic is the newest member of this elite group. Djokovic’s journey towards the Career Golden Slam began with his triumph at the 2008 Australian Open. He added Wimbledon and the US Open to his collection in 2011. However, it wasn’t until 2016 that he claimed his first Roland Garros title, completing his Career Slam.
For years, an Olympic gold was the missing piece in Djokovic’s Golden Slam quest. But he finally captured it in Paris. As the top seed, the 37-year-old dominated the tournament without dropping a set. In the final, he faced second seed Carlos Alcaraz and won in two tiebreakers to achieve his lifelong dream.
2. Serena Williams
Serena Williams became the fourth player to achieve a Career Golden Slam when she defeated Maria Sharapova at the 2012 London Olympics to win her only singles gold medal. Williams claimed her first title at the 2003 Australian Open, followed by the French Open and Wimbledon Championships in 2002, and the US Open in 1999.
Notably, Serena is the only player to have a Career Golden Slam in both singles and doubles. She won three doubles gold medals with her sister Venus at the Sydney 2000, Beijing 2008, and London 2012 Olympics. The Williams sisters also captured 14 doubles Grand Slam titles together.
3. Rafael Nadal
Rafael Nadal holds the distinction of being the youngest player to complete a Career Golden Slam. The Spaniard began his journey with a victory at the 2005 French Open, followed by his win at the 2008 Wimbledon Championships and then claimed the singles gold at the 2008 Beijing Olympics.
Nadal added the Australian Open to his achievements in 2009 and completed the Career Golden Slam at just 24 years old by defeating Djokovic in the 2010 US Open final.
4. Andre Agassi
Andre Agassi was the first male player to complete a Career Golden Slam. He achieved this remarkable feat after winning his only French Open title in 1999. Agassi’s Grand Slam victories include the 1995 Australian Open, the 1992 Wimbledon, and the 1994 US Open.
Agassi made his country proud at the 1996 Atlanta Olympics, where he won the singles gold medal as the top seed by defeating Spain’s Sergi Bruguera. He remains the only American man to win an Olympic singles gold.
5. Steffi Graf
Steffi Graf was the pioneer of the Career Golden Slam. The German legend achieved this by winning all five major tournaments in her historic 1988 season, making her the only player to accomplish a Calendar Career Golden Slam. In that remarkable year, she defeated Chris Evert at the Australian Open, Natasha Zvereva at Roland Garros, Martina Navratilova at Wimbledon, and Gabriela Sabatini at the US Open.
Graf went on to win her only Olympic gold at the 1988 Seoul Olympics, again defeating Sabatini in straight sets. She also claimed a silver medal at the 1992 Barcelona Olympics.
This version retains the same structure and narrative style while ensuring clarity and ease of understanding.
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