Tennis Players To Win Grand Slam Without Dropping A Set

Tennis is a game with a rich history, producing some of the iconic moments in the world of sports. Some of the tennis players to grace the court have gone on to become legendary sports persons. 

The sport of tennis has produced some exclusive achievements. One among them is winning a grand slam by dropping a single set.  Let us have a look at players who won grand slam without dropping a set. 

1. Rafael Nadal (French Open 2008, 2010, 2017, 2020)  

Rafael Nadal won the first slam without dropping a set in the French Open in 2008, and replicated the feat in 2010, 2017 & 2020, enroute to becoming the undisputed King of Clay court.   

Also, an astonishing record was achieved in the men’s singles, where the fewest games lost in a Slam event by a player in the modern era (all best-of-5 matches) was Bjorn Borg with 32 in the 1978 French Open. Nadal outdid this feat in the 2017 French Open with 35 matches unbeaten.

2. Bjorn Borg (1976 Wimbledon & 1978,1980 French Open)

Bjorn Borg became the second player after Illie Nastae in the Open Era to win a Grand Slam without opening a set.  His first such feat came when he won the 1976  Wimbledon title. 

Borg created history at the 1978 French Open where the record of only losing 32 games still stands on route to winning the Championship. He repeated the feat again in 1980, although he dropped 21 games this time. He dominated the tennis scene in the 1970s & 80s.

3. Roger Federer (2007 Australian Open &  2017 Wimbledon) 

The other great player in the modern era to have won a Grand Slam without dropping a single set is the legendary Roger Federer, who did it twice, in 2007 at the Australian Open and ten years later in 2017. 

The Swiss is the only tennis player in tennis history to have won both junior & senior Wimbledon singles titles without dropping a set. Roger Federer won his lone Wimbledon junior singles title in 1998 while his eighth singles title in 2017 without dropping a single set.

4. Ken Rosewall (1072 Australian Open) 

Ken Rosewall won a grand slam at 1972 Australian without dropping a set with a victory over Mal Anderson. With this feat he also became the oldest player to win a grand slam. 

Roger Federer came closest to his age (7 months younger) when he won the Wimbledon title in 2017 without dropping a set. 

5. Illie Nastae (1970 French Open 1970)

Illie Nastase won the 1970 French Open, defeating Yugoslavian Nikola Pulic (6-3,6-0,6-0) in the final t. In the run-up towards his triumph, did he not drop a set in the entire tournament. He also dropped 38 games in total, a momentous feat of that time.  

Also Read: 5 Players Who Have Completed the Career Golden Slam