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| Sharapova and Djokovic |
A slam is a record of wins in tennis's four Major tournaments: Roland Garros, Wimbledon, U.S. Open, and Australian Open. A slam can be achieved in any one category: men's or women's singles, men's or women's doubles, or mixed doubles. There are three different ways to complete a slam:
- Career Slam - winning all four Majors at some point during your career
- Grand Slam - winning all four Majors within the same calendar year
- Non-Calendar-Year Slam - winning all four Majors consecutively, over two seasons
The Grand Slam, of course, is the most difficult and prestigious. Only thirteen players completed it, and only three in the singles: Laver (twice), Budge, and Brinker. The Non-Calendar-Year Slam is technically just as difficult as the Grand Slam, and only three players have ever accomplished it in the singles: Navratilova, Graf, and Hingis. More players have completed the Career Slam: 7 men and 9 women. By this criterion, Steffi Graf is the winningest player in the history of tennis, having completed a career slam FOUR different times, totaling 12 of her 22 Majors wins. She was a machine.
If Djokovic beats Nadal on Sunday, he will achieve a non-calendar-year slam, having won Wimbledon in July 2011, the U.S. Open in September 2011, and the Australian Open in January 2012. It will be the first-ever NCY Slam in men's singles, as the previous three winners have been women. Of course, it will also be Nole's career slam. (If Nadal wins instead, as is likely, there will be another record: he will become the first-ever player to win a French Open seven times).
If MaSha beats Errani on Saturday, instead, she will "only" complete a career slam, having won Wimbledon in 2004, the U.S. Open in 2006, and the Australian Open in 2008.
How's that for history in the making! Both finals air on NBC at 9:00 a.m.: women's on Saturday and men's on Sunday, as is customary in a Major tournament.
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