Rafa - Calendar Grand Slam - 2014?

[kskate2]

I agree that it could be done in 10 years or so.

 

[DarthFed]

"Right now" is correct, but I believe it'll be done within ten or fifteen years. The game is ripe for it, the surfaces have aligned and all it takes is a player of Fedal calibre to have a season without a main rival. Roger almost achieved it - except he had to face Rafa in Paris. Other than this, he was virtually unopposed. Somebody will do it. It's more in reach now than it's ever been since Rocket Rod did it...

Completely agree. I have no doubt we will see it done within the next 20 years if not the next 10. Since 2004 there have been 5 seasons with 1 player winning 3 majors. And homogenization of surfaces and playing styles makes it way more easy to accomplish.

 

[brokenshoelace]

"Right now" is correct, but I believe it'll be done within ten or fifteen years. The game is ripe for it, the surfaces have aligned and all it takes is a player of Fedal calibre to have a season without a main rival. Roger almost achieved it - except he had to face Rafa in Paris. Other than this, he was virtually unopposed. Somebody will do it. It's more in reach now than it's ever been since Rocket Rod did it...

Completely agree. I have no doubt we will see it done within the next 20 years if not the next 10. Since 2004 there have been 5 seasons with 1 player winning 3 majors. And homogenization of surfaces and playing styles makes it way more easy to accomplish.

Just so we're clear, when you say "way more easy" you're referring to all the year in which this wasn't accomplished, not the two times it actually was. Because when it did happen, surface variety wasn't exactly a feature.

 

[GameSetAndMath]

That is true BS. When Rocket did it, 3 were on grass and 1 was on clay, right.
People often tend to forget, as it is so long ago,

 

[Moxie]

That's why holding Slams on 3 surfaces is a "thing." I'm pretty sure that it's only Connors, Agassi, Nadal and Federer that have done that on the men's side, (which Nadal and Federer both accomplished in 09.) NB: I noticed that Jimmy Connors won the USO on 3 surfaces: grass, clay and HC.

 

[GameSetAndMath]

That's why holding Slams on 3 surfaces is a "thing." I'm pretty sure that it's only Connors, Agassi, Nadal and Federer that have done that on the men's side, (which Nadal and Federer both accomplished in 09.) NB: I noticed that Jimmy Connors won the USO on 3 surfaces: grass, clay and HC.

Only one male player has simultaneously held GS Trophies from three different surfaces.
That is Nadal. I hate to write this post being a Federer Fan, but facts are facts.

Federer, Connors, Agassi, and Wilander have won grand slams on three different surfaces, but
have not held them simultaneously.

Your NB is irrelevant as obviously you are talking about his winnings from different years.

See article below.

http://bleacherreport.com/articles/1536384-forget-calendar-slam-surface-slam-almost-as-rare

 

[Murat Baslamisli]

The guy has a career slam, which means he knows how to win on all the different surfaces. The issue for him is keeping it together for a whole season and peaking at the right times. He has not done that so far , for one reason or the other. I know the consensus is he cannot do it, but I think under certain circumstances , he can do it.

- He has to have a year with no health issues whatsoever.

-He has to schedule correctly for the whole year to peak at slams. That means not playing some of the clay tournaments he always plays. Mileage will be important and will have to be managed properly.

-He has to play a grass tournament before Wimbledon and as far as I know, there will be more time from now on between RG and Wimby. So he has to be physically and most importantly mentally ready for the first week of Wimby. I think he is one of the most focused dudes around when he wants to, so he has to treat the first week of Wimbledon like his life depends on it. Second week will take care of himself.

-He still has to play both Canada and Cincy, but treat those two tournaments as glorified training sessions where he does not care too much about winning, but work on the transition to hard courts, the serve, the volley, everything. If it turns out that he is already clicking and he wins Canada, he should skip Cincy, because it usually plays faster than the Open anyways and he should train like crazy for the Open, physically and mentally.

Of course he can do all that and still not be able to do it. After all, there is a reason it is not accomplished every year.
It would be exciting if he pulled it off though.

 

[DarthFed]

"Right now" is correct, but I believe it'll be done within ten or fifteen years. The game is ripe for it, the surfaces have aligned and all it takes is a player of Fedal calibre to have a season without a main rival. Roger almost achieved it - except he had to face Rafa in Paris. Other than this, he was virtually unopposed. Somebody will do it. It's more in reach now than it's ever been since Rocket Rod did it...

Completely agree. I have no doubt we will see it done within the next 20 years if not the next 10. Since 2004 there have been 5 seasons with 1 player winning 3 majors. And homogenization of surfaces and playing styles makes it way more easy to accomplish.

Just so we're clear, when you say "way more easy" you're referring to all the year in which this wasn't accomplished, not the two times it actually was. Because when it did happen, surface variety wasn't exactly a feature.

Yes, that goes without saying. I am saying it is easier now compared to 20-30 years ago when they started playing on 3 different surfaces and they used to play more differently than now.

 

[DarthFed]

That's why holding Slams on 3 surfaces is a "thing." I'm pretty sure that it's only Connors, Agassi, Nadal and Federer that have done that on the men's side, (which Nadal and Federer both accomplished in 09.) NB: I noticed that Jimmy Connors won the USO on 3 surfaces: grass, clay and HC.

Only one male player has simultaneously held GS Trophies from three different surfaces.
That is Nadal. I hate to write this post being a Federer Fan, but facts are facts.

Federer, Connors, Agassi, and Wilander have won grand slams on three different surfaces, but
have not held them simultaneously.

Your NB is irrelevant as obviously you are talking about his winnings from different years.

See article below.

http://bleacherreport.com/articles/1536384-forget-calendar-slam-surface-slam-almost-as-rare

Roger has held majors on all 3 surfaces at 2 different times in 2009 and 2010. Rafa is the only one to do it in a calendar year.

 

[GameSetAndMath]

That's why holding Slams on 3 surfaces is a "thing." I'm pretty sure that it's only Connors, Agassi, Nadal and Federer that have done that on the men's side, (which Nadal and Federer both accomplished in 09.) NB: I noticed that Jimmy Connors won the USO on 3 surfaces: grass, clay and HC.

Only one male player has simultaneously held GS Trophies from three different surfaces.
That is Nadal. I hate to write this post being a Federer Fan, but facts are facts.

Federer, Connors, Agassi, and Wilander have won grand slams on three different surfaces, but
have not held them simultaneously.

Your NB is irrelevant as obviously you are talking about his winnings from different years.

See article below.

http://bleacherreport.com/articles/1536384-forget-calendar-slam-surface-slam-almost-as-rare

Roger has held majors on all 3 surfaces at 2 different times in 2009 and 2010. Rafa is the only one to do it in a calendar year.

I am talking about holding them simultaneously. The only time he won FO was 2009.
In 2009, he lost AO to Nadal and USO to JMDP. So, there was never a time when he held
three most recent GS Trophies from different surfaces simultaneously.

It looks like you are not particular about the Hard Court GS Trophy being the most
recent Hard Court GS.

Since 1988, If you want to hold three most recent GS Trophies from three
different surfaces, there is no way to do it spread across two years (without
really also achieving a non-calendar grand slam). The only way to hold them
simultaneously is to do it in the same year. You got to win either the first three
or the last three.

As the article that I cited says, there was a way to achieve this spread
over two years (without really also achieving a non-calendar grand slam)
during the years 1978-1987.

In 1978, USO changed to hard courts. In 1988, AO changed to hard courts.

 

[Fastgrass]

Naxull will be slam less next year .

 

[Moxie]

That's why holding Slams on 3 surfaces is a "thing." I'm pretty sure that it's only Connors, Agassi, Nadal and Federer that have done that on the men's side, (which Nadal and Federer both accomplished in 09.) NB: I noticed that Jimmy Connors won the USO on 3 surfaces: grass, clay and HC.

Only one male player has simultaneously held GS Trophies from three different surfaces.
That is Nadal. I hate to write this post being a Federer Fan, but facts are facts.

Federer, Connors, Agassi, and Wilander have won grand slams on three different surfaces, but
have not held them simultaneously.

Your NB is irrelevant as obviously you are talking about his winnings from different years.

See article below.

http://bleacherreport.com/articles/1536384-forget-calendar-slam-surface-slam-almost-as-rare

I appreciate your pointing out that the only male player to hold Slams on 3 surfaces simultaneously is Nadal. I wasn't thinking "simultaneously," but that's cool. And I forgot to put Wilander in there.

 

[BalaryKar]

CYGS is a FLUKE. It occurred just twice in 62 and 69. I mean if CYGS can't turn up in the last 44 years, I have no reason to believe that he will turn up. Why should Nadal, Fed, Nole, et. al. wait for the flukestar?

 

[Kieran]

"Right now" is correct, but I believe it'll be done within ten or fifteen years. The game is ripe for it, the surfaces have aligned and all it takes is a player of Fedal calibre to have a season without a main rival. Roger almost achieved it - except he had to face Rafa in Paris. Other than this, he was virtually unopposed. Somebody will do it. It's more in reach now than it's ever been since Rocket Rod did it...

Completely agree. I have no doubt we will see it done within the next 20 years if not the next 10. Since 2004 there have been 5 seasons with 1 player winning 3 majors. And homogenization of surfaces and playing styles makes it way more easy to accomplish.

Just so we're clear, when you say "way more easy" you're referring to all the year in which this wasn't accomplished, not the two times it actually was. Because when it did happen, surface variety wasn't exactly a feature.

Yes, that goes without saying. I am saying it is easier now compared to 20-30 years ago when they started playing on 3 different surfaces and they used to play more differently than now.

Exactly. In 35 years since Laver did it, only 2 men managed to win 3 slams in a calendar year: Mats and Jimbo.

In the last ten years it's happened 5 times.

That's how tough it used to be and that's how routine it's become.

In 40 years after 1969, only one man achieved the career slam - Agassi - and then Roger got it in 2009, Rafa in 2010, and Nole's been pushing for it every year since.

And in fairness to Laver, there was a huge extremity between clay and grass back then - and even within the grass surfaces there were differences. At Kooyong, for instance, the ball dug in a bit more than at Wimbo. Mats won there as well, snagging a precious grasscourt slam, because the grass was better for him than at Wimbledon.

One thing I think will happen before a CYS is won, would be something akin to the Serena Slam. That's not impossible for Rafa if he nails Oz in January. He'd head to home turf for the third leg and then try prepare for a push at a third Wimbledon title. I don't think all this will happen, but it's much more possible we'll see this in 2014 than the CYS...

 

[Front242]

Naxull will be slam less next year .

Probably. Never heard of him. Must be ranked in the 1000s.

 

[DarthFed]

That's why holding Slams on 3 surfaces is a "thing." I'm pretty sure that it's only Connors, Agassi, Nadal and Federer that have done that on the men's side, (which Nadal and Federer both accomplished in 09.) NB: I noticed that Jimmy Connors won the USO on 3 surfaces: grass, clay and HC.

Only one male player has simultaneously held GS Trophies from three different surfaces.
That is Nadal. I hate to write this post being a Federer Fan, but facts are facts.

Federer, Connors, Agassi, and Wilander have won grand slams on three different surfaces, but
have not held them simultaneously.

Your NB is irrelevant as obviously you are talking about his winnings from different years.

See article below.

http://bleacherreport.com/articles/1536384-forget-calendar-slam-surface-slam-almost-as-rare

Roger has held majors on all 3 surfaces at 2 different times in 2009 and 2010. Rafa is the only one to do it in a calendar year.

I am talking about holding them simultaneously. The only time he won FO was 2009.
In 2009, he lost AO to Nadal and USO to JMDP. So, there was never a time when he held
three most recent GS Trophies from different surfaces simultaneously.

It looks like you are not particular about the Hard Court GS Trophy being the most
recent Hard Court GS.

Since 1988, If you want to hold three most recent GS Trophies from three
different surfaces, there is no way to do it spread across two years (without
really also achieving a non-calendar grand slam). The only way to hold them
simultaneously is to do it in the same year. You got to win either the first three
or the last three.

As the article that I cited says, there was a way to achieve this spread
over two years (without really also achieving a non-calendar grand slam)
during the years 1978-1987.

In 1978, USO changed to hard courts. In 1988, AO changed to hard courts.

Roger held the USO from 08, RG 09 and Wimbledon 09. And even doing the "most recent HC slam" criteria (which I don't get by the way) Roger would have had RG 09, Wimbledon 09, and AO '10.

 

[Slasher1985]

CYGS is a FLUKE. It occurred just twice in 62 and 69. I mean if CYGS can't turn up in the last 44 years, I have no reason to believe that he will turn up. Why should Nadal, Fed, Nole, et. al. wait for the flukestar?

The CYGS has become harder to obtain once Slams have started to be played on other surfaces. Rod Laver greatly benefited from 3 Grand Slams being played on grass. After that the 4 Grand Slams diversified their surfaces, the rift making it harder and harder to play a complete game.

The CYGS may once again become possible once surface homogenization reaches its climax.

 

[shawnbm]

Rafa has never made it to the finals of each of the four majors in a year once in his career and the talk is that he now has a legitimate opportunity to win the calendar year slam and, in effect (as Kieran pointed out), be on a five major win streak by doing so in 2014? Sorry, that is extremely unlikely against the players of today.

 

[brokenshoelace]

Exactly. In 35 years since Laver did it, only 2 men managed to win 3 slams in a calendar year: Mats and Jimbo.

In the last ten years it's happened 5 times.

That's how tough it used to be and that's how routine it's become.

Question: How many players as good as Roger, Rafa or Djokovic has there been in the last 40 years? Maybe that's why it didn't happen as often.

It's also interesting to note that in 3 out of the 5 times in question, Roger Federer was the one who accomplished the feat. And I mean he's only regarded as the greatest player tennis has seen. When you say "it used to be so tough and now it's becoming routine," you're implying that it's easier to accomplish now... How easy was it for Djokovic to accomplish that feat, dealing with the likes of Nadal, Federer and Murray one tournament after the other? How many matches did he have to grind out and escape with the skin of his teeth in order to achieve such a monumental task.

It's getting tiresome to read about how everything was tougher back then. Sorry, but maybe the three guys who achieved this feat in today's game are just that much better than everyone who failed to do so.

And in fairness to Laver, there was a huge extremity between clay and grass back then - and even within the grass surfaces there were differences. At Kooyong, for instance, the ball dug in a bit more than at Wimbo. Mats won there as well, snagging a precious grasscourt slam, because the grass was better for him than at Wimbledon.

If we're going to act like grass and clay are almost the same surface now, and imply that making the transition from one to the other isn't that big of a deal today, we can't talk about the nuances across different grass surfaces and make it sound like it's so amazing that a player was able to adapt from one grass court to another. The double standards are just too much, as I reckon the transition from clay to grass today is still more extreme than the transition from grass to different grass back then.

And let's not start talking about Laver's competition, or lack thereof. Roger wins everything in sight = weak competition. Laver wins all four majors in one year = amazing achievement. You can't have it both ways.

 

[Kieran]

A few errors there, buddy. I mean, you really think Novak is greater than Borg, Lendl and Sampras? Based on what? I could name others too. Fact is, the top 3 players of the last decade have been able to chase this because it's more do-able now, not because they're necessarily so much better than everyone since Laver.

Now, I'll give you Rafa and Roger as being of comparable calibre to the best of the last 40 years, but not Nole. :nono

It's getting tiresome to read about how everything was tougher back then. Sorry, but maybe the three guys who achieved this feat in today's game are just that much better than everyone who failed to do so.

Secondly, nobody said "everything was so much tougher back then", but the game has changed and made domination across the surfaces more accessible to the top players. You know this, right? Or do you disagree with this?

And by the same token, it gets tiresome hearing people constantly hype up this era, when they haven't lived through tennis in the 70's-90's. I'm not saying you here, but so many fans act as if they only discovered tennis through Fedal and haven't a clue about tennis history at all.

Thirdly, nobody said grass and clay "are the same surface now." Or if they did, I must have missed it. But I have said that clay and grass were much further apart in Laver's day than they are now, and also there were nuances on grass back then - kinda like the difference in HC's now in Oz and NY - that meant it wasn't such a disposable form of greatness when guys achieved a CYS.

As for weak competition and all that, the stock reply there is, "he faced the best in the world, it isn't his fault Nadal didn't make the finals to meet him..."