Grand Slam

What is a Grand Slam and does it have different meanings in rugby, golf and tennis?

RUGBY UNION, golf and tennis stars all talk about the golden nugget of their particular sports - winning the coveted Grand Slam.

But what is a Grand Slam and how is it different in rugby union, golf and tennis?

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Ireland won the Six Nations Grand Slam in 2023Credit: Getty
Roger Federer knows a thing or two about winning Grand SlamsCredit: Getty Images - Getty

SunSport gives you all you need to know about how greatness is achieved in the three sports.

What is a Grand Slam?

The term 'Grand Slam' generally means that a team, or individual, has won a set of tournaments in a calendar year.

Teams can also claim a Grand Slam if they win all of their fixtures in a specific tournament.

A Grand Slam is all about winning and remaining unbeaten.

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Dylan Hartley and England secured the Grand Slam in the Six Nations 2016Credit: Times Newspapers Ltd

What is a Rugby Union Grand Slam?

This is when a country taking part in the Six Nations, or the old Five Nations, win all of their games in one tournament.

Teams can still win the Six Nations by drawing, or even losing, a game, but the coveted Grand Slam will be lost - teams must win five out of five fixtures.

England (13) have the most Grand Slams, ahead of Wales (12), France (9), Ireland (4) and Scotland (3). Italy have zero.

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Ireland took their tally to four after completing the Grand Slam for the first time since 2018 during the 2023 Six Nations.

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What is a Golf Grand Slam

In golf, greatness is attained by winning all four majors in a calendar year - the Masters, US Open, the Open and PGA Championships.

The only player to achieve this feat was Bobby Jones in 1930, who won the four titles (British Amateur, British Open, US Open, US Amateur) on offer at the time.

Tiger Woods never won a Grand Slam but came very close by holding all four Majors at the same time over two calendar years
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Because of the difficulty of the feat, in the modern era golfers tend to refer to a Career Grand Slam, where a player wins all four once in a career.

There is also a Tiger Slam, named after Tiger Woods, who held all four major titles at the same time, over two calendar years.

Woods has three Career Grand Slams, putting him on equal footing with Jack Nicklaus for the fomst.

Ben Hogan, Gary Player and Gene Sarazen also have Career Grand Slams.

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What is a tennis Grand Slam?

As in golf, a player or doubles team must win all four Grand Slam titles (Australian Open, French Open, Wimbledon and US Open) in a calendar year.

It starts with the Australian title in January, through to the US Open in September.

Steffri Graf is the last woman to win all four Grand Slam titles in one calendar year, 1988Credit: PA:Press Association

American Don Budge was the first man to win the Grand Slam in 1938, while another American, Maureen Connolly was the first lady in 1953.

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Australian great Rod Laver has done it twice, in 1962 and 1969, while fellow Aussie Margaret Court managed it in 1970.

Steffi Graff is the last singles player to achieve the feat in a calendar year, winning all four titles in 1988.

Martina Navratilova, Serena Williams and Novak Djokovic have won non-calendar Grand Slams.

Djokovic's French Open victory in 2016 saw him hold all four Grand Slams at the same time.

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But his loss to Stan Wawrinka in the 2015 Roland Garros final meant he failed to pick up the career Grand Slam that year, as he won only three of the four trophies.

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