Male singles players in the last 50 years to win 3+ Grand Slams in a single season as Jannik Sinner seeks to join elite list
Jannik Sinner has, undoubtedly, been the world’s best player in the last 20 months, lifting four of the last seven Grand Slams, the 2023 Nitto ATP Finals title, and two Davis Cup Finals victories.
In 2025, the Italian was victorious at both the Australian Open and Wimbledon – being just one point away from winning the French Open.
In September, the world No 1 will seek to defend his US Open title and equal Carlos Alcaraz’s Grand Slam tally.
Additionally, however, if he is successful in doing so, Sinner would become just the fifth man in the last 50 years to win three singles Grand Slams within one season.
Below, we detail the other three men to have done so and their paths to the feat.
Mats Wilander – 1988
Wilander entered the 1988 season having amassed four Grand Slams – the youngest male singles player to reach this achievement.
However, the most recent victory had occurred at the French Open in 1985, meaning that Wilander was hungry for more.
The 1988 season was also the first time that the Australian Open had been played on hard courts, as opposed to grass, with Wilander having no trouble through the first week of the tournament – reaching the last four without dropping a set.
Two-time defending champion Stefan Edberg would prove to be anything but a breeze, as Wilander had to dig out a gutsy win in a topsy-turvy 6-0, 6-7, 6-3, 3-6, 6-1 victory to reach the final.
In the showpiece match, Wilander ended the hopes of the home favourite Pat Cash in a five-set thriller, 6-3, 6-7(3), 3-6, 6-1, 8-6. In doing so, he set an Open-Era record for most Australian Open titles (3) and remains the only man to have won the Melbourne title on both grass and hard court.
At the French Open, Wilander sought to win back-to-back Grand Slams for the first time in his career.
An 18-year-old Andre Agassi had stormed through the competition, exceeding his ninth seed expectation and reaching the semi-finals.
In his first Grand Slam semi-final, the American may have been excused if he had put in a disappointing showing, but, again, Wilander would have to bring out some of his best tennis to overcome the future all-time great, battling back from a set down to overcome Agassi 4-6, 6-2, 7-5, 5-7, 6-0.
Frenchman Henri Leconte reached his first – and only – Grand Slam final at the 1988 edition of the Parisian event, but was no match for the more experienced Swede, falling 7–5, 6–2, 6–1.
In 1987, Wilander had been just two sets away from lifting the title at the US Open in a final against Ivan Lendl, but had been unsuccessful in doing so.
However, the year after, the second seed had a point to prove, dominating Darren Cahill – current coach of Jannik Sinner – 6-4, 6-4, 6-2 in the semi-finals.
Top seed Lendl would lie in waiting once again, but lightning would not strike twice as Wilander willed his way through a 6–4, 4–6, 6–3, 5–7, 6–4 tussle to claim his sole US Open title.
Roger Federer – 2004, 2006, 2007
At the beginning of the season, Federer won his maiden Australian Open after defeating Marat Safin 7-6(3), 6-4, 6-2 in the final. In doing so, the Swiss was confirmed to reach the world’s top spot for the first time in his career.
Once at Wimbledon, Federer successfully defended his title by being victorious over Andy Roddick 4–6, 7–5, 7–6(3), 6–4 in the showpiece match.
The 20-time Grand Slam champion’s five-year reign at the US Open also began in 2004, dominating fourth seed Lleyton Hewitt 6–0, 7–6(7–3), 6–0 in the final.
Three years later, Federer collected his second title in Melbourne with a 5–7, 7–5, 6–0, 6–2 victory over Marcos Baghdatis, before overcoming a young Nadal 6–0, 7–6(5), 6–7(2), 6–3 to win a fourth-consecutive Wimbledon title, and third-consecutive US Open trophy via a 6–2, 4–6, 7–5, 6–1 triumph over American Andy Roddick.
The very next year, the Swiss won the Australian Open-Wimbledon-US Open triple once again.
In Australia, he became – and remains – the only man to win a singles hard-court Grand Slam without dropping a set, capping off the tournament with a 7–6(2), 6–4, 6–4 victory over Fernando Gonzalez.
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Rafael Nadal – 2010
Despite a first victory at the Australian Open, 2009 was an injury-ridden season and one which heightened cautious voices over the Spaniard returning to the top once again.
However, as ever, Nadal was not to be doubted. After winning the Monte-Carlo, Madrid, and Rome Masters, he entered his beloved French Open as the title-favourite, despite his shock loss to Robin Soderling the year prior.
The 22-time Grand Slam champion ripped through the draw, not dropping a set, and – in fitting fashion – avenged his 2009 loss with a straight-forward 6–4, 6–2, 6–4 win over Soderling in the final.
Having been unable to attempt to defend his landmark 2008 Wimbledon title, Nadal would return to the grass-courts of SW19 with a bang. His Wimbledon campaign started with back-to-back five-set matches in the second and third round, but only gathered steam, finishing with a cross-court forehand winner zipping past Tomas Berdych to claim a 6–3, 7–5, 6–4 victory.
The tournament win returned the Spaniard to the world’s top spot.
Despite his already stellar career, Nadal still had one glaring omission within his tennis CV – a US Open title. He had conquered all of the other three Grand Slams, but had never reached the showpiece match.
In 2010, sporting an iconic black and green outfit, the world No 1 produced simply sensational hard-court tennis, not dropping a set until a showdown with Novak Djokovic in the showpiece match, ending in a 6–4, 5–7, 6–4, 6–2 win.
At 24 years, 3 months and 10 days, the Spaniard remains the youngest male singles player to complete the career slam.
Novak Djokovic – 2011, 2015, 2021, 2023
Djokovic, remarkably, has achieved the feat of winning three Grand Slams in a single year on four occasions – more than any other male singles player in the history of tennis.
In 2011, he won his second Australian Open title with a 7–6(3), 7–5, 6–4 victory over Roger Federer in the last four and a 6–4, 6–2, 6–3 win over Andy Murray in the final.
At both Wimbledon and the US Open, he collected his maiden titles with four-set victories over Rafael Nadal – achieving world No 1 status for the first time.
The Serbian superstar, like Federer in 2004, 06-07, went on to complete the Melbourne/London/New York triple in 2015 – with a lone defeat to Stan Wawrinka at the French Open.
In 2021, Djokovic won a record-extending ninth Australian Open title and became the first man not named Rod Laver to win every Grand Slam on at least two occasions, after winning the French Open.
The 24-time Grand Slam champion then lifted a third-consecutive Wimbledon title, before Daniil Medvedev ended Djokovic’s hopes for the calendar slam.
Most recently, Djokovic completed the rare feat in 2023 after winning the Australian Open (6-3, 7-6 (4), 7-6 (5) over Stefanos Tsitsipas), the French Open (7-6(1), 6-3, 7-5 over Casper Ruud), and the US Open (6-3, 7-6(5), 6-3 over Daniil Medvedev).
