The 7 youngest players to win the Surface Slam as Carlos Alcaraz surges to No 1
There is a new name on the list of players to win Grand Slams on all three surfaces in the Open Era after Carlos Alcaraz completed the Surface Slam at Roland Garros.
The Spaniard defeated Alexander Zverev in the clay-court Grand Slam final on Sunday to become the youngest man to win at least one major on the three different surfaces.
After winning the 2022 US Open on the hard courts of Flushing Meadows, Alcaraz followed it up by winning Wimbledon on the grass at the All England Club last year before completing the set in Paris in 2024.
The 7 players to win the Surface Slam in order of oldest to youngest:
7. Andre Agassi – 29 years and one month
Andre Agassi was initially the youngest player to reach the major finals on all three surfaces as he was only 22 years old when he won Wimbledon in 1992 having finished runner-up at the French Open and US Open two years earlier.
However, he had to wait until 1999 to finally complete his Surface Slam as he won the French Open on the clay at Roland Garros following his US Open success in 1994.
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6. Novak Djokovic – 29 years and 14 days
The great Novak Djokovic can blame Rafael Nadal for delaying his Surface Slam, which also was his Career Grand Slam, as the Spaniard dominated at Roland Garros.
The Serbian was already a multiple Grand Slam winner on grass and hard courts by the time he won the French Open in 2016. He went on to complete three Surface/Career Grand Slams.
5. Roger Federer – 27 years and nine months
Roger Federer is another player who missed out on being younger due to the Nadal factor in Paris as he only completed his Surface/Career Grand Slam at the 2009 French Open.
The Swiss Maestro had already won five Wimbledon titles, five US Open trophies and three Australian Open titles when he finally won at Roland Garros.
4. Jimmy Connors – 26 years and 8 days
Jimmy Connors is one of two players to achieve the Surface Slam, but they didn’t do it in the current incarnation in terms of surfaces.
You see, Connors didn’t win the French Open yet he has a Surface Slam as he won the 1977 US Open on clay in Forest Hills, Queens. He also won majors on grass (two at Wimbledon and one at the Australian Open) and three hard-court majors at the US Open.
He completed the Surface Slam in 1978 when he won his first US Open title on hard courts.
3. Mats Wilander – 23 years and five months
Swedish legend Mats Wilander became the second man after Connors to achieve the Surface Slam as he achieved the feat in 1988 when he won the Australian Open on a hard court.
Before that, Wilander won three titles on the clay at Roland Garros and two on the grass at the Australian Open.
2. Rafael Nadal 22 years and seven months
Rafael Nadal was the first member of the Big Three to complete his Surface/Career Grand Slam as he unlocked the achievement at the 2009 Australian Open.
Having won Wimbledon in 2008 to go with his four French Open titles, Nadal became the youngest to notch up the milestone.
He completed a second Surface/Career Grand Slam in 2010 when he won Wimbledon and the US Open.
1. Carlos Alacaraz – 21 years and 36 days
Man of the moment Carlos Alcaraz beat Nadal’s record by more than a year as he completed the Surface Slam just a month after turning 21.
The Spaniard is now just one Australian Open title away from completing the Career Grand Slam and if he wins at Melbourne Park at the start of 2025 then he will do so before the age of 22.