Grand Slam dream ended: Rafael Nadal is in good company
Rafael Nadal had to bury his hopes for the "Grand Slam" by withdrawing from Wimbledon . He's not the only one.
by Florian Goosmann from Wimbledon
last edit: Jul 09, 2022, 10:45 am
The Grand Slam - it has remained unrivaled in singles since 1988. At that time, Steffi Graf had won all four major tournaments within one year, as well as Olympic gold and thus the unofficial "Golden Slam".
After: The four majors were always in sight in one season, but nobody made it all the way.
A total of nine times since 1988, some players have been at least halfway, as ESPN put together in a nice graphic these days. That means you won the first two majors of the year, but not the entire package.
Grand Slam: Serena Williams and Novak Djokovic were close
Wimbledon in particular was the stumbling block for many players. For Mats Wilander in 1988, for Monica Seles in 1991 and 1992, for Jim Courier in 1992, for Jennifer Capriati in 2001, for Novak Djokovic in 2016. And now, also due to an injury, for Nadal.
Serena Williams and Novak Djokovic actually had the greatest chances of great tennis history. And both of them had already been seen marching through in their minds. Serena, however, lost sensationally in the 2015 US Open semi-finals, to a mixture of too much pressure and too great a play from Roberta Vinci (who then lost to Flavia Pennetta in the surprise final).
Djokovic even made it to the final in Flushing Meadows in 2021, but lost there - also in a mixture of too much tension and a strong opponent - Daniil Medvedev.
Rafael Nadal: 'Hopefully see you next year'
Of course, Nadal didn't want to look that far into the future. "I never thought about the Grand Slam," he said in his "withdrawal" press conference on Friday evening. The goal was Wimbledon, and what really saddened him about his retirement was the thought that he played at a high level - and that he had a chance at the title.
But Nadal remained Nadal, even in the hour of farewell. He didn't slip away quietly and secretly, but kindly thanked the Wimbledon staff. "Hopefully we'll see each other next year," he said goodbye. "Let's wait and see."
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