Alexander Zverev finally navigated his way over the Grand Slam hurdle earlier this month.
After three previous failed attempts in major finals, Zverev won his first Grand Slam title at Roland Garros.
The German star, ranked third on the ATP Tour, defeated Flavio Cobolli 6-1, 4-6, 6-4, 6-7, 6-1 in the Parisian final.
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Consequently, Zverev now has the chance to become only the seventh man in the Open Era to have won Roland Garros and Wimbledon in the same year.
Rod Laver
Laver became the first man in the Open Era to accomplish the feat when he won Roland Garros and Wimbledon in 1969.
The Australian defeated compatriot Ken Rosewall in the Parisian final and John Newcombe in the Wimbledon showpiece.
Remarkably, Laver won all four Grand Slam singles titles that year. It was the second time Laver had achieved such a feat after winning all four titles in 1962.
The only other male player to match Laver’s feat was Don Budge, who won all four majors in 1938.
Bjorn Borg
Unlike many of the players on this list, Borg accomplished this feat on more than one occasion.
In fact, the Swedish superstar won Roland Garros and Wimbledon for three consecutive seasons.
Borg first made history in 1978, beating Guillermo Vilas in the French Open final and Jimmy Connors in London.
A year later, Borg beat unseeded Víctor Pecci to win the Paris title, before overcoming fifth seed Roscoe Tanner in the Wimbledon final.
In 1980, Borg completed the trifecta after beating Vitas Gerulaitis in the Roland Garros final and John McEnroe in the Wimbledon final.
Borg seemed to be on his way to completing the feat for a fourth consecutive year when he defeated Ivan Lendl in the 1981 French Open final.
However it was not to be.
John McEnroe avenged his 1980 Wimbledon final loss, beating Borg in the 1981 showpiece event on Wimbledon Centre Court.
”This is a triumph of McEnroe over Borg,” the American said when asked if he had overcome his temperament during the match – as reported by the New York Times.
”Anytime I can beat him it’s fine with me.”
Rafael Nadal
Nadal, a 22-time major champion, won his fourth consecutive French Open title in June 2008.
The Spaniard comfortably defeated his great rival, Roger Federer, 6–1, 6–3, 6–0 in the final.
A month later, Nadal lifted the Wimbledon Men’s Singles trophy for the first time.
In what is often described as the best final in tennis history, Nadal defeated Federer 6–4, 6–4, 6–7, 6–7, 9–7.
Two years later, Nadal accomplished the Roland Garros-Wimbledon double once again.
The former world number one beat Robin Soderling in the Roland Garros final, and Tomas Berdych in the Wimbledon final.
Nadal never won another Wimbledon title after 2010.
However, he did go on to capture a further nine Roland Garros titles.
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Roger Federer
Roger Federer competed the French Open-Wimbledon double once: in 2009.
At the French Open, Federer was handed a glorious opportunity when Rafael Nadal was knocked out in the fourth round by Robin Soderling.
Federer fully capitalised on his chance, eventually beating Soderling 6–1, 7–6, 6–4 to win his first Roland Garros title and compete the ‘Career Grand Slam.’
A month later, Federer participated in the longest men’s singles major final [in terms of games played] in history.
After 77 games, Federer defeated Andy Roddick 5–7, 7–6, 7–6, 3–6, 16–14 to win his sixth Wimbledon title in seven years.
Novak Djokovic
Despite his dominance for the best part of a decade, Djokovic did not complete the French Open-Wimbledon double until 2021.
In Paris, Djokovic rallied from two sets down to defeat Stefanos Tsitsipas 6–7, 2–6, 6–3, 6–2, 6–4 in the French Open final.
A month later, Djokovic beat Matteo Berrettini in four sets to win his sixth Wimbledon title.
“Winning Wimbledon was always the biggest dream for me when I was a kid,” said Djokovic after clinching the title.
“A seven-year-old boy in Serbia constructing a Wimbledon trophy with improvised materials and standing here with a sixth real trophy is incredible. It is amazing.”
Carlos Alcaraz
Alcaraz became the sixth and most recent addition to the list when he won both titles in 2024.
In Paris, the young Spaniard captured his first French Open title after beating Alexander Zverev 6–3, 2–6, 5–7, 6–1, 6–2 in the final.
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Alcaraz later faced Novak Djokovic in the Wimbledon final – a rematch of their five-set 2023 final.
On this occasion, Alcaraz won the final in a much more comfortable fashion, beating Djokovic 6–2, 6–2, 7–6.