5 tennis players who will be on the hunt for a Calendar Golden Slam

By definition, if a tennis player succeeds in winning all 4 Slam titles in a year - the Australian Open, French Open, Wimbledon and US Open and tops all of these wins with a gold at the Olympics or Paralympics, that player will achieve the astounding feat of winning a Calendar Golden Slam.

Tennis, of late, is being dominated severely by a certain troop of players who have fashioned themselves for Grand Slam success. The results speak for themselves and it is indeed awe-inspiring to see that 5 players will be sailing to Tokyo in want of the same golden triumph.

Let's take a look at these stunning World No. 1 athletes who have redefined the sport of tennis:

# Novak Djokovic - 20 time Grand Slam Champion

Currently leading the G.O.A.T debate, Novak Djokovic crowned himself as a 20-time Grand Slam champion when he won his 6th Wimbledon title over the last weekend. On a marvellous, awe-inspiring streak, the Serbian World No. 1 has been attracting the Slams to him like irons lured to magnetic finesse.

Well, the 2008 Beijing Olympics bronze medallist, is quite the clinical champion and has nerves of steel but ahead of him stands the fine opportunity to do something no man has ever done before - win a Calendar Golden Slam.

Having already collected the titles in Australian Open, French Open and recently, Wimbledon, Novak Djokovic will be heading to the Tokyo Olympics as the strongest contender for gold. Provided he bags the gold and continues this magic run at the US Open and wins the title there as well, Novak Djokovic will become the first male tennis player to seize this feat.

Only a 19-year-old Steffi Graf had notched this ceremonious run way back in 1988 where she won all the 4 Slams and clinched gold at the Seoul Games.

# Dylan Alcott - 22 time Grand Slam Champion (14 men's quad singles, 8 men's quad doubles)

An unparalleled legend of wheelchair tennis, Australia's Dylan Alcott is an unstoppable sensation once let loose on both the tennis as well as the basketball courts. The 30-year-old ace player dabbles well in both tennis as well as basketball but in the racquet sport, Alcott triumphs slightly more and he has the numbers and record to speak for themselves.

A regular face at the Paralympic Games, Alcott has tasted success at the grandest of sporting platforms. In fact, Alcott won the gold medal in both the men's quad singles and men's quad doubles event at the 2016 Rio Paralympics.

Having already completed the Calendar Year Grand Slam in 2019 in the quad doubles category, Alcott is enjoying a breath-taking run in 2021 as well and will be chasing history to win a Calendar Golden Slam at the Tokyo Paralympics.

Defeating Netherlands' Sam Schroder, 6-2, 6-2 in the Wimbledon quad singles final, reigning World No. 1 Dylan Alcott defended the Big W title effectively and stretched his overall Slam tally to 22 - 14 quad singles, 8 quad doubles titles.

Having already won the Australian and French Open titles this year along with the Wimbledon, Alcott will be hoping to defend his gold at the Tokyo Paralympics and hopefully, follow it up with a US Open victory.

# Diede de Groot - 22 time Grand Slam Champion (11 women's quad singles, 11 women's quad doubles)

Hailing from Netherlands, World No. 1 in both quad women's singles as well as quad women's doubles, Diede de Groot will also be on the cusp of history if she goes on to win gold at the Tokyo Paralympics.

The 24-year-old ace wheelchair tennis star is on the run to emulate a second Calendar Slam feat in her career after completing it once in 2019 when she won all 4 Grand Slam titles in the quad doubles category.

This year around, the 22-time Grand Slam winner, de Groot has been in fine form in the quad women's singles as well and has already won the trio of Grand Slams played so far this year. With the opportunity of winning a Calendar Golden Slam most ripe, de Groot, at 24, is on the verge of creating history by becoming the first wheelchair tennis player to achieve this rave feat.

A silver medallist at the 2016 Rio Paralympics in quad women's doubles, de Groot will hope to create history by winning the gold in singles and staying on course to win the US Open and earn the Calendar Golden Slam crown.

# Alfie Hewett and Gordon Reid - 12 Grand Slam titles (quad men's doubles)

Practically an unstoppable force on the men's doubles circuit of wheelchair tennis, the all-British World No. 1 pair of Alfie Hewett and Gordon Reid have been stirring up a storm with their 7-on-a-trot Grand Slam winning streak that dates back to the 2019 US Open.

History seems to be beckoning to this British pair as they are enjoying a sensational run and lapping up to successes galore as they lifted their 12th Grand Slam title together.

No other British duo in wheelchair tennis have been this successful and the combine of Hewett and Reid show no signs of stopping or slowing down as they are chasing the honour of winning a Calendar Golden Slam at the Tokyo Paralympics. Hoping to upgrade their Rio silver to a Tokyo gold, the Hewett-Reid duo will hope to keep their winning momentum going.