ATP Tour

The closest to perfection: 10 years since Djokovic held all four major titles

Ten years ago, Novak Djokovic achieved one of the rarest feats in tennis history when he held all four major titles at the same time.

The Serbian completed the achievement at Roland Garros in June 2016, defeating Andy Murray in four sets to triumph at the clay-court major for the first time. In doing so, Djokovic became the first man since Rod Laver in 1969 to simultaneously hold the trophies at the Australian Open, Roland Garros, Wimbledon and the US Open.

Djokovic’s run began at Wimbledon in July 2015, where he overcame Roger Federer in the final to successfully defend his title. Two months later, he again defeated Federer in the championship match at the US Open to claim his 10th major crown.

The Serbian then started 2016 in dominant fashion at the Australian Open, defeating Murray in the final in Melbourne to win a record sixth title at the event.

Heading to Paris that spring, Djokovic carried the weight of unfinished history. Roland Garros remained the missing piece in his career collection despite three previous final appearances. And after battling through a difficult fortnight in the French capital, the World No. 1 produced one of the defining victories of his career against Murray on Court Philippe-Chatrier.

The Serbian, who downed Dominic Thiem for the loss of just seven games in the semi-finals, recovered from dropping the first set against Murray to earn a 3-6, 6-1, 6-2, 6-4 win.

By triumphing in Paris, Djokovic completed the Career Grand Slam, becoming just the eighth man in history to achieve the feat. More significantly, he held all four major titles simultaneously, a run many labelled the ‘Nole Slam’.

“It's incredibly flattering to know that Rod Laver is the last one that managed to do that,” Djokovic said in his post-match press conference in Paris. “There are not many words that can describe it. It's one of the ultimate challenges that you have as a tennis player.

“I'm very proud, very thrilled. I'm just so overwhelmed with having this trophy next to me that I'm just trying to enjoy this moment.”

Djokovic had come close to holding all four majors simultaneously in 2012, when he lost to Rafael Nadal in the Roland Garros final. Djokovic was also one win away from completing the Grand Slam — winning all four majors in the same season — in 2021 and 2023, but never achieved the feat.

After winning Roland Garros, the Serbian’s streak of consecutive major titles ended at Wimbledon four weeks later, when he suffered a shock third-round loss to Sam Querrey.

At the time of his victory in Paris, Djokovic had won four straight majors, six of eight Grand Slam tournaments and 12 of 24 ATP Masters 1000 events.