"A monumental task" - Rod Laver proclaims no man will repeat his 'Calendar Grand Slam' until new crop of players come up

Rod Laver recently expressed his views about the substantial challenges of achieving a Calendar Grand Slam in men's tennis.

Laver opined that realizing such an accomplishment is not foreseeable until new players emerge. He underscored the "monumental" task of winning all four Major tournaments, each requiring mastery over different surfaces.

This statement was part of a Q&A session on the last day of the Laver Cup in Vancouver, initiated by Rod Laver himself on Twitter.

A fan asked about the likelihood of another male winning the Calendar Slam, an achievement Laver accomplished not once but twice. He won all four Majors in 1962, first as an amateur, and then again in 1969, as part of the Open Era.

"Will another male win the calendar slam? To do it as amateur and pro is amazing," the fan said.

Rod Laver responded to the question:

"Not until a crop of new players come up. You don't go out thinking, 'I'm going to win a Grand Slam.' Putting all 4 together is a monumental task. It's hard to master every surface."

To this day, the Aussie remains the only man to have completed the Calendar Grand Slam in the Open Era. Novak Djokovic, however, came very close in 2021, where he won the first three Slams of the year and then fell in the final of the US Open.

Only two other singles players have been able to repeat the feat since Laver -- Margaret Court in 1970 and Steffi Graf in 1988.

"Shelton is the new player on the tour, we're going to see him winning a Slam" - Rod Laver

Ben Shelton celebrates after a point at the 2023 US Open

During the interaction on X (formerly Twitter), Rod Laver also spoke about Ben Shelton and his future. The Aussie predicted that Shelton is very much capable of winning a Grand Slam in the coming years, seeing as he doesn't make many mistakes and is not afraid to take risks when he sees an opening.

"Shelton is the new player on the tour. We're going to see him winning a Slam, he's got one of the biggest serves, a big left-hander, he doesn't make many mistakes. He sees an opening and he goes for it."

Shelton, who turned pro only last year, has had a steep upwards climb in the rankings in 2023. The American had a good campaign at the US Open and the Australian Open, reaching the semifinals and the quarterfinals respectively.

The 20-year-old has risen to a career high ranking of World No. 19 as a result of his run at Flushing Meadows earlier this month.