Carlos Alcaraz has become the youngest player to reach a Grand Slam final on all three surfaces and if he goes on to win the French Open then he will join a select few who have won the Surface Slam.
Having won the 2022 US Open on the hard courts at Flushing Meadows and Wimbledon 2023 on the grass at SW19, Alcaraz completed the set of final appearances on three different surfaces by booking his place in the Roland Garros showpiece match on the clay in Paris.
And he is the youngest man to notch up the achievement in the Open Era.
Youngest To Reach Major Finals On Three Surfaces
1. Carlos Alcaraz – 21 years and one month
Alcaraz was 21 years, one month and two days when he secured his place in the French Open final with a five-set win over Jannik Sinner in the last four.
He shot straight to the top in terms of youngest to appear in a Grand Slam final on three different surfaces, beating Andre Agassi’s record by more than a year.
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2. Andre Agassi – 22 years and two months
Agassi reached the major finals on all three surfaces a couple of months after he turned 22 with the feat coming at Wimbledon in 1992 when he won the title with a five-set win over Goran Ivanisevic.
The American reached his first clay-court Grand Slam final at the 1990 French Open, finishing runner-up to Andres Gomes and later in the year he was a runner-up at the US Open to Pete Sampras.
Agassi, of course, did go on to win a Career Surface Slam and a Career Grand Slam as he won four Australian Open titles, two US Open titles and one each at Roland Garros and Wimbledon.
3. Bjorn Borg – 22 years and three months
When Agassi reached the 1990 French Open final, he pushed the great Bjorn Borg into second place by a mere month with the Swede achieving the feat at the 1978 US Open.
Borg won Roland Garros in 1974 and 1975 and followed it up with the Wimbledon title in 1976. He also reached the US Open final in 1976, losing against Jimmy Connors in the final.
The Swede ended up runner-up in four US Open finals while he also didn’t win the Australian Open, but then again he only made the trip Down Under once.
4. Rafael Nadal – 22 years and seven months
Rafael Nadal was a five-time Grand Slam winner by the time he reached the 2009 Australian Open final as he had won four French Open titles and one at Wimbledon in 2008.
He completed the Surface Slam by winning the title on the hard courts at Melbourne Park. The Spaniard, of course, won the Career Grand Slam the following year as he won the US Open.
5. Jim Courier – 22 years and 10 months
American Courier completed his set of surface finals at Wimbledon in 1993 as he finished runner-up to Pete Sampras. It was also his final Grand Slam final appearance.
Courier won the French Open in 1991 and 1992 and the Australian Open in 1992 and 1993.
He didn’t complete the Surface Slam as he also finished runner-up at the 1991 US Open.
In case you were wondering about Novak Djokovic and Roger Federer, they were both 24 years old when they reached the Grand Slam finals on three different surfaces.
But Djokovic and Federer, of course, did go on to win the Surface Slam as they are among a group of six to achieve the feat, although two achieved their milestones on slightly different surfaces.
Players To Win The Surface Slam
1. Jimmy Connors – 1978
Jimmy Connors didn’t win a Career Grand Slam as he failed to win a title at Roland Garros, but he did win majors on the three different surfaces.
The American won three Slams on grass in 1974 as he lifted the Australian Open on the grass at Kooyong Lawn Tennis Club, a few months later he won Wimbledon and then won the US Open on the grass in Queens.
He then won the US Open on the clay at Forest Hills, Queens, and in 1978 he won the US Open on the hard courts at Flushing Meadows.
2. Mats Wilander – 1988
Seven-time Grand Slam winner Mats Wilander didn’t win a title at Wimbledon, but he has the “set” as he won three Grand Slams on the clay at Roland Garros, two on the grass at the Australian Open in 1983 and 1984 and two on hard courts at the 1988 Australian Open and 1988 US Open.
The Australian Open switched to hard courts in Melbourne in 1988.
3. Andre Agassi – 1999
Agassi completed his Surface Slam at the 1999 French Open as after two runners-up spots he finally lifted the title after defeating Andriy Medvedev in the final.
The American won the Wimbledon title in 1992 and then won his first Grand Slam on hard courts at the 1994 US Open. Of course, he completed his Career Grand Slam when he won the 1995 Australian Open, which became his best major as he won another three titles in Melbourne.
4. Rafael Nadal – 2009
Spaniard Rafael Nadal got the job done at the first time of asking as he won the 2009 Australian Open. At that stage, he had already won four French Open titles and one Wimbledon crown.
He won the Surface Slam twice as he notched up the achievement in 2010 as at that stage he had won five titles at Roland Garros, two at Wimbledon, one at the Australian Open and one at the US Open.
5. Roger Federer – 2009
Tennis great Roger Federer had to wait for his Surface Slam and Career Grand Slam as the French Open eluded him for many years.
He was already a 13-time major winner when he won the 2009 French Open as he had won multiple titles at Wimbledon, Australian Open and US Open.
Federer defeated Robin Soderling in the final to complete the Surface Slam.
6. Novak Djokovic – 2016
Like Federer, Novak Djokovic was also made to wait for his Surface Slam due to Nadal’s dominance on the clay in Paris.
Djokovic had multiple Grand Slams on grass and hard courts by the time he won the 2016 French Open. Of course, he has achieved the feat three times as he has won three Roland Garros trophies, seven Wimbledon titles and 14 hard-court majors (10 Australian Open and four US Open).