Tennis great Rod Laver wants to do something perfectly clear: If Rafael Nadal wins this months Australian Open for a fourth major title in a row, it would be "a big effort" - but not a Grand Slam.
Thats because a true Grand Slam is taking the Australian Open, French Open, Wimbledon and the U.S. Open in a calendar year, not just consecutively.
Laver would know.
He established the feat twice, in 1962 and 1969; no man has done it since.
The buzz at the Australian Open, which begins Monday, will be about Nadal, and his bid to suit the foremost man in 42 days to win four consecutive Grand Slam tournaments. The Spaniards championships at the French Open, Wimbledon and U.S. Open came in 2010, so if he wins in Australia, his "Rafa Slam" would extend over two seasons.
"Hes got three under his belt and hes playing well. Theres a serious fortune he could draw it off. But its not a Grand Slam, certainly," Laver told The Associated Press in a telephone interview from his family in California. "People will say, Hes leaving for a Grand Slam. And I say, No, hes not doing that. That wasnt the way this whole matter was set up. It starts in January and ends in September; starts with the Australian Open and ends with the U.S. Open."
"Still," Laver continued, "what hes trying to do is a big effort. Its not a Grand Slam, but its a large effort."
Laver, a 72-year-old from Australia, is surprised no one has swept tennis top four tournaments since his day. Roger Federer came close - winning three in a row over two seasons on two separate occasions, and taking three in a year (Australian, Wimbledon, U.S. in 2004, 2006 and 2007.
Jimmy Connors won 3 of the quartet in 1974; Mats Wilander did the like in 1988.
"Its weird that no one has put it all together," Laver said. "I thought that maybe someone like Boris Becker would have been capable to do it. Or maybe Bjorn Borg. Or Pete Sampras. There were quite a few players that dominated their era but never were able to put it together and take a total Grand Shot of it."
And what about Federer, owner of a career-record 16 major titles?
"Federer was the latest one that I thought would unquestionably get a stab at it. He kept winning three in a year, except the French Open," Laver said, "because Nadal owns the French."
Asked why he thinks it hasnt happened since the 1960s, Laver pointed to the grandness of being injury- and illness-free and the current depth of mens tennis.
Part of what makes his achievement special is that Nadal now has benefited from the downtime during the offseason. He also doesnt take to dispense with the mounting attention and stress that would come with pursuing a very Grand Slam.
"The force of taking a Grand Slam - theres supposed to be a first and an end to it," Laver said. "Theres no real beginning or end to it if you but keep going from one class to the next. You can say, Well, Ill go at Wimbledon, or Ill get at the U.S. Open and win all four in a row.
Make no mistake: Laver is a big fan of Nadals and his manner of play.
"The travail he puts in all the time. He never gives up on shots. He keeps up his game," Laver said.
"You just marvel at how he can put so much spin on the globe and not make errors," Laver added. "You would think hed be making errors somewhere on the line. He turns that racket over and puts so much spin on the ball - but hes so accurate, with so much depth. Its capital to watch."
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