5 youngest men to reach Grand Slam finals on all 3 surfaces ft. Carlos Alcaraz, Andre Agassi

Tennis is a game governed by the surface it is played on. The surface is extremely important factor as each one comes with its own set of challenges.

While grass courts cause the ball to bounce less and travel faster, it is just the reverse on clay courts, which are typically slow and high-bouncing. Meanwhile, a hard court provides a balance between the above two and is hence, often called the neutral surface. However, the court speed can vary across different hard courts, too.

Out of the four Grand Slams, two (the Australian Open & US Open) are played on hard courts and one each on clay (the French Open) and grass (Wimbledon). It is quite a difficult task to show one’s expertise across all surfaces.

However, there are certain players who are adept at playing on all three surfaces. In this article, we will take a look at the five youngest men to reach Grand Slam finals on all three surfaces.

#5. Jim Courier – 22 years, 10 months

Courier is a four-time Grand Slam champion, known for his solid baseline play and good forehand. He attained fame in 1991 as a 20-year-old, when he beat compatriot Andre Agassi in a pulsating French Open final in five sets. Later that year, Courier advanced to the US Open championship match, but Stefan Edberg gave him a sound thrashing there.

He added the Australian Open to his kitty in 1992 by beating Edberg in the final, thereby exacting revenge for his US Open final defeat the year before. He then reached the Wimbledon final in 1993, when he was two months short of his 23rd birthday, but lost to Pete Sampras in the final.

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#4. Rafael Nadal – 22 years, 6 months

Nadal was an early bloomer and took the tennis world by storm with his exploits on clay as a teenager. He won his maiden French Open title in 2005, which was the first of his four consecutive titles on the red clay of Paris.

He also reached back-to-back finals at Wimbledon in 2006 and 2007, but lost on both occasions. He won Wimbledon in 2008, but had to wait until 2009 to reach his first final at a hard-court major. Nadal won the Australian Open in January 2009 and thus accomplished the feat of reaching three Major finals on all three surfaces as a 22-year-old.

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#3. Bjorn Borg – 22 years, 2 months

Borg was famous for winning 11 Grand Slam titles in his short career. He also won the “Channel Slam” three times by winning both Wimbledon and the French Open in the same year on three separate occasions.

The Swede won his first Grand Slam title at Roland Garros in 1974 by beating Manuel Orantes in five sets in the final. He then won the Wimbledon in 1976, beating Ilie Nastase in the final in straight sets, and also finished runner-up at the US Open, which was then played on clay.

In 1978, Borg once again reached the US Open final, which was then being played on hard courts, but lost to Jimmy Connors in straight sets . He was just a couple of months into his 23rd year at the time.

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#2. Andre Agassi – 22 years, 1 month

Agassi was known for his versatility and has won each of the Grand Slams in his career. He reached his first Grand Slam final in 1990 at Roland Garros as a 20-year-old, but lost to Andres Gomez of Ecuador. He then lost to compatriot Pete Sampras, who was to become his arch-rival later, in the US Open final in the same year.

However, after those two defeats, Agassi finally tasted success at a major by winning the 1992 Wimbledon final against a big-serving Goran Ivanisevic in five sets. He thus became the youngest man ever at that time to reach the Grand Slam finals on all three surfaces.

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#1. Carlos Alcaraz – 21 years, 1 month:

Alcaraz had a dream start to his career as he won a couple of Grand Slams even before turning 21. The Spaniard reached his first Grand Slam final at the US Open in 2022, where he beat Casper Ruud. Alcaraz then won the Wimbledon title in 2023 by beating the redoubtable Novak Djokovic in a five-setter final.

Then in 2024, Alcaraz showed his clay-court prowess by reaching the final at the French Open for the first time. He beat arch-rival Jannik Sinner in the semifinal in a thrilling five-setter. The Spaniard thus broke Agassi’s record as the youngest man to reach Grand Slam finals on all surfaces.