prasen9 wrote:How about 'im? Rafael Nadal. French Open and Wimbledon in the same year. Should be a rare feat? Who are the others who have done that in the open era? Last year, Federer did it and in 2008 Nadal did it. But before that, one has to go back 24 years to 1984 and in 1981 when John McEnroe did it and 1982 when Connors did it. So, from 1984 to the late 2000s, we saw the dominance of specialists and now Federer-Nadal like McEnroe-Connors have rivalries where the players are good on multiple types of surfaces. Then, you have to go back another 12 years to Rod Laver in 1969 and 1962, his Grand Slam year. I did not go back beyond 1962. So, it seems tennis generally has specialists winning except in a few (near) consecutive years (2008-2010 and 1981-82,84), we see the dominance of a player or two who are equally competent on all surfaces.
(Italics added by me above)
Huh? McEnroe and Connors never won the French Open! Perhaps you are talking just about players winning Slams on different surfaces in the same year (Connors won Wimbledon and the US Open in 1982, as did McEnroe in 1984, when he also lost the French final to Lendl). Federer of course won Wimbledon, US Open and Australian Open together in the same year 3 times (2004, 2006, 2007). Borg won FO and Wimbledon 3 consecutive years, but rarely played the AO and never won the USO. Connors' wins at three of the Slams in 1974, I think, were all on grass! Rod Laver won a full Grand Slam in 1969 (the only time a man has done that in the Open era). Famously, Manuel Santana was the last Spaniard to win FO and Wimbledon in the same year (1966, just before the Open era), a feat Nadal has now completed twice. John Newcombe won both the AO and Wimbledon in 1973 (but I think both were on grass). Ken Rosewall won the 1970 US Open and then the 1971 Australian Open (probably both on grass), but in 1953, he won both the Australian and French titles (on different surfaces). His friend (and doubles partner) Lew Hoad won three of the Slams in 1956 (including one -- Roland Garros -- on a different surface), but Rosewall beat Hoad in the US final that year and denied him the full Grand Slam!
As Jaydeep, kna, and PKB has rightly pointed out, I got things horribly wrong! Indeed, I had thought of the USOpen and written French Open and did not remember Bjorg at all. 
