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The elusiveness of the Triple Crown, Grand Slam

Novak Djokovic made the finals of the French Open for the first time in 2012. Can he finally win it this year?

Novak Djokovic made the finals of the French Open for the first time in 2012. Can he finally win it this year?

Still getting over Nyquist’s loss to Exaggerator at the Preakness. I know, he’s just an animal, I have no connection to him but still…We take these creatures into our hearts, don’t we? Did he peak too soon? Possibly. You’re undefeated, you’re that much closer to losing. Nobody wins forever, but the good news is that nobody loses forever either. Congrats to Exaggerator and it’s on to the Belmont Stakes. Here’s wishing Nyquist a career like California Chrome’s. Indeed, here’s wishing all the horses continued safe success.

Nyq’s third-place Preakness finish reminds us just how special American Pharoah and the previous 11 Triple Crown winners have been. There have been even fewer winners of the calendar-year Grand Slam in singles tennis, five to be exact – Maureen Connolly, Margaret Court, Steffi Graf, Don Budge and Rod Laver (twice). Can Novak Djokovic do it? He would have to win a tournament he never has, the French Open, which starts for him Monday, the second day of his 29th year.

The odds are against him. But then, if it were easy, it wouldn’t be worth attempting, would it?