To become great it is important to start young. Top tennis players are usually born with a racket in hand and become professionals with a long run. However, this road is not long for everyone: few excel from an early age. And a handful of them make Grand Slam history.
Sports news features those stars who at a young age gave a surprise and won a Major. Some of them repeated their feats several times, while others could not stand the pressure.
Who is the youngest champion in Grand Slam history?
Michael Chang He holds the record as the youngest champion in Grand Slam history. The American celebrated inside Roland Garros 1989 with only 17 years, 3 months and 18 days. He came into the said tournament as the 15th seed: he eliminated Ivan Lendl, world No. 1, in the round of 16 and in the final he beat Stefan Edberg 6-1, 3-6, 4-6, 6-4, 6. -2. That would be his only one major.
Chang left his record behind Boris Becker, in where Wimbledon 1985 he had achieved this at 17 years, 7 months and 14 days. The German, in turn, had surpassed his mark Mats Wilander in Roland Garros 1982 (17 years, 9 months and 13 days). They are the only three players in Open Era history to celebrate with them under 18 years of age.
The list of the 10 youngest champions in Grand Slam history
| pos. | Player | Tournament | Age |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Michael Chang (USA) | Roland Garros 1989 | 17 years, 3 months and 18 days |
| 2 | Boris Becker (Germany) | Wimbledon 1985 | 17 years, 7 months and 14 days |
| 3 | Mats Wilander (Sweden) | Roland Garros 1982 | 17 years, 9 months and 13 days |
| 4 | Bjorn Borg (Sweden) | Roland Garros 1974 | 18 years and 10 days |
| 5 | Boris Becker (Germany) | Wimbledon 1986 | 18 years, 7 months and 13 days |
| 6 | Rafael Nadal (Spain) | Roland Garros 2005 | 19 years and 2 days |
| 7 | Bjorn Borg (Sweden) | Roland Garros 1975 | 19 years and 9 days |
| 8 | Pete Sampras (USA) | US Open 1990 | 19 years and 26 days |
| 9 | Mats Wilander (Sweden) | Australian Open 1983 | 19 years, 3 months and 18 days |
| 10 | Carlos Alcaraz (Spain) | US Open 2022 | 19 years, 4 months and 7 days |
