LONDON - It has been more than half a century since Australian great Rod Laver won all four majors - Wimbledon, US Open, French Open and Australian Open - in the same year for calendar year Grand Slams.
Since then no man has come close.
Novak Djokovic's 6-7(4), 6-4, 6-4, 6-3 victory over Matteo Berrettini at Wimbledon on Sunday marked the world No. 1 victory with Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal, who won 20 With Grand at the top of the men's list of all time. To slam.
That means he is the first man since Laver to win the first three Grand Slam events - the Australian Open, French Open and Wimbledon - and the dream of all four is drawing to a close.
After chasing Federer and Nadal, Djokovic at 34 is now set to make even more history.
"I certainly could have imagined it happening," Djokovic said on the court after his win. "I'm hoping. I'm definitely going to give it a shot. I'm in great form, I'm obviously playing well and playing my best tennis at Grand Slams is my top priority in my career. Let's do it continue."
Although Steffi Graf managed the calendar-year Grand Slam in 1988, no one has been able to do so, the cumulative effect, both physically and mentally, proves too much for anyone to step out of line.
As of Sunday, only Mats Wilander (1988), Jim Courier (1992) and Djokovic (2016) had won the first two Slams of the year, each losing at Wimbledon.
Now, Djokovic has all three in the bag, and the motivation to complete the deal will certainly be enough to keep him fighting all the way to the US Open.
But Matteo Berrettini's performance in the final at Wimbledon is a reminder that even though a new generation of players have yet to outshine Djokovic, Nadal and Federer, youngsters are making their lives more difficult.
Although Djokovic defeated Daniil Medvedev in three sets at the Australian Open, Stefanos Tsitsipas took two sets before Djokovic in the final of the French Open, and Berrettini gave him a tough fight at Wimbledon.
Medvedev, Tsitsipas, defending champion Dominic Thiem and last year's runner-up Alexander Zverev will all go to the US Open with hope. And that's not to mention Nadal, who has won in New York on four occasions.
Like Graf, Djokovic potentially has an Olympic sport to fit into the mix. Should he choose to play - after Sunday's win, he said he was "50/50" due to sanctions - his quest for a first Olympic gold medal in singles would be an added impetus, but also an added hurdle.
When Laver won the 1969 Grand Slam - achieved in 1962 when tennis was still amateur - three of the four events were played on grass, with the French Open being the largest on clay.
Djokovic has won the US Open three times, most recently in 2018, and what is worrying for his rivals is that Djokovic may have won his sixth Wimbledon title without playing his best ever.
For Djokovic, Federer and Nadal to win 20 Grand Slams in the same era is something that will almost certainly never be done again. They have inspired each other, pushed each other forward and continue to bring out the best in each other.
He may have joined the pair at the age of 20, but Djokovic is not satisfied yet.
"In the first three or four years, I lost most of the big matches I played against Roger and Rafa," he said. "In late 2010, early 2011 something changed. The last 10 years have been an incredible journey. It's not stopping here."
The emotions of what he has achieved, as well as the stress of putting a calendar-year Grand Slam on the line at the US Open, will make him ask the toughest questions.
But if anyone is ready to handle the pressure and get the job done, it is Djokovic.