Nissan to lay off thousands of workers as sales drop    Trump picks Susan Wiles as White House chief of staff    Three charged in connection with Liam Payne's death    Israel passes law to deport relatives of attackers, including citizens    Monkey mayhem in South Carolina after 43 primates escape research facility    Russian anti-war teenager faces five years in jail after failed appeal    Uproar in Ghana after president unveils his own statue    BD and INS partner to elevate standards of infusion care in MENAT    Qassim emir launches 52 health projects costing a total of SR456 million    Dubai Design Week launches its 10th edition, celebrating creativity and innovation    Fakeeh Care Group reports 9M-2024 net profit of SR195.3 million, up 49% y-o-y driven by solid revenue growth and robust profitability    GASTAT: Passengers of public transport bus and train soar 176% and 33% respectively in 2023    HRT does not impact life expectancy — UK health body    Liam Payne's body to be flown back to the UK    Arab leaders and heads of state congratulate US President-elect Donald Trump    Neymar suffers muscle tear, out for 4-6 weeks    Suspect arrested for banking fraud totaling SR493 million as Nazaha pursues corruption charges    Al Nassr secures 5-1 victory over Al Ain to edge closer to knockout stage    Al Ahli extends perfect start with 5-1 victory over Al Shorta    Mitrovic's hat-trick leads Al Hilal to 3-0 victory over Esteghlal    India puts blockbuster Pakistani film on hold    The Vikings and the Islamic world    Filipino pilgrim's incredible evolution from an enemy of Islam to its staunch advocate    Muted Eid celebrations for millions of Nigerian Muslims    Exotic Taif Roses Simulation Performed at Taif Rose Festival    Asian shares mixed Tuesday    Weather Forecast for Tuesday    Saudi Tourism Authority Participates in Arabian Travel Market Exhibition in Dubai    Minister of Industry Announces 50 Investment Opportunities Worth over SAR 96 Billion in Machinery, Equipment Sector    HRH Crown Prince Offers Condolences to Crown Prince of Kuwait on Death of Sheikh Fawaz Salman Abdullah Al-Ali Al-Malek Al-Sabah    HRH Crown Prince Congratulates Santiago Peña on Winning Presidential Election in Paraguay    SDAIA Launches 1st Phase of 'Elevate Program' to Train 1,000 Women on Data, AI    41 Saudi Citizens and 171 Others from Brotherly and Friendly Countries Arrive in Saudi Arabia from Sudan    Saudi Arabia Hosts 1st Meeting of Arab Authorities Controlling Medicines    General Directorate of Narcotics Control Foils Attempt to Smuggle over 5 Million Amphetamine Pills    NAVI Javelins Crowned as Champions of Women's Counter-Strike: Global Offensive (CS:GO) Competitions    Saudi Karate Team Wins Four Medals in World Youth League Championship    Third Edition of FIFA Forward Program Kicks off in Riyadh    Evacuated from Sudan, 187 Nationals from Several Countries Arrive in Jeddah    SPA Documents Thajjud Prayer at Prophet's Mosque in Madinah    SFDA Recommends to Test Blood Sugar at Home Two or Three Hours after Meals    SFDA Offers Various Recommendations for Safe Food Frying    SFDA Provides Five Tips for Using Home Blood Pressure Monitor    SFDA: Instant Soup Contains Large Amounts of Salt    Mawani: New shipping service to connect Jubail Commercial Port to 11 global ports    Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques Delivers Speech to Pilgrims, Citizens, Residents and Muslims around the World    Sheikh Al-Issa in Arafah's Sermon: Allaah Blessed You by Making It Easy for You to Carry out This Obligation. Thus, Ensure Following the Guidance of Your Prophet    Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques addresses citizens and all Muslims on the occasion of the Holy month of Ramadan    







Thank you for reporting!
This image will be automatically disabled when it gets reported by several people.



Tennis Grand Slam and other rare sports feats
Published in The Saudi Gazette on 12 - 09 - 2015


LONDON — Two more wins.
That's all Serena Williams needs to complete the Grand Slam, a feat so rare that it has been accomplished just six times in tennis history.
Steffi Graf was the last winner, taking all four major tournaments in 1988.
Williams has already won four straight major titles, dating back to last year's US Open, but she has never won all four in the same year.
“I don't know why it took me so long,” Williams said after winning her quarterfinal match Wednesday night.
Williams would be the fourth woman to win the Grand Slam, joining Graf, Maureen Connolly and Margaret Court. Martina Navratilova once won six straight Grand Slam tournaments, but never won all four in the same year.
On the men's side, Don Budge also won six straight, while Rod Laver twice completed the calendar-year Grand Slam but never won more than four in a row.
Here's a look at some rare accomplishments in sports:
Baseball
Throwing a perfect game is the pinnacle of pitching and hitting .400 in a season is the benchmark for batting, but neither are the rarest feats in baseball.
Major league pitchers have thrown 23 perfect games and 27 hitters have finished with .400 averages — none since Ted Williams in 1941.
Compare that to hitting two grand slams in one game, something that has happened 13 times, the last coming in 2009 by Josh Willingham of the Washington Nationals. Or an unassisted triple play, which has only happened 15 times.
Seventeen hitters have won the triple crown — leading the league in average, home runs and RBI — including Miguel Cabrera in 2012. Williams and Rogers Hornsby did it twice.
Basketball
In the NBA, there is one mark that stands above all others: Wilt Chamberlain's 100 points in a game set in 1962.
The closest anyone has come to matching that was Kobe Bryant in 2006 when the Los Angeles Lakers star scored 81 points.
Chamberlain's feat was no fluke. He holds six places in the top 10 scoring list, and 15 in the top 20.
Another rarity in basketball is the quadruple-double. Only four players have reached double-digits in four categories in a game: David Robinson, Hakeem Olajuwon, Alvin Robertson and Nate Thurmond.
Robinson, Olajuwon and Thurmond all did it in points, assists, rebounds and blocked shots, while Robertson did it with steals instead of blocks.
Football
Only seven times has a player rushed for more than 2,000 yards in a season — the last coming in 2012 when Adrian Peterson ran for 2,097 yards.
And only one player, O.J. Simpson, managed to run for 2,000 yards while playing 14 games. All the others played in 16 games.
The 1972 Miami Dolphins remain the only pro team with an undefeated season, winning all 17 games they played.
In college football, Archie Griffin stands alone as the only player to win the Heisman Trophy twice.
Hockey
Goal-scoring goaltenders — now that's a rarity.
Only 11 goalies have scored in NHL games, the first coming in 1979 when Billy Smith of the New York Islanders was given credit for a goal after the puck when into the net off an opposing player.
The most recent came from Mike Smith of the Phoenix Coyotes in 2013 from a shot on goal.
Soccer goalkeepers have a much higher ratio of scoring. Rogerio Ceni of Brazil is credited with 130 goals in his career — mainly from penalties and free kicks.
Golf
The rarest shot in golf? The almost-mythical condor.
That's when a player scores a 4-under on one hole, essentially a hole-in-one on a par-5.
There have supposedly been at least four condors in history, though none in official tour tournaments or on professionally accredited courses.
As for golf's version of the Grand Slam, winning all four majors in one season, only Bobby Jones in 1930 has done it. Back then, the four biggest tournaments were the British Open, US Open, British Amateur and US Amateur.
Tiger Woods did win four modern majors in a row, but not all in the same year. He won the US Open, the British Open and the PGA Championship in 2000 and then the Masters in 2001.
No woman has won four majors in one year, but Babe Didrikson Zaharias won all three majors played in 1950.
Horse racing
The Triple Crown in horse racing has only been accomplished 12 times, including this year when American Pharoah won the Kentucky Derby, Preakness Stakes and Belmont Stakes.
The previous triple crown came in 1978, when Affirmed matched the feat achieved by Seattle Slew a year earlier. — AP


Clic here to read the story from its source.