Tennis Legends - Yevgeny Kalfenikov: Last man to win singles and doubles titles at the same Grand Slam

At the 1996 French Open, Yevgeny Kafelnikov claimed both the men's singles and doubles titles in Paris. No man has achieved this at a major since. The Russian was the last leading male player to regularly feature in singles and doubles competition. It earned him the nickname ‘Iron Man' for the intense schedule he played.

Born to parents Valentina and Aleksandre on February, 18th 1974, in the 2014 Winter Olympic city of Sochi. Kafelnikov turned professional in 1992 and quickly ascended up the rankings. He rose over 170 places from the end of 1992 and by the close of 1993.

The 1994 season witnessed Kafelnikov harvest his first career titles. The maiden success materialised at an Australian Open preparatory event in Adelaide. He went on that season to lift trophies in Copenhagen and Long Island.

Kafelnikov played all four majors for the first time in 1994. The best result was a last-16 appearance in the US Open.

A quartet of titles was amassed by the Russian in 1995. This haul included a successful defence of his crown in Long Island. He also secured a maiden home triumph in St Petersburg and a first clay court trophy at the Swiss Open in Gstaad. The 1995 term represented a significant improvement in the Grand Slams. Kafelnikov reached the last eight in Australia and Wimbledon either side of an inaugural major semi-final at the French Open, where he was beaten by eventual winner Thomas Muster. He finished the season at number six in the world, his first time ending the season ensconced amongst the top ten.

Victory in the preparatory event for the Australian Open in Adelaide kicked off the 1996 campaign in fine style for Kafelnikov. He then followed this with a run to the last eight at the Melbourne major.

Kafelnikov went into the season's second Grand Slam, the French Open, having picked up a title on clay in Prague. Now firmly established in the top ten, Kafelnikov went into Roland Garros as a contender. After a succession of straight set victories to reach the last eight, Kafelnikov dropped a set - the only one he'd give up all tournament - against Dutchman Richard Krajicek.

He then bested top seed Pete Sampras in the semis, losing just two games in the last two sets. In the title match Kafelnikov prevailed in a trio of tight sets against Michael Stich. He became the first Russian to win a singles major.

Kafelnikov’s winning in Paris that year included a triumph alongside Czech Daniel Vacek in the men's doubles. A 6-2, 6-3 victory over the Swiss/French combination of Jakob Hlasek and Guy Forget gave Kafelnikov a glorious French double.

He remains the last man to win both singles and doubles titles at the same Grand Slam. Already at this point, Kafelnikov was an outlier amongst leading male singles players to be playing a full doubles schedule in tandem with his singles one. The increasing physicality of men's tennis means he could be the last for many more decades to come. A triumvirate of finals indoors were reached at the end of 1996, with a trophy lift in Lyon. It helped Kafelnikov finish in third once the final rankings for the season were published.

The 1997 season yielded three tournament wins for Kafelnikov. This haul included a maiden title on grass at the Gerry Weber Open in Halle. His defence of the French Open title ended at the quarter-final stage. He ended the season ranked number five.

Kafelnikov found the going a little tougher in 1998. His record in the majors returned nothing better than a last 16 appearance in New York. He managed a treble of titles, including successful defences at Halle and Moscow. A failure to go deeper at the Grand Slams, however, saw him finish the year outside the top ten.

Kafelnikov had been absent from the Australian Open in 1997 and 1998. His return in 1999 developed into outright glory. The route to his second major final saw him prevail in a bruising five-set clash with Romanian Andrei Pavel in the fourth round. He then followed this victory with straight-sets triumphs over Todd Martin and Tommy Haas.

In the title match, Kafelnikov bounced back from losing the opening set to win in four over Swede Thomas Enqvist. He became the first Russian player, male or female, to win an Australian Open singles title.

Kafelnikov added further titles in 1999 at the indoor tournaments in Moscow and Russia. He also made the last four at the US Open. Ending the year at world number two, his highest year-end ranking. 2000 developed into a golden year for Kafelnikov. A singles gold medal at the Sydney Olympics proved to be the highlight of a campaign that saw him finish inside the world's top five.

His defence of the Australian Open was a strong one, losing in four sets to Andre Agassi in the final. The remaining Slams were less productive in 2000, but his year illuminated when at the Olympics he defeated Tommy Haas to claim singles gold. He then went on to defend his crown in Moscow.

The 2001 season witnessed Kafelnikov reach the latter stages at three of the four Grand Slams. A quarter-finalist in Melbourne and Paris and then he made the semis in New York, winning just four games in defeat to Lleyton Hewitt. Two titles were amassed in 2001. The first coming in Marseille early in the year and then clinching a fifth consecutive Kremlin Cup title in Moscow. Winning any ATP event five times in succession puts in him a very exclusive club.

A failure to progress beyond round three at any of the majors represented a downturn in fortunes for Kafelnikov. His season was redeemed a little by trophy lifts in Tashkent and Halle. The lack of deep runs at majors hurt his ranking as a season where he started at four saw him descend to finish the 2002 campaign at 27.

Kafelnikov failed to spark a reversal in form the following season. His Grand Slam record in 2003 saw a third round showing at the US Open act as his best result. It was a season where he obtained no silverware for the first time since 1993. Although he didn't officially retire until 2010, Kafelnikov never played again after 2003. He finished with 26 titles from 46 ATP finals. His duration as world number one lasted six weeks. He's the only man in the Open Era to win multiple Grand Slams without claiming a Masters 1000 title.

In addition to his combined singles and doubles success at the 1996 French Open, Kafelnikov bagged further Grand Slam titles in men's doubles.

Partnering with Vacek, they defended their French Open crown in 1997 and later that year followed it up with Stateside glory at the US Open. In 2002, pairing with Dutchman Paul Haarhuis, they defeated Mark Knowles and Daniel Nestor to win the French Open. The following year, they lost the Roland Garros final to Bob and Mike Bryan.

Kafelnikov accrued 27 ATP doubles titles from 41 finals. He achieved a doubles high ranking of 4. Kafelnikov represented Russia with great distinction. Olympic gold in Sydney was supplemented by Davis Cup glory.

Teaming up with Marat Safin and Mikhail Youzhny, Russia bested France 3-2 in an absorbing final. Kafelnikov lost both a singles and a doubles rubber.

His retirement was abrupt, and there were accusations years later that it could have been down to corruption on the part of Kafelnikov. A Russian volleyball player, Aleksey Spiridonov, made the claims in 2021, saying Kafelnikov placed bets against him during his career. Kafelnikov emphatically rebutted these allegations.

A keen golfer, Kafelnikov had often been envious of the greater prize money on offer in golf. He even teed it up on the European Tour a handful of times. He was victorious at the 2011 Russian Amateur Championship.

Early in the regime of Vladimir Putin, Kafelnikov was on reasonable terms with him. The more Putin’s government increased its silencing of dissent and carried out barbaric actions, the more Kafelnikov became an outspoken critic of Putin. He aligned himself with arguably the most famous of Putin's opponents, Alexei Navalny. Kafelnikov chose not to vote in the 2018 elections due to the absence of Navalny’s name on the ballot sheet.

Kafelnikov is married to Masha, and they have a daughter, Alesya, who is a model. He was inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame in 2019 after having previously missed out when nominated in 2012.

Kafelnikov is the last of a kind. He's the last leading male singles player to pursue a regular doubles career concurrently. His status of being the last man to win singles and doubles titles at the same Grand Slam could stand for decades to come.