How many times have we had this debate with one of our friends, with that clubmate with whom we have been playing tennis all our lives. Who are the best tennis players in history who could not win a Grand Slam? Here are our five great candidates for this equation.
conquer a Grand Slam It means reaching the top of this sport. This is how it has been considered since its inception: they are the most prestigious tournaments, the events that have formed the backbone of the circuit since its inception and that, furthermore, have maintained their status of greatness despite the inexorable passage of time. However, many great geniuses have left an indisputable mark that goes beyond the titles in the best places on the circuit. Many, in fact, only needed to succeed in Australia, Paris, London or New York to complete a resume without any goal to meet. So, in break point It is time to analyze the five best players (retired, without counting the rackets that are still active) who have never won a Grand Slam.
– DAVID FERRER: The consensus when it comes to including Ferru on this list is broad and universal. It goes beyond flags or nationalities and refers to the ability of the man from Jávea to stay in the mix during the most competitive decade in the history of this sport. It refers to his ability to progress and improve as a player thanks, in part, to the demands imposed by the Big Three; to the constant competitive demand of him regardless of the place in which he competed… and, of course, to the fact that he was a very good tennis player. And that would be an understatement. 27 titles, more than 700 victories, a Grand Slam final (perhaps the approach and mentality that day are the biggest thorn in his career, against Rafa in Paris), a Masters 1000, seven years finishing among the top ten in the world …and the love and recognition of the entire tennis sphere, of course. And that is worth more than any Major.
– MARCELO RÍOS: Silk made a tennis player. A volcano that hid one of the most prodigious dolls in the history of sports, with an insulting ability to redirect any ball and play with the corners of the court like someone who has fun in the schoolyard with their friends. Beyond that, talking about Ríos is talking about the only player in the history of this sport to reach number one without winning a Grand Slam, a double-edged sword that will haunt him his entire life. Beyond his only failed opportunity, against Korda in Australia 1998, the Chilean was the first South American to reach the top, the first player in history to make the Masters 1000 triplet before Roland Garros (Monte Carlo, Rome and Hamburg in 1999), he won five Masters 1000 and gave lessons to names like Andre Agassi and Pete Sampras. Oh if we had enjoyed it more…
– DAVID NALBANDIÁN: Another delicious product of the South American school, another setback of a movie capable of dictating the game against the three greatest legends in the history of this sport. They called him ‘King David’ for a reason, although like many kings, he never earned the crown from it. In fact, the disappointment was double, since he did not win his long-awaited Davis Cup either. They are the shadows of a career that seemed to only take off after that lost Wimbledon final against Hewitt, who experienced very painful episodes in several Grand Slam semifinals (he collected them all) and who reached his highest points at the end of the year, being the only tennis player in history to beat Federer, Nadal and Djokovic in the same week and the same tournament. A giant killer punished by neglect and physical problems too frequently.
– TOM OKKER: The “Flying Dutchman” is, today, the player with the most titles without ever having won a Grand Slam. A forgotten name who was part of a generation of pioneers, being one of the first tennis players to use a topspin ball with some frequency. He collected all the cards possible: Ashe, Laver, Nastase, Newcombe, Emerson… he only needed to complete the album, denying Ashe his only opportunity in a US Open in which, for having signed a hybrid contract as a professional, he took the winner’s prize money (Ashe was still an amateur). In the death throes of professionalism, the son of a Jew who escaped the horror of Nazism carved out a place for himself that many historians ignore… but based on numbers and merits he had to be here.
– TOMAS BERDYCH: The name that sparked the most debate on this list, the most open place in this ranking. Even so, to talk about Berdych is to talk about a guy who had real ease and talent in practicing this sport. A player with incredibly clean hitting, someone who was truly impressive to see live and who also fell prey to the Big Three in so many final instances. Nadal blocked his way in his only Grand Slam final (which he reached after defeating, no more and no less, than Federer and Djokovic, almost nothing), denying glory to a Tomas who quickly got used to victory (his best title came very young, in Paris-Bercy 2005) and who would make consistency his hallmark, finishing seven years in a row in the top-10 and winning two Davis Cups with an unforgettable Czech Republic. A pure talent that, perhaps, fell too short.
2023-12-26 15:10:53
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