With just four of them up for grabs each year, winning a men’s singles title at a Grand Slam event is a difficult feat to achieve.
For example, Tim Henman was often one of the favourites heading into grand slams, but never reached a final in his career.
This was despite him having home advantage at Wimbledon, which 2002 quarter-final opponent Andre Sa recently told Betway was a massive advantage.
With that in mind, we take a look at some of the most talented male players never to win Grand Slam singles title during their careers.
The Best Male Players Never to Win a Grand Slam Singles Title
David Ferrer
With 27 career titles under his belt, it seems unthinkable that one of Spain’s best-ever tennis players was unable to win a Grand Slam.
Ferrer reached the final of the French Open in 2013, losing in straight sets to Rafael Nadal, and progressed to the quarter-finals or better on 17 occasions.
The presence of Rafael Nadal, Roger Federer, and Novak Djokovic on the tour undoubtedly prevented Ferrer from etching his name onto the Grand Slam roll of honor.
Famed for his grit and determination, Ferrer was let often let down by his serve whenever he faced the big guns.
Miloslav Mecir
Mats Wilander won three Grand Slams in 1988 but was prevented from winning a fourth by Czech star Miloslav Mecir at Wimbledon.
The Czech player dropped just seven games against Wilander to set up a mouth-watering semi-final tie against Stefan Edberg.
He opened up a 2-0 lead against the Swedish star but was unable to get the job done and eventually succumbed after five sets.
Defeated in the finals of the US Open (1986) and Australian Open (1989), it is a travesty that ‘The Big Cat’ never broke his Grand Slam duck.
David Nalbandian
If you were to put a picture alongside the phrase ‘mercurial talent’ in the dictionary, it is highly likely you would choose David Nalbandian.
He was at least on par with Federer as a junior and famously beat the Swiss, Nadal, and Djokovic on his way to winning the Madrid Open in 2007.
Nalbandian reached Wimbledon five years earlier and is the only Argentine to have progressed to the semi-finals of every Grand Slam.
He was also one point away from another final at the 2003 US Open, missing a match point in the last four against Andy Roddick.
Marcelo Rios
Rios became the first Latin American player to reach world number one in the ATP rankings in March 1998, holding the spot for six weeks.
He reached the Australian Open final that year but was beaten 6–2, 6–2, 6–2 by Petr Korda in a fairly one-sided match.
Korda was subsequently banned from tennis for a year after being caught doping, adding to the sense of frustration that Rios must have felt.
By his own admission, Rios’ temperament often let him down, but there was no doubting he was one of the most gifted players never to win a Grand Slam.
Nikolay Davydenko
Nikolay Davydenko was tremendously consistent between 2005 and 2010, but was unable to add a Grand Slam title to his impressive CV.
His first semi-final appearance at the 2005 French Open ended in a five-set defeat against Mariano Puerta – another player who later tested positive for drugs.
He played in three other semi-finals – one in France (2007) and two at the US Open (2006 & 2007), but was unable to break the glass ceiling.
Davydenko’s biggest career victory was at the ATP Finals in London in 2009, where he beat Nadal, Federer, Robin Soderling, and Juan Martin Del Potro.
