5 singles players who have won an Olympic gold but never won a Grand Slam
For any professional tennis player, winning a coveted tournament is a great achievement – whether it is a Grand Slam, an Olympic Gold, a year-end championship, or a tournament on the ATP or WTA Tour.
Over the years, a number of great players have graced the court and have won many tournaments throughout their playing careers. Some of them have won Grand Slams, some of them have won Olympic golds and some of them have won even both.
However, there have been a few players who have won an Olympic gold medal but weren’t able to capture a single Grand Slam title. Let’s take a look at five such singles players.
#5. Marc Rosset
Prior to the arrival of Roger Federer and Stan Wawrinka, Marc Rosset was by far the best tennis player to have come out of Switzerland.
During his career, Rosset won the Men’s Doubles title at the 1992 French Open partnering fellow countryman Jakob Hlasek and a few months later, created a major upset by winning the gold medal at the singles tournament of the 1992 Barcelona Olympics where he defeated top seed Jim Courier in the third round and fourth seeded Goran Ivanisevic in the semi-finals before defeating Spaniard Jordi Arrese in a tough five-setter final.
However, Rosset never laid his hands on a Grand Slam singles title. His all-time highest ATP ranking was 9. The closest Rosset ever came to winning a Grand Slam was during the 1996 French Open where he reached the semi-finals before losing to eventual runner-up Michael Stich in straight sets.
His best performance at the Australian Open was in 1999 where he reached the quarter-finals before losing to eventual runner-up Thomas Enqvist in straight sets. Rosset’s best performances at the Wimbledon and US Open has been fourth round appearances in 2000 and 1995 respectively.