5 skillful male players who haven't won a Grand Slam ft. Richard Gasquet and Kei Nishikori
For the last two decades, the world of tennis has been dominated by the Big 3 of Rafael Nadal, Roger Federer, and Novak Djokovic. As a result, the rest of the field has found it extremely difficult to win Major tournaments. A number of gifted players have not been able to get over the line at the Grand Slam level.
Nadal, Federer, and Djokovic have won 63 Grand Slam titles between them out of a total of 78 since 2003.
Let's take a look at five players who have excelled on tour but are yet to win a coveted Grand Slam title:
#5 Gael Monfils
Gael Monfils displayed his prowess early in his career, winning the boys' singles title at the Australian Open, French Open and Wimbledon in 2004 before becoming the ITF youth world champion the same year even as French fans touted the youngster as the next big thing in tennis.
Monfils came close to realizing the French dream by making it to a historic semifinal at Roland Garros in 2008 before falling to Roger Federer 6-2, 5-7, 6-3, 7-5.
The Frenchman, who was hoping to become the first player from his country to make it to the French Open final since Henri Leconte in 1988, stretched the Swiss maestro with the backing of a huge crowd but was unable to cross the finish line.
Monfils had to wait 10 years before making it to a Grand Slam semifinals again.
Gael Monfils vs Facund Bagnis in R1 action at the 2018 US Open
youtu.be/xR5zM3Vl-4g https://t.co/4GsnuYekO8
The Frenchman struck form ahead of the 2018 US Open by making it to the semifinals of the Canadian Open as part of a nine-match winning streak before losing to Novak Djokovic.
Seeded 10th at Flushing Meadows, Monfils stormed into the semifinals without dropping a set, but lost tamely to Djokovic. The Paris-born player was far from his best in one of the biggest matches of his career and has not made it to a Grand Slam semifinal since.
Monfils did, however, advance to the quarterfinals of the Australian Open earlier this year before going down to Matteo Berrettini.
Unlike his loss to Djokovic at the US Open in 2016, the 35-year-old gave it his all under the floodlights at the Rod Laver Arena before losing to the Italian 6-4, 6-4, 3-6, 3-6, 6-2.
#4 Grigor Dimitrov
Grigor Dimitrov, a junior Wimbledon champion, made it to the semifinals at the All England Club in 2014 after losing the Australian Open quarterfinals to Nadal earlier that year.
A huge win against defending champion Andy Murray gave the Bulgarian a chance to compete in the semifinals of a Grand Slam for the first time, but Dimitrov was unable to get past eventual champion Djokovic.
Rafael Nadal halted Dimitrov's dream run at the 2017 Australian Open. Coming into the tournament after having won the Brisbane International, the Bulgarian got past Richard Gasquet and David Goffin before playing a marathon five-set classic against Nadal in the semifinals.
The Spaniard edged past Dimitrov 6-3, 5-7, 7-6(5), 6-7(4), 6-4, who would have to endure a two-year wait before getting a chance to play in another Grand Slam semifinal.
At the 2019 US Open, the Bulgarian defeated Roger Federer for the first time in his career in the quarterfinals but failed to sustain the winning momentum, going down to Daniil Medvedev in the semifinals.
#3 Nick Kyrgios
Nick Kyrgios made history in 2014 by becoming the first male debutant to advance all the way to the Wimbledon quarterfinals since Florian Mayer, who had done the same 10 years earlier.
Kyrgios' feat was all the more significant as he got past Rafael Nadal in the fourth round before losing to Milos Raonic in the quarterfinals. He also advanced to the last eight of the Australian Open in 2015 before losing to Andy Murray.
Kyrgios' biggest chance at Grand Slam glory came during the 2022 Wimbledon Championships, where he made the final against Novak Djokovic. The Aussie began in style, taking the first set, but was unable to keep the pressure up. Djokovic eventually won the contest 4-6, 6-3, 6-4, 7-6(3)
Just watching the Wimbledon final. It’s incredible how Novak was able to turn the screw as Kyrgios was serving for a 5-4 lead in set 3.
Nick was 40-0
Novak won a point to go 40-15 but he somehow knew he could break serve. Look at his body language. An incredible game 👏 https://t.co/KHCp6MKbIj
Considering his current form, the Aussie will fancy his chances of winning his maiden Grand Slam at the upcoming US Open, especially if Djokovic is not participating.
#2 Kei Nishikori
Kei Nishikori made headlines by becoming the first Asian male to reach a Grand Slam final. The Japanese star overcame Milos Raonic and Stan Wawrinka to reach the 2014 US Open semifinals before causing one of the biggest upsets of the season.
Nishikori overcame top seed and World No. 1 Novak Djokovic 6-4, 1-6, 7-6(4), 6-3 to set up a title clash with Marin Cilic. But he was unable to get the measure of the Croatian, who prevailed in straight sets in the final, smashing 17 aces on the day.
Between 2012 and 2019, Nishikori made a Grand Slam quarterfinals on nine occasions, but failed to progress further.
After losing to Nadal in the 2019 French Open quarterfinals, Nishikori candidly admitted that he wasn't good enough but vowed to "just keep working."
"I think I’ve got to keep trying to work, to finish in straight sets, but that means I’m not maybe good enough tennis-wise and also mentally. So I’ll just keep working. I think that’s going to be the next step, because I’m always stuck in the quarter-finals in Grand Slams, and I think [the] next goal is to be in the semi-finals or a final," Nishikori stated.
#1 Richard Gasquet
Richard Gasquet defeated two of his compatriots, Nicolas Mahut and Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, en route to the 2007 Wimbledon quarterfinals.
After trailing Andy Roddick by two sets in the last eight, the Frenchman launched a memorable comeback to upset the 2003 US Open champion, who was also a 2005 Wimbledon finalist, 4-6, 4-6, 7-6(2), 7-6(3), 8-6.
He fell tamely to Roger Federer in the semifinals, 7-5, 6-3, 6-4.
Gasquet's quest for Grand Slam glory was cut short by the eventual champions in the semifinals on two different occasions.
Richard Gasquet https://t.co/k8ywsU8edQ
The Frenchman was a couple of steps away from his maiden Grand Slam title when he made the last four at the 2013 US Open, but was beaten comprehensively by Rafael Nadal, who went on to win the tournament.
Novak Djokovic got the better of Gasquet in the semifinals of the 2015 Wimbledon Championships before beating Federer in the final.
Although the 36-year-old has had a remarkable career, a Grand Slam title is now surely out of reach for the elegant player from France.