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Patrick Mouratoglou names the greatest tennis player of all time to never win a Grand Slam

Photo by Jean Catuffe/Getty Images
Photo by Jean Catuffe/Getty Images
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Winning a Grand Slam is an incredibly difficult feat that only a tiny percentage of tennis players in history have managed.

While some stars have made it look routine, such as Novak Djokovic, Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal, most can only dream of going all the way at a major.

Many great players have come agonisingly close to winning a Grand Slam, including Tomas Berdych, Jo-Wilfried Tsonga and David Ferrer.

There is one, however, whom Serena Williams’ former coach, Patrick Mouratoglou, thinks is the greatest ever to have never held a major trophy aloft before.

Jo-Wilfried Tsonga and Novak Djokovic pose with their trophies after the 2008 Australian Open final
Photo by Cameron Spencer/Getty Images

Patrick Mouratoglou picks four great players to never win a major

In a post on Instagram, Mouratoglou said: “I have a top four, which is the four guys that were so close [to] winning a Grand Slam because at their peak they should have, but they just missed the opportunity.

“So first Marcelo Rios. He had his chance at the Australian Open against [Petr] Korda. Korda won that match. I think it was the thing that affected his career.

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“The second I would name [Guillermo] Coria. At the peak of his career he played this final of Roland Garros when he was leading two sets to love against Gaudio and he ended up losing it because of the nerves.

“Coria was most of all an incredible clay court player and this final of Roland Garros for him was something that really destroyed his career.

“Then, of course. I think of Zverev, who also had twice the chance in between the domination of Novak, Roger, Rafa and before the domination of Sinner Alcaraz, there was a moment there that he really had the chance.

“He played the final of the US Open against Thiem. A match that he could’ve won but he didn’t win and he played the final of Roland Garros against Alcaraz, at the time when Alcaraz didn’t win Roland Garros yet.

Alexander Zverev and Dominic Thiem holding their trophies after the 2020 US Open final.
Photo by Al Bello/Getty Images

“He was up two sets to one, again he didn’t win it, so he had twice the chance.

“And then I have to speak about Nalbandian, because Nalbandian reached the semifinals of the four Grand Slams, and Wimbledon he even pushed it to the final, he got killed against Hewitt in that final because he was unable to play his level.

“When he was playing his level, a lot of times he was able to beat Roger and Rafa at their peak. If I had to name one I would name Nalbandian as the best player of all time who didn’t win a Grand Slam.”

David Nalbandian’s sole appearance in a Grand Slam final

David Nalbandian reached the peak of his career in 2002, when he made the final of the Wimbledon championships.

At the All England Club that year, the Argentine put together an incredible run to reach the championship match, where he faced first-seed Lleyton Hewitt.

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Roger Federer celebrates at Wimbledon in 2017
(Getty images)

It was not to be for Nalbandian, however, as he fell in straight sets to Hewitt, 6-1, 6-3, 6-2 on Centre Court.

After that, he only went as far as the semifinals at Grand Slams, with his last final four finish coming at Roland Garros in 2006.