The best ATP player to never win a Grand Slam is often discussed at length, but who is the best woman yet to win a major?
Many fans accept that Alexander Zverev is the male recipient of that title, having lost three Grand Slam finals.
But on the women’s side, it’s tougher to pick…
Czechia’s Karolina Pliskova is certainly a strong contender, losing two major finals and reaching world number one.
However, Australian doubles legend Todd Woodbridge picked someone else.
Todd Woodbridge says Belinda Bencic is one of the best players yet to win a Grand Slam
Appearing as a guest on ‘The Tennis‘ podcast, Woodbridge agreed with his co-hosts that Belinda Bencic would be a deserving winner of the ‘Comeback Player of the Year’ award.
“I agree [she should win comeback player of the year],” he said.
“[Marketa] Vondrousova is probably close, but when I watch both of them over the last couple of years, and their life journeys. Vondrousova, I know she got injured, but I saw her lose interest for a while; she just didn’t maintain the intensity.
2025 ‘Comeback Player of the Year’ nominees
| Nominee | 2024 year-end rank | 2025 year-end rank | Ranking jump | 2025 titles |
| Belinda Bencic | 481 | 11 | +470 | 2 |
| Marketa Vondrousova | 39 | 34 | +5 | 1 |
| Sorana Cirstea | 70 | 43 | +27 | 1 |
| Barbora Krejcikova | 10 | 65 | -55 | 0 |
| Anastasija Sevastova | 372 | 199 | +173 | 0 |
“After winning Wimbledon, she found it harder.
“Whereas Belinda Bencic just wanted to come back and succeed after having her child, and it just looked right for me.
“She also goes down for me, and I hope she achieves this. I think she’s one of the best players never to win a major.”
Who do you think can win a Grand Slam for the first time in 2026?
That’s certainly high praise from Woodbridge, but how close has Bencic been to winning a major?
Belinda Bencic’s Grand Slam record
Making her Grand Slam debut at the 2014 Australian Open, Bencic has attended 36 major tournaments throughout her career.
| Grand Slam | 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 |
| Australian Open | 2R | 1R | 4R | 1R | 2R | 3R | 3R | 3R | 2R | 4R | – | 4R |
| French Open | 1R | 2R | – | – | 2R | 3R | – | 2R | 3R | 1R | – | – |
| Wimbledon | 3R | 4R | 2R | – | 4R | 3R | – | 1R | 1R | 4R | – | SF |
| US Open | QF | 3R | 3R | – | 1R | SF | – | QF | 3R | 4R | – | 2R |
Belinda Bencic’s Grand Slam breakdown
- W – 0
- F – 0
- SF – 2
- QF – 2
- 4R – 7
- 3R – 10
- 2R – 8
- 1R – 7
Belinda Bencic’s Grand Slam win %
- Australian Open – 18-11 (62%)
- French Open – 7-7 (50%)
- Wimbledon – 19-9 (68%)
- US Open – 22-9 (71%)
Bencic wasn’t all that far away from winning her first Grand Slam earlier this year at Wimbledon.
Travelling to SW19 without a seed next to her name, Bencic soon found her footing on the grass.
Beating Alycia Parks, Elsa Jacquemot, and Elisabetta Cocciaretto, the Swiss star booked her place in the last 16.
Which tennis player am I thinking of?
There, she defeated Russia’s Ekaterina Alexandrova in straight sets, 7-6, 6-4.
Standing between Bencic and a first Grand Slam semifinal in six years was another Russian, Mirra Andreeva.
In one of the most tense matches of the 2025 Wimbledon Championships, Bencic defeated Andreeva in two tiebreakers, 7-6 (7-3), 7-6 (7-2), advancing to the final four.
Unfortunately for Bencic, she failed in her bid to reach a maiden major final, winning just two games in a comprehensive defeat to the eventual champion, Iga Swiatek.
Only time will tell if she can return to the latter stages of a Grand Slam in 2026, but you certainly won’t want to miss any of the action.
Bencic will no doubt target a run to the second week of the Australian Open, which begins on Sunday, January 18, 2026.
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