Tennis365’s Top 10 female players who failed to win a Grand Slam

Tennis365
January 2, 2018

Some players always come up short when it comes to winning a Grand Slam. Where does Caroline Wozniacki feature?

10. Agnieszka Radwanska

Former world No 2 Agnieszka Radwanska was always there or thereabouts when it came to the business end of Grand Slams, but the closest she came to winning a major was when she lost the 2012 Wimbledon final in three sets against Serena Williams.

She also has four semi-final appearances and seven quarter-final showings to her name. She will start 2018 outside the top 20 and, with the youngsters coming through, perhaps her chance to win a Slam has gone.

9. Jelena Jankovic

Jelena Jankovic spent a total of 18 weeks at No 1 during her career and in 2008 she made it into the US Open final as the second seed, but she came up against Serena Williams, with the American winning her third title at Flushing Meadows at the time.

Outside of that final, she also reached five semi-finals and two quarter-finals, but she has slipped down the world rankings in recent years.

8. Zina Garrison-Jackson
The American was a very accomplished player during the 80s and early 90s. She won 14 career titles and reached a high of No 4 in the world, but a Grand Slam title was always lacking.

Garrison-Jackson only played in one Grand Slam final, at Wimbledon in 1990, and Navratilova brushed her aside 6-4, 6-1.

7. Simona Halep

World No 1? Check. Grand Slam final appearances? Check. Grand Slam titles? Uncheck.

Simona Halep has been one of the form players on the WTA Tour since 2014 and she has twice made it all the way to the French Open final. She even took it to three sets on each occasion, but in 2014 Maria Sharapova came from a set down to win while in 2017 she was stunned by Jelena Ostapenko.

The Romanian has time on her side, though, as she is still only 26.

6. Dinara Safina
The Russian spent a total of 26 weeks at the top of the WTA Tour rankings during her career, but sadly for her she was never able to get over the line when it came to the Grand Slams.

Safina, the younger sister of former ATP Tour No 1 Marat Safin, first finished runner-up in a major when she lost the 2008 French Open against Ana Ivanovic and she was again second best at the 2009 Australian Open and 2009 French Open.

Also, despite being a professional for 11 years and despite being world No 1 for several weeks, Safina only won 12 WTA titles.

5. Mary Joe Fernández
The American reached a career high of No 4 and played in three major finals in the early 90s, but Steffi Graf (twice) and Monica Seles were just too good for her.

Fernández took world No 1 Graf to three sets in the 1993 French Open final, but the German held her nerve to win one of her many Grand Slam trophies.

She also reached five semi-finals and eight quarter-finals over a career that spanned from 1986 to 2000.

4. Pam Shriver
If you were playing tennis while Martina Navratilova and Chris Evert were at the peak of their careers, then the chances of you winning a Grand Slam were pretty slim. Oh and Shriver also had to deal with an up and coming youngster in Steffi Graf during the latter stages of her career.

The American, who reached a career high of No 2, lost her only Grand Slam final (the 1978 US Open) against Navratilova. She also lost four Grand Slam semi-finals against Navratilova, two against Graf and one against Evert.

The only consolation for Shriver is she won 21 doubles and mixed doubles Grand Slam titles.

3. Caroline Wozniacki

The question on everyone’s lips ahead the first Grand Slam of 2018 is: will Caroline Wozniacki finally break her major drought?

The Dane has had two stints as world No 1, first in 2010 and again in 2011, and appeared in two US Open finals. However, in 2009 she came up short against Kim Clijsters and then lost against Serena Williams in 2014.

Wozniacki, though, enjoyed a resurgence last year as she finished the year as world No 3 on the back of winning the biggest title of her career. Unfortunately for the Dane her biggest title is not a Grand Slam as she “only” won the WTA Finals.

2. Wendy Turnbull
The Australian has nine Grand Slam titles to her name, but none of them are in the singles as she won four doubles and five mixed doubles titles.

She was one of the best players on tour during the late 70s and early 80s, but Chris Evert stood in her way at the 1977 US Open and the 1979 French Open. She had another opportunity in the 1980 Australian Open final, but lost against Hana Mandlikova.

1. Helena Suková

The former world No 4 appeared in four Grand Slam finals, three semi-finals and 11 quarter-finals, but a major trophy always remained missing from her CV.

In the 1984 Australian Open final, it was Chris Evert who stood in her way of a Grand Slam title while at the 1986 US Open she was beaten by Martina Navratilova. Steffi Graf was the player who beat her in the 1989 Australian Open and the 1993 US Open.