The 9 men to reach world No 1 but never win US Open title – ft. incumbent Jannik Sinner, Bjorn Borg
The US Open is one of the biggest titles up for grabs – and several all-time greats of the game have lifted the title.
But, while tennis icons such as all of the ‘Big Three’, Pete Sampras, and Andre Agassi have all lifted the title, it has eluded some of the very best to play the game.
Here, we look at the nine men who have reached world No 1 in the ATP Rankings but never lifted the US Open title.
Bjorn Borg
It is quite staggering that Borg, one of the greatest players in the sport’s history, never won the US Open title.
The Swede is best remembered for his five straight Wimbledon victories but also won six French Open titles, and spent 109 weeks at the top of the ATP Rankings.
However, the 11-time Grand Slam winner lost all four of his finals in New York.
Borg was beaten in the 1976 and 1978 finals by Jimmy Connors, and then in the 1980 and 1981 finals by John McEnroe.
Jim Courier
One of the best players of the early 1990s, Courier is perhaps the best American player of the Open Era never to win his home major.
Courier spent an impressive 58 weeks as the world No 1 and won four Grand Slam titles in his career, with two Australian Open and two French Open victories.
His best US Open result came in 1991, where he was thrashed by Stefan Edberg in one of the most lopsided finals ever.
Gustavo Kuerten
The ever-popular Kuerten is still a beloved figure in the sport, and is best remembered for his three French Open triumphs.
The Brazilian won Roland Garros three times in the space of five years and spent 43 weeks as the No 1 ranked player, but never won a major outside of Paris.
Kuerten’s best US Open results were two quarter-final runs in 1999 and 2001.
Jannik Sinner
The reigning No 1 player in the world, Sinner has the chance to remove himself from this group this week.
Sinner captured his first Grand Slam title at the Australian Open in January and rose to the No 1 ranking in June, spending 12 weeks at the top so far.
The US Open has been his weakest major so far, with just one quarter-final showing in 2022.
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Juan Carlos Ferrero
Ferrero is currently in the spotlight for being the long-time coach of Carlos Alcaraz, but it is important to remember he was a hugely accomplished player in his own right.
The Spaniard won 16 career titles and spent eight weeks as the world No 1, with his most famous victory being his 2003 French Open triumph.
That was his only major victory but he did come close to winning in New York, also reaching the US Open final in 2003 – losing to Andy Roddick.
Thomas Muster
Austrian star Muster was one of the leading clay courters of his generation and is best remembered for his exploits on the surface, most notably his triumph at the 1995 French Open.
However, outside of that run, he was the winner of 44 career singles titles and was the world No 1 for eight weeks.
Muster never reached a major final outside of Roland Garros, and his best US Open results were quarter-final showings in 1993, 1994, and 1996.
Marcelo Rios
Rios holds a unique place in tennis history, being the only man to reach the world No 1 ranking without winning a Grand Slam singles title.
The Chilean spent six weeks as the world No 1 shortly after reaching the 1998 Australian Open final, which proved to be his sole Grand Slam final.
Rios’s best US Open result was reaching the last eight in 1997.
Yevgeny Kafelnikov
The first Russian – male or female – to be ranked world No 1 in singles, Kafelnikov had a career to saviour.
He won four doubles Slams but was also the 1996 French Open and 1999 Australian Open singles champion, alongside winning gold at Sydney 2000.
Kafelnikov was twice a US Open semi-finalist, reaching that stage in 1999 and 2001, though never reached the final.
Carlos Moya
The winner of 20 ATP Tour singles titles, Moya became Spain’s first male world No 1 thanks to a two-week reigning in 1999.
That came after he had won his sole Slam title at the 1998 French Open, having finished as the runner-up at the Australian Open the previous year.
Moya never reached the final in New York but did progress to the last four in 1998.
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