Reviewing the strongest players who never won a Grand Slam, who do you feel is the greatest regret?

In the article from two days ago, I shared the ranking of players who spent the most weeks in the world top ten without ever winning a Grand Slam title. Today, we narrow the focus further to look at those who spent the most weeks in the top three yet never claimed a Grand Slam trophy.

Compared to that list, only Zverev and Ferrer made it here. Ferrer, known for his consistency, reached as high as world number three, but among these five players, he ranks last with a total of 20 weeks in the top three (0+0+20).

Zverev 135 (0+43+92)

Zverev originally had ample opportunity in the first half of this year during Sinner’s suspension to claim his first world number one crown, but unfortunately, his performance plummeted after finishing runner-up at the Australian Open. Instead of surpassing Sinner, he drifted further away from the top spot. Despite entering many tournaments as the top seed, he was often upset early.

Rios 46 (6+27+13)

Chilean Rios holds a unique record as the only male player to have reached world number one without ever winning a Grand Slam title.

Rios won 18 tour singles titles in his career, with his greatest achievement coming in 1998 when he captured seven titles, rising to world number one. Those seven titles included the Sunshine Double, and he also finished runner-up at the Australian Open.

Other notable achievements include being the first player to win all three ATP clay Masters events (Monte Carlo, Rome, Hamburg before it was downgraded), and he was also the first South American to become world number one.

However, his retirement at just 28 years old in 2004 was met with regret, and later on, many remember him for coaching Shang Juncheng.

Haas 23 (0+6+17)

German Haas once reached as high as number two in the world. His biggest accomplishments include a silver medal in men’s singles at the 2000 Sydney Olympics (losing to Kafelnikov) and winning the 2001 Stuttgart Masters. In Grand Slams, he reached the semifinals four times at the Australian and Wimbledon, and made quarterfinals at all four Slams during his career. Overall, among these five, his achievements rank the lowest.

Nalbandian 22 (0+0+22)

The Argentine is best remembered for two remarkable feats: winning the Madrid Masters by defeating three of the Big Three in succession, a unique achievement in history that commands respect.

Another highlight was entering the year-end championships as an alternate, then defeating several top players including Federer to create a miracle reminiscent of the Danish legend’s story.

As the first Argentine to reach the Wimbledon men’s singles final, he finished runner-up to Hewitt in 2002. He also reached semifinals at the 2003 US Open, 2004 French Open, and both the 2006 Australian and French Opens. Although he reached semifinals at all Grand Slams, he never advanced further. Known for raising his level against top opponents, the media called him “one of the strongest players never to win a major.”Source: Tennis Home Author: Luo Cheng Qiye)