Top five players with longest gap between two Grand Slam final appearances

By reaching the Australian Open final, Madison Keys has made her final Grand Slam final since 2017.

The WTA and ATP tours are brimming with accomplished players with plenty of accolades, personal milestones, records and trophies in the bag. In tennis, a Grand Slam trophy represents the pinnacle of the sport—every player who walks onto the tennis court dreams of getting their hands on one.

Since the dawn of the Open Era in 1968, plenty of tennis greats have ruled the roost. Bjorn Borg, Chris Evert, Billie Jean King, John McEnroe, Martina Navratilova, Rod Laver, Pete Sampras, Serena and Venus Williams, Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic and Andy Murray, to name a few.

Since 2020, newer faces have made their way to the sport. With the likes of Jannik Sinner, Carlos Alcaraz, Aryna Sabalenka, Iga Swiatek, Coco Gauff, and Jack Draper among the wins, the future of tennis is bright.

Among the men and women of the tour, some seek and find Grand Slam glory after considerable time on the sidelines. These athletes have returned to the finals at Grand Slams after a lengthy absence.

Players with longest gap between two Grand Slam final appearances

Goran Ivanisevic (1994 Wimbledon – 1998 Wimbledon)

Big-serving Croatian Goran Ivanisevic has 22 ATP titles to his name. Among them are two ATP 1000 titles and one at a Grand Slam venue—Wimbledon. Ivanisevic took to the grass courts of Wimbledon early on, reaching his first final at SW19 in 1992. The Croat also reached the finals in 1994 and 1998 before finally getting his hands on the trophy in 2001. Ivanisevic overcame Australian Pat Rafter in a lengthy five-setter. 

Between his second and third Wimbledon finals, Ivanisevic spent four years looking for a Grand Slam breakthrough. In between, he won the Grand Slam Cup, along with events at Rotterdam and Dubai, to name a few. His best result at a major between 1994-98 was a last-four appearance at the US Open, where he lost to Pete Sampras.

Also Read: Top five men’s singles players to win Wimbledon title with most games dropped in Open Era

Marketa Vondrousova (2019 French Open – 2023 Wimbledon)

Marketa Vondrousova surprised the tennis fraternity by making the finals at the 2019 French Open. It was the first time Vondrousva found herself in the second week at a Grand Slam. With a WTA ranking of No. #38, the Czech player stormed into the final without dropping a set. In the title round, she took on the World No. #8 Ashleigh Barty, where she lost to the Australian in straight sets.

It would be four whole years before Vondrousova would find herself fighting it out for another Grand Slam trophy. On this occasion, the venue was Wimbledon, one of the most prestigious events in tennis. En route to the title, she took out fellow Czech Marie Bouzkova in the round of 16. She followed it up with victories over fourth-seed Jessica Pegula in the quarters and sixth-ranked Ons Jabeur in the finals to take home the Venus Rosewater Dish.

Alexander Zverev (2020 US Open – 2024 French Open)

Alexander Zverev is perhaps one of the most consistent players on the ATP tour. Yet, a Grand Slam title eludes the German. Having won the ATP Masters 1000 Rome last season, he followed it up with an appearance in the finals at Roland Garros. Once there, he went down fighting against Carlos Alcaraz. The World No. #2 lost the opportunity to bag a maiden Grand Slam trophy after he lost the 2-1 lead to lose in five sets.  

Zverev’s 2024 title run in Paris followed four years after he made the US Open finals in 2020. That year, he came up short against Austrian Dominic Thiem in the title round to lose another five-setter despite taking an early 2-0 lead against Thiem.

The following season saw Zverev bag the Olympic gold and ATP Masters events at Madrid and Cincinnati. He also won his second ATP Finals event to add to his win in 2018.

Also Read: Top five fastest serves in Grand Slam history

Barbora Krejcikova (2021 French Open – 2024 Wimbledon)

Barbora Krejcikova broke through the crowd in 2021 when she won her maiden Grand Slam title at Roland Garros. It was her first-time playing the finals at any major. The Czech defeated an up-and-coming Coco Gauff in the last eight in straight sets. In the finals, Krejcikova overcame Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova from a set down to clinch the Suzanne-Lenglen Cup.

Fast forward to Wimbledon 2024, and Krejcikova claimed the women’s singles trophy, ensuring the Venus Rosewater Dish remained in Czech hands for another season. She put on a dominant performance, sending home four top 20 players en route to the title. Her list of victims included 2022 Wimbledon champion and WTA No. #4 Elena Rybakina and No. #7 Jasmine Paolini.

Madison Keys (2017 US Open – 2025 Australian Open)

Madison Keys has spent a long time waiting to make another title-round appearance. The last final she reached was on home turf at the 2017 US Open. Seven years later, the American has advanced to the 2025 Australian Open finals. The 29-year-old Keys then went to defeat the two-time defending champion Aryna Sabalenka in three sets to claim her maiden Grand Slam title.

The eight-year gap between two Grand Slam finals saw her surpassing Amélie Mauresmo (7 years). With that Keys also became the oldest woman to be a singles finalist at the Australian Open. Serena (36 years) and Venus Williams (37 years), who reached the championship round in 2017, remain the oldest finalists at the venue.

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