Five players to spend most weeks in top 10 without winning a Grand Slam

Alexander Zverev is the only active player on the list to have not won a Grand Slam title.

The Big Four of tennis, comprising Rafael Nadal, Roger Federer, Novak Djokovic, and Andy Murray, dominated the sport from the late 2000s to the end of the succeeding decade.

Due to their astounding consistency and competitiveness, only the likes of Stan Wawrinka, Juan Martín del Potro, and Marin Cilic managed to win a few majors.

On the other side, a lot of players who would have won a Grand Slam were denied just at the final doorstep. Names such as Argentina’s David Nalbandian and Britain’s Tim Henman are excluded from the list because their time spent in the top 10 rankings was slightly shorter.

Milestone achieved for Alexander Zverev! pic.twitter.com/XdWCHjbkZ1

— US Open Tennis (@usopen) August 31, 2024

Nalbandian spent 247 weeks while Henman was in the top 10 for 240 weeks without winning a major. However, on that note, let’s take a look at the top five players to spend the most weeks in the top 10 without winning a Grand Slam.

Players with most weeks in Top 10 without a Grand Slam

5. Jo-Wilfried Tsonga: 260 weeks

One of the most prolific French tennis players of his time, Jo-Wilfried Tsonga’s best Grand Slam run came in 2008, when he reached the final at the Australian Open.

He defeated Rafael Nadal in the semifinals but later lost to Novak Djokovic in the summit clash. He also reached the semifinals of the French Open and the Wimbledon Championships twice, in addition to winning two Masters 1000 titles.

Tsonga also had an 18/53 win/loss record against the Big Four. Interestingly, Jo-Wilfried Tsonga is the only player in history to beat Novak Djokovic at the Australian Open and Roger Federer at the Wimbledon Championships, two majors that were primarily dominated by the two tennis icons.

Also Read: Top five youngest players to complete a Career Grand Slam

4. Nikolay Davydenko: 268 weeks

Nikolay Davydenko is one of only two players in history, after Novak Djokovic, to have a winning record against Rafael Nadal after playing 10 or more matches against the Spaniard. Despite not winning a Grand Slam, the former Russian tennis star achieved ample success in his professional career.

He won the Masters 1000 titles in addition to the 2009 year-end Championships, where he defeated Juan Martin del Potro in the final. Davydenko won a total of 21 titles in his professional career.

Davydenko never reached a major final but played four semi-finals (two at Roland-Garros and two at Flushing Meadows). Three out of his four semi-final losses were courtesy of Roger Federer.

Nikolay Davydenko, the so called "weak era player", better touch at the net than 90 % of the players today pic.twitter.com/sFvfEnT0B2

— Raz (@RazOlsRF) June 26, 2025

3. David Ferrer: 358 weeks

After his return, David Ferrer’s tenacity was his second-best weapon on the court. The former Spanish tennis star often dominated his rivals with his agility and consistency throughout the game.

However, despite his efforts, he consistently fell short of winning a Grand Slam title. His best run in a major came during the 2013 season, when he reached the final at Roland-Garros, only to lose against the King of Clay and fellow compatriot, Rafael Nadal.

Ferrer also played seven Masters finals during his professional career and ended on the losing side on six occasions. His only Masters 1000 title came in London in 2012, where he beat Jerzy Janowicz in the final.

All the other six finals that he lost were against the Big Four. However, he had a total of 27 career titles at the time of his retirement in 2019.

2. Tomas Berdych: 369 weeks

Tomas Berdych is often regarded as one of the best tennis players to have never won a Grand Slam. Berdych dominated the game with his forehand, serve and offensive play from the baseline.

He barely had any flaws as an all-in attacking tennis star; however, his chances of winning the Grand Slams were depleted by the emergence of the Big Three.

The former ATP World No. 4’s most memorable Grand Slam campaign came at the SW19 in 2010, when he ended as the runner-up in the Wimbledon Championships.

Seeded 12th, he defeated Roger Federer in a four-set clash in the quarterfinals before stunning Novak Djokovic in the semifinals in straight sets. Despite his heroic wins, he lost to Rafael Nadal in the summit clash. Berdych won 13 ATP-level singles titles in his professional career.

1. Alexander Zverev: 373 weeks

German tennis star Alexander Zverev has spent the most weeks in the ATP top 10 rankings without winning a Grand Slam title. Zverev has reached the final of three out of the four Grand Slams, except the Wimbledon Championships, but has always ended on the bitter side.

In 2025, he was the only player, except Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz, to reach a major final, just to lose in straight sets.

While the German tennis star has won an Olympic gold medal, his career-best ranking is 2. Aged 28, Zverev would still look forward to winning a Grand Slam title while staying fit mentally and physically.

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