3 multiple Grand-Slam winners who failed to win the Wimbledon

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The Wimbledon, also known as the Big W, is the most prestigious tournament in tennis. Since its inception in 1877, the annual tournament held in the All England Club of London has been the premier tennis event in the world.

It has a glorious tradition and remains the most elusive of all Grand Slams. It is the 3rd Grand Slam in a calendar year and usually held in the month of July. Also, it is held on the faster grass-court and suits the players with big serves and good volleys.

Most of the greats of the game have been able to win the big W. Roger Federer has won it 8 times, the most by any player. Pete Sampras won 7 Wimbledon titles and Bjorn Borg managed to win 5. Other players like Novak Djokovic and Boris Becker have won 3 or more Wimbledon titles.

Even a clay-court specialist like Rafael Nadal has managed to win the Wimbledon. But there have been some greats of the game, who have won multiple Grand Slams but failed to win the Wimbledon. The failure to win the biggest prize in tennis remains the only blot in their otherwise fabulous career.

We would like to discuss 3 such players in this article:

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#1 Ivan Lendl

Ivan Lendl

Lendl is most definitely the most successful player who has failed to win the Wimbledon. He won 8 Grand Slam titles and 94 singles titles overall in his brilliant career and was the World No. 1 for 270 weeks. He was a typical baseliner, had a great return and a fabulous single-handed backhand and was also known for his athleticism and court-coverage.

However, he lacked a great serve and was not very comfortable going to the net. Moreover, his career coincided with those of great grass-court players like Bjorn Borg, John McEnroe, Jimmy Connors, Boris Becker and Stefan Edberg. As a result, he could not manage to win the elusive title even once in his career.

The closest Lendl went to the title were in 1986 and 1987, when he lost to Becker and Pat Cash respectively in the finals. He managed to make the semifinal again in 1989 but lost to eventual champion Becker. Lendl was very comfortable on the red clay of Roland Garros or the hard courts of Flushing Meadows and Melbourne, but somehow could not cut it in the Wimbledon.

#2 Mats Wilander

Mats Wilander

Wilander was another baseliner who blossomed on clay-courts, but could not win any Grand slam on grass. The Swede won 7 career Grand Slams, but did not manage to win the Wimbledon title. He was also the World No. 1 for 20 weeks. He won the French Open and the Australian Open 3 times each, but the Big W always eluded him. He actually won the Australian Open while it was still being played on grass-courts, but could not repeat the feat in London.

Wilander too, lacked a big serve and net skills and had to contend with the likes of McEnroe, Becker, Connors and compatriot Edberg in the Wimbledon. Therefore, he could never even make it to the final. He lost in the quarter-finals of 3 consecutive Wimbledons in 1987, 1988 and 1989.

Wilander was the top-seed in the tournament in 1988, but got eliminated in the quarter final itself. He retired in 1996 with an impressive trophy-haul from which the Wimbledon was missing.

#3 Jim Courier:

Jim Courier

Courier almost always wore a cap on the court, but could not add the Wimbledon title as a feather to it. He was the World No. 1 for 58 weeks and also won 4 Grand Slams in his career, but could not win the Wimbledon.

The closest he got was in 1993, when he lost to Pete Sampras in a classic 4-setter in the final. Courier had a decent serve on him and also a great double-handed backhand, but was a baseliner primarily and did not have the requisite volleying skills to win the title.

Moreover, his career coincided with that of Pete Sampras, arguably the greatest grass-court player of all time. Sampras won the Wimbledon 7 times in 8 years from 1993 to 2000 and virtually owned the hallowed grass-courts during that decade. He beat Courier once in the Wimbledon and was one of the reasons behind the latter’s failure to win the prestigious tournament during the peak of his career.