5 women's tennis players who struggled to live up to their potential

Women's tennis has been graced by some extraordinary players, right from 24-time Grand Slam champion Margaret Court to the barrier-shattering Billie Jean King and Martina Navratilova to modern day legends like Serena Williams and Venus Williams.

But the WTA tour has also had its fair share of players who never reached their full potential, for one reason or the other.

For this list, we have picked only players who never managed to win a Grand Slam. Seeing as only a handful of tennis players have achieved something as prestigious as winning a Major, it would be rather unfair to refer to anyone who won even one Slam as a player who failed to fulfill their potential.

Without further ado, here are five women's players whom we think didn't achieve as much success as they initially promised:

#5 Eugenie Bouchard

Eugenie Bouchard burst onto the scene but never fulfilled her potential

Eugenie Bouchard burst onto the scene in 2012, winning the Wimbledon girls' singles title. She won the WTA Newcomer of the Year Award the very next year and reached a career-high ranking of World No. 5 a year later in 2014.

The 2014 season marked the highest point in the Canadian's career, reaching the semifinals at the Australian Open and the French Open. She then went on to reach the final at Wimbledon (the first Canadian to do so), followed by a fourth-round finish at the US Open. She also won her first, and only, WTA title that year at the Nurnberger Versicherungscup.

Starting in 2015, Bouchard went on a steady decline as a result of some unfortunate injuries and a dire run of form. Since the 2015 Australian Open, the former World No. 5 has reached the fourth round only once in a Grand Slam and lost in the first round on eight occasions.

The Canadian reached seven other WTA singles finals, losing every single one of them. While she is still active (but recovering from a shoulder injury), her ranking has tanked to a catastrophic 1,252.

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#4 Dominka Cibulkova

Dominika Cibulkova rose to as high as World No. 4 but reached only one Slam final

Dominika Cibulkova reached a career-high WTA ranking of World No. 4 but a Grand Slam title proved elusive. The Slovak came very close at the 2014 Australian Open, but lost in the final to Li Na.

Cibulkova has managed to reach the quarterfinals of all four Majors. But she progressed beyond that stage only once in addition to the aforementioned Melbourne Park run (semifinals at the 2009 French Open).

Despite that disappointing run, the 32-year-old won the Year-end Championships in remarkable fashion on her tournament debut after losing two matches in the round robin stage. It was her biggest win on the WTA tour in a career boasting eight singles titles overall. The Slovak finally retired from competitive tennis in 2019, after her ranking had plummeted all the way down to World No. 315.

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#3 Vera Zvonareva

Vera Zvonareva became the No. 2-ranked women's tennis player in 2010 but reached only two Slam finals

Vera Zvonareva reached a career-high WTA ranking of World No. 2, but could never get her hands on a Grand Slam. The closest she came was in 2010, when she reached the final at the Wimbledon Championships and US Open.

The Russian reached the semifinals at the Australian Open the following year, followed by a quarter-final run at Flushing Meadows. But then, injuries took hold of her and never let go.

Injuries kept Zvonareva out of the game for long periods, including a near-three-year hiatus between 2015 and 2018. Of the 18 Grand Slams the 37-year-old has appeared in since 2012, she has never gone past the third round.

Vera Zvonareva has been much better in doubles, winning three Majors and 11 titles in total. In singles, she has won 12 titles on the WTA tour. The former World No. 2 is still active to this day, and is ranked World No. 114.

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#2 Jelena Jankovic

Jelena Jankovic became World No. 1 in women's tennis without ever winning a Grand Slam

Jelena Jankovic became the top-ranked women's tennis player in 2008, on the back of semi-final appearances at the Australian Open and French Open. The Serb looked poised to win her maiden Slam at Flushing Meadows the same year but lost in the final hurdle to Serena Williams.

Jankovic only managed a semifinal and quarter-final appearance in the next 40 Majors, never reaching the heights she promised due to continued struggles with form and injury.

Overall, the 37-year-old won 15 titles on the WTA tour, including six WTA 1000 tournaments, and stayed at the top for a period of 18 weeks. The Serb did win a Grand Slam in mixed doubles at the 2007 Wimbledon Championships and eventually retired from professional tennis in 2017.

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#1 Dinara Safina

Dinara Safina became the highest-ranked women's tennis player without winning a Slam

Dinara Safina rose to World No. 1 in 2009 without winning a Grand Slam. She never got her hands on tennis' ultimate prize before her eventual retirement in 2014. The Russian came close multiple times, reaching three Major finals and two semifinals -- in 2008 and 2009.

Other than this two-year stretch, Safina only reached two Grand Slam quarterfinals but won the Olympic silver medal in 2008. In doubles, however, she managed to win a Slam at the 2007 US Open.

A persistent back injury robbed the tennis world of Safina's full potential and forced her to announce a premature retirement. Overall, the 35-year-old managed to win 12 titles on the WTA tour and remained No. 1 for a period of 26 weeks.