5 tennis greats with just 1 trophy missing from their cabinet

Since the inception of the sport, there have been a handful of players who have taken the world by storm and achieved a lot more than their peers.

These players have dominated the sport during a certain period and were untouchable when in top form. With a total of 76 Grand Slam titles amongst them, it is hard to imagine that there is still something that they haven't achieved.

In this article, we take a look at the careers of 5 of the biggest tennis stars the world has seen, namely Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic, Pete Sampras, and Bjorn Borg and one major achievement missing from their respective kitties.

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#5 Pete Sampras - French Open

The former American tennis player was regarded as one of best tennis player of his time and one of the best ever in the history of the sport.

Sampras achieved a lot of success in his career, winning 14 Grand Slams. He held the record of having the most number of Slams to his name until Federer broke that in 2009. However, "Pistol Pete", as he was known, failed to get his hands on the French Open.

In fact, he never even reached the final. His best result was a semi-final appearance - in 1996. This could probably be attributed to his ultra-attacking playing style, which saw him use the serve-and-volley or chip-and-charge technique more often than not.

Out of his 14 Grand Slam victories, seven came at Wimbledon, five came on the courts of New York at the US Open, and two came Down Under, at the Australian Open. He also won five World Tour Finals titles during his time.

In addition to this, Sampras also never managed to win an Olympics Gold medal, either in singles or doubles. The farthest he reached at the Olympic Games was the third round in 1992.

#4 Novak Djokovic - Olympics Singles Gold

Djokovic with a bronze medal from 2008

When he began his career, no one would have expected him to be where he is at today. This was mainly due to the number of injuries he faced at the beginning of his career and his questionable attitude on the court.

However, he slowly transformed into one of the world's best players. As of today, he has 14 singles Grand Slams titles to his name and five World Tour Finals titles as well. He is also the only player to achieve the Career Golden Masters - winning all the Masters titles.

However, just like a certain Swiss on this list, he has not won the Olympic Singles Gold medal yet. The closest he came to doing so was at the 2008 Olympics, where he won the Bronze medal.

This could change at the 2020 Olympics to be held in Russia. However, only time will tell if Djokovic is able to get his hands on that elusive Gold.

#3 Bjorn Borg - Hard Court Slam

Bjorn Borg never managed to win a GS on a hard court

Bjorn Borg was undoubtedly the best tennis player during the 1970s. He dominated the tennis circuit between 1974 and 1981 and formed formidable rivalries with the likes of John McEnroe and Jimmy Connors.

During those eight years, he won a total of 11 Grand Slams - the most by any player back then. However, all these victories came at the French Open and Wimbledon Championships. He failed to win a Slam on the hardcourts of the New York. He also never managed to win the Australian Open, which was played on grass courts at that time.

He came extremely close to winning the US Open on four occasions - reaching the final in 1976, 1978, 1980, and 1981. However, the tournament was played on clay till 1978. Hence, he reached the final of the hard court event twice.

#2 Rafael Nadal - World Tour Finals

Nadal with the runners-up trophy at the WTF

Rafael Nadal came around at the time when Roger Federer was dominating the tennis circuit. However, he did not take much time to make an impact as he began winning major tournaments from the age of 19. He also enjoyed a superior head-to-head record against Federer. To this date, he leads the H2H 23-15.

He has won 17 Grand Slams till date and is second on the list of the most number of Slams won by a single player. He also has a record 33 ATP Masters titles to his name - the highest by any player. However, one tournament where he has not found much success is the tour-ending event, which is currently held in London.

Nadal has failed to win the World Tour Finals so far, reaching the final of the tournament on two occasions - in 2010 and 2013. Since he is still active on the circuit, he will hope to get his hands on the title before he retires.

#1 Roger Federer - Olympics Singles Gold

Federer has an Olympic doubles gold to his name

Roger Federer is arguably the greatest tennis player ever. He has a total of 20 Grand Slam titles - the most by any player in the history of the sport. He is still alive and kicking on the tennis circuit and despite being 37 years old, is ranked no. 3 in the world.

Just like his compatriot from Serbia, Swiss Maestro Roger Federer has also failed to get his hands on the Olympics Singles Gold medal. However, he has won the doubles event with his partner Stan Wawrinka at the 2008 Olympics in Beijing.

He did reach the final of the event at the London Olympics in 2012, only to lose to Andy Murray in the Gold medal match. He was forced to withdraw from the 2016 Olympics due to a back injury which had forced him out of action after Wimbledon that year.

With the Olympics coming up in 2020, the big question on everyone's mind is whether Federer would continue playing till then.