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With its fiery pace and slick surface, Wimbledon continues to present a stern test to players throughout the years. Coming right after the clay season, the transition to grass remains one of the greatest challenges to master for many top tennis stars.
SW19 has thus seen quite a few famous names stumble even after tasting glory at the remaining three Slams.
With 2022 Wimbledon about to get under way next week, here's a look at six players who failed to complete the Career Slam by not winning the grasscourt Major:
#1 Justine Henin
The first-ever Slam final that Justine Henin reached, happens to be the Wimbledon Championships in 2001, where she endured a heartbreaking three-set defeat to Venus Williams just hours after losing her grandfather. Incidentally, the grasscourt Major went on to elude the Belgian great until the end of her career, preventing her from completing a much-coveted Career Slam.
Henin reached yet another final at SW19 five years later. By then, she had scaled the heights in tennis, with five Slam titles already on her resume as well as a prized World No. 1 ranking. But once again, Henin had to end up on the losing side in three sets, this time to Amelie Mauresmo.
Henin's comeback to the sport in 2010 after her initial retirement in 2008 was driven by her desire to conquer the hallowed lawns of Wimbledon. The quest ended prematurely in the fourth round at the hands of her compatriot Kim Clijsters. Midway through that, she suffered an elbow injury that ultimately forced her to wrap up her storied career the very next year.
Known for her single-handed backhand wizardry, Henin finished with seven Grand Slams, including four French Opens, and an Olympic women's singles gold. But conquering the grass of Wimbledon remained a unfulfilled dream for the Belgian.
#2 Stan Wawrinka
Having spent most of his career in the shawdows of his compatriot Roger Federer, Stan Wawrinka of Switzerland came into his own in 2013. He reached his first Grand Slam semifinal at the US Open and backed it up with his maiden Major title at the very next Slam in Australia in 2014.
With statement-making wins over Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal, Wawrinka announced himself as a contender for the biggest titles in the sport, climbing to a career-high No. 3 in the world.
The Lausanne-born player continued to dazzle in Slams, adding the French Open in 2015 and the US Open in 2016 to his resume. Both times he accounted for Novak Djokovic in the final, with his deadly single-handed backhand being too hot to handle for the Serb.
The 37-year-old, however, could not replicate those efforts on the Wimbledon grasscourts, with his best performance being a couple of trips to the quarterfinals in 2014 and 2015.
The Swiss is still an active player but his glory days seem to be long over due to frequent injuries and loss of consistency.
#3 Monica Seles
A tennis prodigy, Monica Seles went on to win eight Grand Slam titles before turning 20. Three of those came at each of the Australian Open and the French Open, with the remaining two coming at the US Open. However, none were at Wimbledon, where her best performance was a runner-up finish to her nemesis Steffi Graf in 1992.
Seles' exploits at such a young age propelled her to the pinnacle of the world rankings in 1991, setting her up for a phenomenal career in tennis.
However, she was never the same player since suffering a horrific stabbing in 1993. The southpaw returned to action after more than two years and could only add the 1996 Australian Open title to her kitty, swelling her Grand Slam tally to nine.
But the Venus Rosewater Dish remained out of bounds for the Yugoslav-born American until the end of her career.
#4 Ivan Lendl
Former World No. 1 Ivan Lendl remains one of the greatest players not to have ever tasted Wimbledon glory. The Czech-born American went on to amass 94 career titles, out of which eight were Slams.
Three titles each at the French Open and the US Open, as well as two at the Australian Open constituted Lendl's Slam tally, but the Gentleman's Singles Trophy at SW19 remained elusive for the Czech-American.
He made it to the final of the grasscourt Major in consecutive years in 1986 and 1987. Lendl's first quest for the Wimbledon trophy was foiled by the-then defending champion Boris Becker, who beat the top seed in straight sets.
The following year, he was presented with yet another opportunity to lay his hands on the coveted trophy. Becker even suffered an early loss and was out of the way for Lendl. But this time Pat Cash proved to be an insurmountable barrier for the Czech great, who once again succumbed in straight sets.
#5 Mats Wilander
Former player-turned-tennis pundit Mats Wilander is another of those legends who could never hold aloft the Wimbledon trophy. The erstwhile World No. 1 claimed seven Major titles, including three each at the Australian Open and the French Open. His solitary win at the US Open came in 1988.
However, he could never breach the quarterfinal hurdle at Wimbledon, thus never getting a chance to complete a Career Slam.
Wilander reached a total of three quarterfinals at SW19, falling to Pat Cash in 1987, Miroslav Mecir in 1988 and John McEnroe in 1989.
#6 Ken Rosewall
Another tennis icon whose glittering career spanned across the amateur and professional eras was Ken Rosewall. The Aussie great collected eight singles Slam crowns but ended up second-best at Wimbledon on four occasions.
In 1954, his quest was ended by Jaroslav Drobny in four sets, while two years later, his conqueror was Lew Hoad in an identical number of sets.
Rosewall's amazing longevity allowed him to contend for Slam titles even in the Open Era. He had two more opportunities to compete for the Wimbledon title, but returned empty-handed both times.
In 1970, he went down fighting in five grueling sets to a young John Newcombe. At the age of 39, Rosewall once again made it to a Wimbledon summit clash in 1974, which happened to be his last final at the grasscourt Major.
Unfortunately, Wimbledon continued to remain an unrealized goal for Rosewall after succumbing in straight sets to Jimmy Connors, 18 years his junior, that year.
