Over the past decade, three Grand Slam champions have surprisingly failed to win any further tour titles after their triumphs.

As commonly understood, stepping onto the Grand Slam main stage is quite difficult. For instance, Chinese men's tennis only reached this level in 2012 when Wu Di secured the Asia-Pacific wild card at the Australian Open. To claim a Grand Slam title, a player must win seven matches in a row, making it even tougher. Generally, players who have won Grand Slam titles usually find it easier to win tour events afterward due to their established skills.

However, exceptions always exist. Since 2016, three players who have won Grand Slam titles have yet to claim any tour-level championships to this day. So, who are these three players? Where did they win their Grand Slam titles? And how long has it been since they last won a tour event? This article will take you through these questions.

When it comes to Canadian player Bianca Andreescu, many fans are quite familiar with her. In January 2019, having just reached her first tour final, she earned her first Grand Slam main draw victory at the Australian Open. At that time, even Andreescu herself might not have realized that this was just the beginning of a remarkable year for her.

Between March and August, in just six months, Andreescu won the WTA 1000 Paris Bank Open and the Rogers Cup titles. After these victories, she was full of confidence and went on to win the US Open, marking her first Grand Slam championship in her career.

However, the highlights ended there. Although she reached two more tour finals afterward, Andreescu lost both times, finishing as runner-up. Her Grand Slam performance declined year after year, and since Wimbledon 2024, she has not won a single match in a Grand Slam main draw. Now, the former Grand Slam champion’s world ranking has fallen outside the top 160. For Andreescu, competing regularly on the tour has become a luxury, let alone winning titles.

Compared to Andreescu, British player Emma Raducanu is undoubtedly much better known. In 2021, starting from the US Open qualifiers, she won ten consecutive matches to claim her first Grand Slam title. Notably, she was the first player in the Open Era to win a Grand Slam after coming through qualifying. Moreover, Raducanu is the first British female player to win a Grand Slam in the 21st century.

Unfortunately, since then, Raducanu has not advanced past the quarterfinals in any Grand Slam event. On the tour, although she recently reached the final of the WTA 250 Cluj-Napoca Open, she was completely outplayed by Romanian player Ana Bogdan, winning only two games in the entire match. When she might win her first tour title remains uncertain, even to Raducanu herself.

In January 2025, American player Alison Riske unexpectedly won seven straight matches to claim the Australian Open title, her first Grand Slam championship. However, since then, she has never reached a tour final. When she might win a tour title remains a mystery.

The brilliance of a Grand Slam title can be dazzling, but the silence that follows is often poignant. Tennis has no shortage of talent, yet few can stay at the top for long. This is today’s tennis story — to be continued tomorrow.(Source: Tennis Home; Author: Yixin Jushi)