An appearance in the main draw of a Grand Slam is a dream for many, and just a regular occurrence for others.
Recently, at the US Open, 38-year-old Novak Djokovic reached his 53rd Grand Slam semifinal when recording his 80th appearance at a major, a tally bettered by only two players in history.
One of whom is Roger Federer, who, for now, just edges the Serb, having featured 81 times on the biggest stages in tennis.
The other star with a greater total than Djokovic, however, is perhaps an unexpected name, who holds the record for the most consecutive Grand Slam main draw appearances, despite never making it past the quarterfinals.
Photo by CHARLY TRIBALLEAU/AFP via Getty ImagesThe record for the most consecutive Grand Slam appearances
That star’s name is Feliciano Lopez, a former world number 12 who, from the 2002 French Open until the 2022 Australian Open, played at every single major event; 79 in a row, to be exact.
After losing on his Roland Garros debut in 2001, Lopez returned to the clay courts of Paris the following year to kick-start his incredible streak.
The Spaniard, who won the Davis Cup with his country on five separate occasions, reached his first Grand Slam quarterfinal at Wimbledon in 2005, knocking out fifth seed Marat Safin en route.
In the last eight at the All England Club that year, Lopez suffered a straight-sets defeat at the hands of Lleyton Hewitt, which would ultimately mark the joint-best major result of his career.
Australian Open: Best result – Fourth Round (2012, 2015)Roland Garros: Best result – Fourth Round (2004)Wimbledon: Best result – Quarterfinals (2005, 2008, 2011)US Open: Best result – Quarterfinals (2015)
He bowed out in the 2008 Wimbledon quarterfinals to Safin, and at the 2011 edition of the championships, he was beaten by Andy Murray.
Though Lopez never advanced past the fourth round at the Australian Open or Roland Garros, he did manage the feat at the US Open in 2015, before being taken out in four sets by eventual champion Djokovic.
Photo By Guillermo Martinez/Europa Press via Getty Images
From then on, he continued to exit majors in the early stages until 2022, when his streak of two decades came to an end.
Lopez failed to book his place in the main draw of the French Open that year, losing to Gian Marco Moroni in the first round of qualifying.
Feliciano Lopez’s retirement from the sport after the end of his streak
His last Grand Slam campaign was at Wimbledon later that summer, where he was overcome by Botic van de Zandschulp in his opening clash.
In 2023, after one of the longest careers in ATP Tour history, Lopez finally decided to call it a day on his career and announce his retirement, aged 41.
He spent a total of 26 seasons on the tour and played his last match at the Mallorca Championships, surrounded by his family and friends.
Lopez finished his career with a win-loss record of 506-490, and seven ATP titles to his name.