{"id":70505,"date":"2025-08-16T05:09:08","date_gmt":"2025-08-16T05:09:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/70505\/"},"modified":"2025-08-16T05:09:08","modified_gmt":"2025-08-16T05:09:08","slug":"the-biggest-one-tournament-wonder-of-all-time-in-tennis-has-been-named-this-isnt-a-competition","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/70505\/","title":{"rendered":"The biggest one-tournament wonder of all time in tennis has been named, ‘this isn’t a competition\u2019"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Tennis is a sport that demands the very best from its athletes, with both physical and mental perfection needed.<\/p>\n

Otherwise, it\u2019s not good enough.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s also a sport where, unless you\u2019re winning titles, you\u2019re always losing, which further adds to the fortitude a player must have to thrive in such an environment.<\/p>\n

Only a select few will ever make it professional, and even fewer will get the honour of having lifted a title on the ATP or WTA tour.<\/p>\n

Some, like Novak Djokovic, have done it more than most. Others might have just one.<\/p>\n

Mark Petchey picks his biggest one-tournament wonder<\/p>\n

On that latter topic, Mark Petchey actually sought to weigh in on who he thought was the undisputed biggest one-tournament wonder of all time.<\/p>\n

This would be defined as someone who won just a single title throughout their entire career, coming from nowhere to do so, and failing to back it up afterwards.<\/p>\n

This isn\u2019t a competition. It was won in 1996.<\/p>\n

Roberto Carretero <\/p>\n

By the time his Hamburg points came off the next year he was 334<\/p>\n

\u2014 Mark Petchey (@_markpetchey) August 14, 2025<\/a> <\/p>\n

View Tweet<\/p>\n

Many offered their opinions in the comments of the original X post, but it was Petchey, who has recently spent time working with Emma Raducanu, who offered his verdict: Roberto Carretero.<\/p>\n

The Spaniard shocked the world when he won the Masters 1000 title in Hamburg back in 1996 as a complete unknown, ranked 143rd in the world.<\/p>\n

He retired from tennis just five years later.<\/p>\n

What players have only won one Grand Slam title?<\/p>\n

Whilst the list of players who have won just one tournament is lesser known, the list of players who have won just a single Grand Slam title is far more interesting.<\/p>\n

After all, there is a great mix of players, from superstars who were plagued by an incredibly tough generation, to those who put together a magical and unexpected run of form to claim the biggest success of their careers.<\/p>\n

Naturally, Andy Roddick falls into the former category, having won his sole major title at the US Open in 2003. He reached a further four Grand Slam finals, but was thwarted every single time, chiefly by his nemesis, Roger Federer.<\/p>\n

\"JuanPhoto by Tim Clayton\/Corbis via Getty Images<\/p>\n

At the other end of the spectrum is Emma Raducanu, whose only career title remains the 2021 US Open.<\/p>\n

Interestingly, there is just one man in the history of the Open Era to have reached number one in the world without winning a major title<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Others to have won just one singles Grand Slam title include Daniil Medvedev, Michael Chang, Juan Martin del Potro, Elena Rybakina and Bianca Andreescu.<\/p>\n