Winning a Grand Slam is the toughest challenge in professional tennis. Winning a Major title remains a pinnacle of the sport, as the greatness of players is often judged by the number of Grand Slams he or she has won during their respective careers.
There have been several prominent players who have secured a solitary Grand Slam title in their careers, earning the moniker of “One Slam Wonder.” The category includes legends of the sport such as Gabriela Sabatini, Jana Novotna, Goran Ivanisevic, and Andy Roddick.
In recent years, there have been few one slam wonders in both men’s and women’s games due to the dominance of the Big Three and the Williams sisters in the men’s and women’s game, respectively.
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Let’s look at some of the current One Slam Wonders who might be able to shed off the tag in 2025, by winning their second Major title.
#3 Elena Rybakina
In Picture: Elena Rybakina (Getty)
The Kazakh player took the world by storm when she won the 2022 Wimbledon title. That victory made Rybakina part of the “big three” conversation along with Iga Swiatek and Aryna Sabalenka in the WTA circuit.
The former World No. 3 reached another Major final in the following year, at the 2023 Australian Open. However, on that occasion, she lost to Aryna Sabalenka.
2024 was an injury-ridden season for the World No. 6 as she had to withdraw from many high-profile events, such as the US Open. By the end of the season, Rybakina changed her coaching personnel, hiring Goran Ivanisevic as her coach.
With a new coach and renewed focus, Rybakina has a good chance of winning another Major in 2025.
#2 Daniil Medvedev
In Picture: Daniil Medvedev (Getty)
One of the top-ranked players in the world in the last few years, and a former World No. 1, Daniil Medvedev, is another prominent member of the “One Slam Wonder” club. The 2021 US Open remains the only Major in Russian’s trophy cabinet.
Including the victory, the World No. 5 has appeared in six Grand Slam finals. Since 2021, the Russian has made it to one hard-court Major final each year, either at the Australian Open or the US Open. Twice he has suffered the disappointment of losing a Major final after holding a two-set lead – once against Rafael Nadal at the 2022 Australian Open, and again this year against Jannik Sinner in Melbourne.
2024 was a disappointing season for Medvedev as he finished the year without a title, a first occurrence since 2017. If the Russian can rejuvenate his form, he will always be a contender for Slams, especially hard-court Slams.
#1 Coco Gauff
In Picture: Coco Gauff (Getty)
One of the most likeliest candidates to remove the “One Slam Wonder” tag from her resume in 2025, is Coco Gauff. This might sound surprising, given how the 2024 season panned out for the young American.
Having made healines all over the tennis world thanks to her 2023 US Open triumph, a lot was expected from the 20-year-old. However, she could not replicate her success on the Grand Slam stage in 2024, which culminated in an error-ridden fourth-round elimination against Emma Navarro at the 2024 US Open.
However, Gauff ended the year on a high. With new coach Matt Daly behind her, she adjusted the technical deficiencies in her game and won two titles in the second half of the year which will give her a lot of confidence going into 2025. The new-found form will make the American a serious contender for her second Major title in the upcoming season
