Winning a title is a significant goal for all professional tennis players. It is, though, a feat which has alluded a number of established current and former ATP singles players. Former world #25 Julien Benneteau, who retired in 2018, is perhaps the most notable case. The Frenchman failed to win any of the 10 tour-level finals he reached.
Here is a look at the best active players who are yet to win an ATP singles title:
Felix Auger-Aliassime
World #21 Auger-Aliassime is currently the only player in the top 30 of the ATP singles rankings without a title. The 20-year-old has reached six finals, but has the unwanted record of having lost them all in straight sets.
The Canadian reached his first title match at the 2019 Rio Open, becoming the youngest-ever ATP 500 finalist aged 18. There, he lost to Laslo Djere 3-6, 5-7. Auger-Aliassime made two more finals in that breakthrough season – at the ATP 250 events in Lyon and Stuttgart – where he lost to Benoit Paire and Matteo Berrettini respectively.
The 20-year-old also reached three finals in 2020, losing to a top 10 opponent on each occasion. The first came at the ATP 500 in Rotterdam, where he fell to an inspired Gael Monfils. Auger-Aliassime then lost to Stefanos Tsitsipas in the Marseille ATP 250 title match a week later. His most recent final came at the ATP 250 in Cologne, where Alexander Zverev defeated him.
Filip Krajinovic
After winning five Challenger titles in 2017, Krajinovic finished the year by reaching his first ATP final in stunning fashion. The Serbian, ranked 77 at the time, made the final of the Paris Masters 1000 as a qualifier. Krajinovic beat Yuichi Sugita, Sam Querrey and Nicolas Mahut to reach the quarterfinals – where he received a walkover after Rafael Nadal withdrew through injury. After beating John Isner in the last four, Krajinovic lost to Jack Sock in three sets.
The world #31 has since made two more finals. Both came at ATP 250 events in 2019 – with Krajinovic losing to Berrettini in three sets at the Hungarian Open, before falling in straight sets to Denis Shapovalov in Stockholm.
Dan Evans
Evans currently sits one place below Krajinovic in the rankings at #32. The British #1 reached the first of his two tour-level title matches at the Sydney International in 2017. After wins against Dominic Thiem and Andrey Kuznetsov in the quarterfinals and semifinals respectively, he was defeated in straight sets by Gilles Muller. He then received a one-year ban from tennis after testing positive for cocaine in April that year.
Evans has had a strong resurgence since returning in 2018 and he reached his second final at the Delray Beach ATP 250 in 2019. As a qualifier, he saw off Frances Tiafoe and John Isner en route, before losing to Radu Albot in three sets – having had three championship points in the third set tiebreak.
Vasek Pospisil
World #61 Pospisil reached a career-high ranking of 25 in January 2014. That year, he reached his first final at the ATP 500 event in Washington after wins against Tomas Berdych and Richard Gasquet. Pospisil lost the title match in straight sets to fellow Canadian Milos Raonic.
The 30-year-old had to wait almost six years to reach his next final – which came at the ATP 250 in Montpellier in 2020. Pospisil lost to Monfils in straight sets after wins against Shapovalov and David Goffin. He then made his third final in November 2020 at the ATP 250 Sofia Open. The Canadian fell to Jannik Sinner 3-7 in a third set tiebreak.
Hyeon Chung
Currently ranked at #161, Chung has been hampered by injuries since reaching the Australian Open semifinals – and a career-high ranking of 19 – in 2018. The South Korean beat Alexander Zverev and Novak Djokovic during his run in Melbourne, before retiring due to foot blisters at 1-6, 2-5 down against Roger Federer in the last four.
The 24-year-old is yet to reach a tour-level final, but he did win the inaugural Next Generation ATP Finals in Milan in 2017. There, Chung defeated current top 10 players Daniil Medvedev and Andrey Rublev in the semifinals and final respectively.
Jerzy Janowicz
Janowicz is currently ranked at #496 after being plagued by injuries, but the 30-year-old was a different proposition at his peak level. Like Krajinovic, he made a remarkable breakthrough by reaching his first ATP final at the Paris Masters as a qualifier. The Pole defeated five top 20 opponents – Philipp Kohlschreiber, Marin Cilic, Andy Murray, Janko Tipsarevic and Gilles Simon – to reach the 2012 Paris Bercy championship match, which he lost in straight sets to David Ferrer.
The following year, the 30-year-old reached the Wimbledon semifinals, and a career-high ranking of 14. Janowicz lost to Lukas Rosol in the final of the 2014 Winston-Salem Open after having two championship points. The Pole then reached another ATP 250 final in Montpellier in 2015, but he was forced to retire at 0-3 down in the first set against Richard Gasquet due to illness.
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