Across the Net 2.11.08: Who is the Best Single Slam Winner?

Posted by Dan Martin on 02.11.2008

Chang, Cash, Gaudio, Gomez, Ivanisevic, Muster, Krajicek, Korda, Noah, and Stich: Their names are memorable to hardcore fans. Therefore, rating the active and retired single slam winners is a worthwhile task.

Players of the Week:

Russia's Anna Chakvetadze backs up her #7 world ranking by winning a title in France over the impressive Agnes Szavay 6-3, 2-6, 6-2. Agnieszka Radwanska of Poland won in Thailand over Jill Craybas 6-2, 1-6, 7-6. Both players are young and have the potential to mix it up with the WTA's Big 6 of Justine Henin, Maria Sharapova, Ana Ivanovic, Jenelna Jankovic, Serena Williams and Venus Williams. Radwanska already drew blood by eliminating Maria Sharapova at the 2007 U.S. Open in a match that was as notable for gamesmanship as it was for excellent tennis. Chakvetadze beat Venus Williams last summer and seems poised to challenge the top tier of WTA stars as well. I have knocked the WTA for a lack of depth so it is only fair to praise the new depth that is developing.

Ranking Single Slam Winners 1980-Present

My methodology will involve some statistical data revolving around world rankings, deep runs at Grand Slam titles, consistency, and career tournament titles. On the flip side, some of the judgment will be made on subjective terms that take my perception of overall talent into account. Single slam winners still playing on the tour will be evaluated next week as they each have the chance to add to their Grand Slam haul. In the case of Thomas Johansson that haul does not look likely to grow, but Novak Djokovic seems to be a lock to move out of the "one slam wonder" category sooner rather than later. Therefore, retired players will not be ranked against current players. Sorry, no Carlos Moya vs. Thomas Muster breakdown in this column.

Retired Single Slam Winners since 1980

The International Tennis Hall of Fame elected Michael Chang to its 2008 class, but passed on Michael Stich. Each won one Grand Slam title, attained the world #2 ranking and reached multiple Grand Slam finals, but the Hall of Fame must have seen some discernible difference between the two players. It may have come down to contributions to the game or maybe Chang's 4 Grand Slam finals clearly bested Stich's 3. I do not have transcripts of the meetings so this is all speculation on my part. Stich could make a case that his 1992 Wimbledon doubles title and doubles Gold Medal in Barcelona should even things out versus Chang. That debate is not important to this column, what is important is that single slam winners can be ranked. I will do my best to rank them.

Retired Single Slam Winners Produced Down Under: Brian Teacher 1980 and Petr Korda 1998

Retired Single Slam Winners Produced in Paris: Yannick Noah 1983, Michael Chang 1989, Andres Gomez 1990, Thomas Muster 1995, Albert Costa 2002, and Gaston Gaudio 2004

Retired Single Slam Winners Produced in London: Pat Cash 1987, Michael Stich 1991, Richard Krajicek 1996, and Goran Ivanisevic 2001

Retired Single Slam Winners Produced in New York: Null Set

Statistically, the French Open has produced the most single slam winners and this is in part because clay plays differently than other surfaces so winners can at times benefit from being specialists. Then again the French Open is likely the most taxing Grand Slam event so I am not saying the French Open is easy. Its difficulty also allows for upsets and broken draws that permit some unexpected champions to come through the draw. Of the 12 retired solo Grand Slam winners since 1980, I have to plead ignorance on Brian Teacher. The other 11 I am familiar with and can rate. I am placing Teacher 12th given the low status of the Australian Open when he won the title. I admit up front this is unfair as he may have been a great players simply frozen out by Borg, McEnroe and Connors, but I have my doubts.

12. Brian Teacher

11. Gaston Gaudio – I saw him up close at the 2002 event in Cincinnati. Gaudio had a nasty backhand and was exceptionally quick, but his results never grew after 2004. He will always have his spirited comeback win in the French Open final, but he never reached a second Grand Slam quarterfinal let alone final.

10. Albert Costa – I watched him practice in Cincinnati in 2002. Costa is less naturally talented than Gaudio, but had more mental toughness. He won 12 titles and had some Davis Cup and Olympic glory. His 2003 French Open semifinal run cements his status ahead of Gaudio.

9. Yanick Noah – His 1983 French Open title was impressive. He reached the 1990 Australian Open semifinal and was a 3 time U.S. Open quarterfinalist. As an aside, Noah's son Joakim plays basketball for the Chicago Bulls (with some controversy) and won 2 NCAA titles at the University of Florida.

8. Petr Korda – His 1998 Australian Open run was impressive as he crushed an in form Marcello Rios in the final. Korda also reached the 1992 French Open final losing to Jim Courier. His backhand was lethal and he took Pete Sampras down at the 1997 U.S. Open in five sets. He was also part of a controversial Agassi match at the 1990 U.S. Open where Agassi spit on an umpire's leg. Korda could be placed higher but a violation of the banned substance list hurts his status.

7. Richard Krajicek – His run at Wimbledon in 1996 was impressive as he beat both Michael Stich and Pete Sampras in straight sets. Krajicek reached the semifinals at the Australian and French Opens, won Wimbledon, and he also posted a Wimbledon semifinal in 1998 and reached 5 other Grand Slam quarterfinals. His serve was nasty and he rushed the net with great intensity. Had he been healthier who knows? Injuries hampered his movement and playing schedule. Still, he had a nice career.

6. Andres Gomez – He won the 1990 French Open and posted an impressive career record of 21 singles titles and 33 doubles titles. The big left-handed Ecuadorian struggled vs. Ivan Lendl but managed to take the French Open when Lendl skipped in order to pursue a Wimbledon title in 1990. Gomez beat Muster in the semifinals and Andre Agassi in the final match to capture his solo slam. Playing along side Wilander and Lendl really skew his results as Gomez reached 3 French Open quarterfinals prior to winning the big prize.

5. Thomas Muster – Muster is the best clay court player on this list. His 1995 French Open was only part of a nasty clay court run that included 11 titles on clay and a 65-2 record on the dirt. Muster was an Australian Open semifinalist in 1989 and reached the final at Key Biscayne before a car crashing into a pedestrian Muster nearly ruined his career. Had his knee not been mangled he may have won a lot of hard court titles as well. Muster did finish with 2 Australian Open semifinals and 3 U.S. Open quarterfinal appearances. Muster even held the #1 ranking for part of 1996. His title at the 1995 Paris Indoor included a semifinal win over Pete Sampras on a fast indoor court and proved 1995 was more than a clay court parade for Muster.

4. Goran Ivanisevic – If Muster was a crazy left-handed player who owned clay court tennis, Goran was a crazy left handed player who nearly owned grass court tennis. Goran burst onto the scene in 1990 beating Boris Becker in the first round of the French Open only to lose to Muster in the quarterfinals. Goran then reached the Wimbledon semifinals pushing Boris Becker hard in an explosive match. In 1992, Goran aced his way to a Wimbledon final beating Ivan Lendl, Stefan Edberg and Pete Sampras along the way only to lose to Agassi 6-7, 6-4, 6-4, 1-6, 6-4. This loss haunted Goran for a long time. He lost to Pete Sampras in straight sets at Wimbledon 1994. His five set losses to Pete Sampras in the 1995 Wimbledon semifinal and 1998 Wimbledon final only cemented his self-imposed snake bitten status. Goran reached 3 Australian and 3 French Open quarterfinals, along with a U.S. Open semifinal. Before 2001 his career would be considered a tragic disappointment. In 2001, Goran beat a loaded draw of Carlos Moya, Andy Roddick, Greg Rusedski, Marat Safin, and Tim Henmen consecutively to reach his 4th Wimbledon final. There he overcame personal demons and a game Patrick Rafter to win 6-3, 3-6, 6-3, 2-6, 9-7. Goran's nerves nearly undid his quest as he lost his marbles in the 4th set and had difficulty serving the match out in the 5th set. Few players took fans on the emotional roller coaster Goran did.

3. Pat Cash – Many fans dismiss Cash's 1987 Wimbledon victory over Ivan Lendl as a case of Lendl failing to complete his career Grand Slam by playing poorly. Cash's 7-6, 6-2, 7-5 victory over Lendl sealed that Wimbledon title, but earlier in 1987 Cash beat Lendl on grass at the Australian Open 7-6, 5-7, 7-6, 6-4 en route to his first runner-up finish at the Australian Open. Cash lost the 1987 Aussie Open final in five sets to Stefan Edberg 6-3, 6-4, 3-6, 5-7, 6-3. Cash was runner-up at the inaugural hard court Australian Open in 1988 as well. He beat world #1 Lendl in the semifinals in 1988 only to lose to Mats Wilander 6-3, 6-7, 3-6, 6-1, 8-6 in an epic final. Cash ranks 3rd for two reasons. First, he defeated a dominant #1 to win his only Grand Slam final. Second, Cash was becoming a major factor in tennis in 1984 where he lost to Ivan Lendl 3-6 6-3 6-4 6-7 7-6 in the 84 U.S. Open semifinals. Cash also reached the 1984 Wimbledon semifinals. Like Krajicek, Cash was hampered by a series of injuries. He had back, knee, and shoulder problems, but worst of all he snapped his Achilles tendon. Had Cash been healthier I am confident he would have won more than one Grand Slam title.

2. Michael Stich – What to do with a massive underachiever? I do not know, but his accomplishments and multi-surface acumen place him near the top. Stich won Wimbledon in 1991 beating Boris Becker in the final and was a quarterfinalist at Wimbledon in 1992 and 1993. He reached the Wimbledon semifinals in 1997. The German reached the French Open final in 1996 beating defending champion Thomas Muster along the way and also reached the French Open semifinals in 1991. Stich reached the Australian Open semifinals in 1993 and quarterfinals in 1992. He was U.S. Open runner-up in 1994 and was a quarterfinalist in 1991. Stich was a finalist at 3 of the 4 slams and was solid Down Under as well. Stich finished 1993 #2 in the world beating Pete Sampras for the ATP World Championship. Impressively, he held a 5-4 head-to-head lead over Pete Sampras. In many ways, Stich's game was similar to Sampras'. Each player had a huge serve, strong ground strokes and good net play. Stich never had the drive for consistent excellence that Sampras had even if he possessed similar capabilities. If one throws in Stich's 1992 Olympic Gold in doubles, 1992 Wimbledon doubles title, and 1993 Davis Cup title, Stich has to rank highly. He made a serious assault on all four Grand Slam events during his career, but I cannot help but feel his success was almost in spite of his general indifference. Beating Boris Becker at Wimbledon, beating Muster at the French Open and Sampras on carpet demonstrates that Stich could beat anyone anywhere, but that raises the question of why so few big wins for a guy with such a complete big game? I have no idea. He should have retired with 3-5 slam titles had he been more dedicated. Instead, here he is at #2 on the single slam winner list.

1. Michael Chang – Similar to Stich, Chang reached #2 in the world and reached the final round at 3 different slams. Chang was even 1 match removed from the world #1 ranking. Had he beaten Pete Sampras in the 1996 U.S. Open championship match he would have been #1. Chang won the French Open under highly improbable circumstances in 1989. His 5 set wins over Lendl and Edberg defied logic. Chang also needed 4 sets to beat Andrei Chesnokov in the semifinals. Chang even beat a very green Pete Sampras 6-1, 6-1, 6-1 in the second round of the 1989 French Open. Chang reached the French Open final in 1995 losing to an in form Muster. He added quarterfinal showings in Paris in 1990 and 1991. Chang reached the Australian Open final in 1996 where he lost to Boris Becker in 4 sets. In 1995 and 1997, he reached the semifinals Down Under. In addition to his 1996 U.S. Open runner-up, Chang nearly beat Stefan Edberg in the 1992 U.S. Open semifinals and also fell to Patrick Rafter in the 1997 U.S. Open semifinals. Chang even reached the 1994 Wimbledon quarterfinals where he fell to Pete Sampras. Chang won 34 singles titles, including 7 Masters Series events, finished 9 consecutive years in the world's top 15, was runner-up at 24 events, and was a consistent threat on the men's tour. Consistency places Chang above the others. Like Ivanisevic, Chang reached 4 Grand Slam finals, but he did it at 3 different Grand Slam events rather than reaching 4 Wimbledon finals. If Chang played Ivanisevic, Stich or Krajicek on a fast surface, I would not bet on Chang, but his career was more consistent and more excellent than those of his three contemporaries.

Next Week: Ranking the Contemporary 1 Slam Winners