Tennis is a sport that demands the very best from its athletes, with both physical and mental perfection needed.
Otherwise, it’s not good enough.
It’s also a sport where, unless you’re winning titles, you’re always losing, which further adds to the fortitude a player must have to thrive in such an environment.
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.
Some, like Novak Djokovic, have done it more than most. Others might have just one.
Mark Petchey picks his biggest one-tournament wonder
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.
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.
This isn’t a competition. It was won in 1996.
Roberto Carretero
By the time his Hamburg points came off the next year he was 334
— Mark Petchey (@_markpetchey) August 14, 2025
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.
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.
He retired from tennis just five years later.
What players have only won one Grand Slam title?
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.
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.
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.

At the other end of the spectrum is Emma Raducanu, whose only career title remains the 2021 US Open.
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.
Others to have won just one singles Grand Slam title include Daniil Medvedev, Michael Chang, Juan Martin del Potro, Elena Rybakina and Bianca Andreescu.