5 singles players who have won an Olympic gold but never won a Grand Slam

#2. Miroslav Mecir

Mecir’s superior compatriot prevented him from winning a Grand Slam on two occasions

Nicknamed “The Big Cat” for his court coverage and elegant footwork, Mecir is one of the finest tennis players to have come out of Czech Republic. He was also known as the “Swede Killer” for his success against Swedish players, especially Mats Wilander.

When tennis was re-introduced in the Olympics at the 1988 Seoul Olympics, Mecir beat top seeded Swede Stefan Edberg in the semi-finals and then defeated second seeded American Tim Mayotte in the final to win the gold medal.

In a playing career which was cut short prematurely due to a back injury, Mecir reached a career-high ranking of World No.4 in 1988 and won the season-ending championships in 1987, defeating John McEnroe in the final. However, Mecir never won a Grand Slam with his best performances being runner-up performances at the 1986 US Open and the 1989 Australian Open. The 1986 US Open was remembered for the fact that both the Men’s and Women’s singles finals were competed by Czech players- Ivan Lendl, Miroslav Mecir, Martina Navratilova, and Helena Sukova.

Lendl comprehensively beat Mecir to win his second US Open title. It was Lendl again who beat Mecir at the 1989 Australian Open final. Mecir’s best performances at the French Open and Wimbledon have been reaching the semi-finals in 1987 and 1988 respectively, being beaten by Lendl in the former and by Stefan Edberg in the latter.