The 'almost' greats of men's tennis

Nearing 17 years in the sport since his debut in 1996, German hotshot Tommy Haas is still a veritable threat to any player that contests him.

Cutting a towering 6ft 3inch figure, Tommy’s bullet serves were an instant hit at the time of his arrival into the game. It wasn’t long till he broke into the Top 50 as he became the fastest player to do so, taking just 37 weeks since his maiden ATP Tour.

After grabbing the silver medal in the 2000 Sydney Olympics, Tommy went through a purple patch in the ATP tour that saw him climb to No.2 in 2002.

However, inconsistency coupled with two prolonged spells of injuries and surgery ensured that Tommy’s wait for a Grand Slam continued.

Among the very few players who has seen through three dominant eras in tennis (Sampras, Federer, Djokovic), Haas has failed to stamp his authority on the sport during any of them, leaving many to regard him as the “greatest” to never win a Grand Slam.

Edited by Staff Editor