Tennis careers can be brutally short. One minute you’re winning titles and collecting endorsement deals, the next you’re getting bounced in qualifiers or disappearing from the tour altogether.
Some players never found their footing again after hitting a wall—whether it was injuries, pressure, or just plain burnout. Here are 15 tennis stars who fell off the radar and never quite made the comeback we all hoped for.
15. Jelena Dokic
She showed flashes of brilliance and looked like the next big thing, but it all unraveled too fast. Personal struggles and inconsistency ultimately derailed her career.
14. Ernests Gulbis
He had the talent, the attitude, and that one deep French Open run—but that was about it. Gulbis never found sustained success and slowly faded out.
13. Ana Ivanovic
After winning a Grand Slam and becoming world No. 1, things went downhill shockingly fast. Her decline was so unexpected that fans kept waiting for a comeback that never came.
12. Bernard Tomic
Tomic had all the tools and none of the motivation. His headlines became more about attitude than actual tennis.
11. Daniela Hantuchová
She had the game and the grace, but her peak was short-lived. Despite sticking around for years, she never really recaptured that early magic.
10. Marcos Baghdatis
He lit up the tennis world with a surprise Australian Open final, then couldn’t quite keep the spark going. Injuries and inconsistency got the better of him.
9. Eugenie Bouchard
Her breakthrough year had everyone convinced she was a future superstar. Then came the slump—and she’s still chasing that old form.
8. Jack Sock
He won some big matches, had a killer forehand, and looked set to break into the elite. But his form dipped hard, and he never climbed back to where he was.
7. Anna Kournikova
She was a household name without a singles title to her name. Despite the hype, her career fizzled out quicker than expected.
6. David Nalbandian
He had the kind of game that gave legends nightmares, but injuries and inconsistency held him back. He left fans wondering what could’ve been.
5. Sloane Stephens
She won the US Open and had all the momentum in the world. Then the wheels just came off, and the consistency never returned.
4. Grigor Dimitrov
He was once dubbed “Baby Fed” and expected to dominate the tour. While he had some solid results, the breakthrough everyone anticipated never fully arrived.
3. Mary Pierce
She had power and presence, winning two majors before injuries took a major toll. Her exit felt more like a quiet fade than a grand farewell.
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2. Nick Kyrgios
He’s the king of what-if in modern tennis. The talent was unreal, but focus and consistency were always just out of reach.
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1. Dinara Safina
She reached world No. 1 without winning a Slam and never got over the hump. When her confidence dropped, her career followed not long after.
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