Casper Ruud named best active player without a Grand Slam title after Zverev’s breakthrough

Casper Ruud has been named the best current player never to win a Grand Slam by a trio of former ATP stars speaking on the *Nothing Major* podcast.

Who now tops the list?

A week after Alexander Zverev ended his own Grand Slam drought by lifting the French Open trophy, the conversation shifted to who now holds the unwanted crown of best active player without a major. Steve Johnson, John Isner and Sam Querrey all pointed to Casper Ruud during their discussion on the show.

Johnson said: “The best current player, I think it’s Casper Ruud. He’s got three Slam finals, a couple of other Masters Series titles. Although those three finals that he did play, he was a heavy underdog against Novak, Rafa and Carlos in all those finals.” Isner agreed, noting Ruud’s three finals alone put him ahead despite his current ranking slipping outside the top five.

What do the stats say?

Ruud reached three Grand Slam finals between 2022 and 2024, losing each time to Rafael Nadal in Paris, Novak Djokovic in New York and Carlos Alcaraz in Paris. The Norwegian has spent more than 200 weeks inside the ATP top 10 and peaked at world No. 2 in September 2022. His consistency-14 titles and 250+ match wins since 2018-keeps him in the conversation even as younger rivals rise.

Who else is in the mix?

Stefanos Tsitsipas was briefly floated but quickly ruled out by Querrey, who said: “Maybe you would have said Tsitsipas, but he’s not close right now. He’s been so bad the last two years.” Taylor Fritz was added to the debate after his strong grass-court swing this month. Among all-time names, David Ferrer and Tomas Berdych led the call, though Jo-Wilfried Tsonga’s one Slam final and 2014 Montreal upset over Djokovic, Roger Federer and Andy Murray were also cited.

Why the backhanded label?

Johnson summed it up: “It’s kind of like a backhanded compliment.” Ruud’s three finals are the clearest marker of elite achievement without a trophy to show for it. The Norwegian remains the standard-bearer for a generation that has come achingly close but still waits for a first major.