The challenging path to the second Grand Slam: the eight champions seeking to repeat

Streaming W35 Tarvisio live tennis

🎾 Sofia Rocchetti vs Lea Boskovic

1. Sign up with Bet365 here
2. Make your first deposit of at least €5
3. Go to the “Live” section and watch every match

Watch the match on Bet365

 PUBLICIDAD

Register at bet365, deposit €5 or more into your account and you will receive 100% of your eligible deposit in Bet Credits (up to €100). New customers only. Terms apply. Winnings do not include the value of Bet Credits. Maximum prizes, game restrictions, time limits and terms apply. Registration required.

Only eight active players can currently boast of having won an individual Grand Slam title and not having done so again. Mirra Andreeva, Madison Keys, Marketa Vondrousova, Sofia Kenin, Bianca Andreescu, Emma Raducanu, Jelena Ostapenko, and Sloane Stephens are part of a club as exclusive as it is uncomfortable. They aim to break out of it with a second title to enrich their records.

The matter is particularly interesting in the current context of women's tennis. For a long time, there was talk of an unpredictable WTA, capable of generating unexpected champions in almost any major tournament. However, the situation has changed significantly. Aryna Sabalenka, Elena Rybakina, Iga Swiatek, and Coco Gauff have monopolized a large part of the big stages in recent years, while the emergence of Mirra Andreeva threatens to consolidate a new elite of the circuit. In this environment, winning another Grand Slam has become a much more difficult task than recent precedents suggest.

Mirra Andreeva: the only one whose question is not if but when she will repeat

It is impossible to analyze this list without separating Andreeva from the rest. The Russian just won the 2026 Roland Garros at only 19 years old and conveys a radically different feeling compared to any other member of this group. She does not seem like a circumstantial champion or a player who seized an isolated opportunity. She gives the impression of beginning something much bigger.

Her ability to compete under pressure, the tactical intelligence she shows in every match, and the room for improvement she still holds make Andreeva a natural candidate to win more Grand Slam titles. While other champions on this list try to regain a past version of themselves, the Russian is just starting to discover what her best level could be.

It would be a huge surprise if she ended her career with only one major title. In fact, she is probably the only player in this group whose biggest mystery is not if she will win again, but how many times she will. Nothing is guaranteed in sports, but the Russian seems to be a generational talent that challenges the current dominance of the top-ranked players.

Madison Keys: challenging yet achievable

Excluding Andreeva, Madison Keys seems currently the most solid candidate to win a second Grand Slam. The American finally broke a barrier she had been chasing for over a decade by winning the 2025 Australian Open, culminating a career marked by consistency and the ability to remain competitive even in the toughest moments.

What makes her case interesting is that her major success came at a stage of full athletic maturity. It was not an early explosion or a passing surprise. It was the result of years accumulating experience and learning to handle the pressure of the big stages. Her aggressive style of play remains among the most powerful on the circuit, and she still possesses enough tools to defeat any opponent when she finds confidence.

Her age slightly works against her, but it is hard to find another member of this list who arrives at the big tournaments with such realistic chances of lifting another significant trophy. Her highly aggressive style of play can overpower anyone when she finds the inspiration she had in Australia last year.

Jelena Ostapenko: a permanent threat to any favorite

Nearly ten years have passed since Ostapenko won the 2017 Roland Garros, yet the Latvian remains one of the most challenging players to categorize in women's tennis.

Her game still has the ability to overwhelm anyone. Few players produce as many winners, take as many risks, or can completely alter the course of a match. That same aggressiveness also explains much of her inconsistency but makes every Grand Slam a potential opportunity for an unexpected run.

Perhaps she is not the most consistent candidate on the list, but she is one of the few who still seems capable of stringing together two extraordinary weeks and consecutively defeating several of the world's best players. In a circuit dominated by power and aggression, Ostapenko still has the weapons to surprise.

Emma Raducanu, Bianca Andreescu, and Sofia Kenin: the burden of early success

There is a common thread that ties these three players together. They all achieved glory very early and have spent much of their subsequent careers trying to rediscover the form that allowed them to win a Grand Slam.

Emma Raducanu's case remains one of the most intriguing in modern tennis. Her victory at the 2021 US Open still seems like an almost unrepeatable phenomenon. She won the tournament from the qualifying rounds without dropping a set, overnight becoming a global star. However, physical issues and a lack of continuity have prevented her from solidifying that breakthrough. She seems to be finding her way now and has the champion's intangibles that place her above the others.

Bianca Andreescu evokes similar sensations. When she won the 2019 US Open, she seemed destined to become a dominant figure on the circuit. Her talent remains evident, but injuries have so heavily impacted her career that it is hard to know what her true competitive potential might have been.

Sofia Kenin completes this group of champions still seeking a second chance. Her triumph at the 2020 Australian Open and subsequent final at Roland Garros hinted at a stable presence among the world's best. However, she never managed to consolidate that position. While she remains a challenging competitor, she seems more focused on regaining consistency rather than thinking about another Grand Slam at the moment.

Marketa Vondrousova and Sloane Stephens: the ones seemingly farthest away

If this article were written two or three years ago, Marketa Vondrousova's position would be very different. The Czech won Wimbledon 2023, showcasing extraordinary tactical talent, and seemed perfectly capable of staying among the top players for years.

However, a doping sanction has completely changed the landscape. Added to this is a history of injuries that had already significantly affected her career before being sidelined from competition. Vondrousova's current challenge seems not to be winning a second Grand Slam but regaining a competitive level that allows her to re-establish herself among the elite.

Sloane Stephens' situation is different but leads to a similar conclusion. The American once ranked number three in the world, won the 2017 US Open, and subsequently reached a Roland Garros final. However, the passing years have gradually distanced her from the top positions.

At 33 years old, she remains a respected and dangerous player in certain circumstances, but it is hard to imagine her stringing together the seven victories necessary to win another Grand Slam in the current competitive landscape.

An increasingly challenging mission

Perhaps the most interesting conclusion is that these eight champions perfectly represent the recent evolution of women's tennis. For years, new Grand Slam winners seemed relatively common. Today, the situation is very different.

Sabalenka, Rybakina, Swiatek, and Gauff have significantly raised the competitive level of major tournaments. Now, Andreeva joins, looking destined to be part of that group for a long time. For any of these champions, winning again does not just mean reclaiming the level that allowed them to win their first major. It means overcoming a generation that has turned the major stages into an increasingly exclusive territory.

That is why observing this list is so significant. Some players are still chasing the memory of success that came too early. Others are trying to show they still have something important to offer. And then there is Andreeva, the one who seems destined to soon change categories. The one whose story does not revolve around the first Grand Slam she won but around all the titles she could still win.

This news is an automatic translation. You can read the original news, El difícil camino hacia el segundo Grand Slam: las ocho campeonas que buscan repetir