Who is the greatest athlete never to break the record they chased?

Every career here ended one number short. A title, a ring, a record that stayed just out of reach after years of chasing it. They were not lesser athletes for it — several were the best of their generation. Which of these near misses stings the most?

1

Serena Williams

Stopped on 23 majors and lost four more Grand Slam finals chasing Margaret Court's 24.

2

Dan Marino

Held the passing records of his era and never won a Super Bowl in 17 seasons.

3

Barry Sanders

Retired 1,457 yards short of the NFL rushing record while still the best back in the league.

4

Ivan Lendl

Reached the Wimbledon final twice and never won the title he rebuilt his game for.

5

Pete Sampras

Won 14 majors but never the French Open, leaving the career Grand Slam incomplete.

6

Phil Mickelson

Finished runner-up at the US Open six times, the one major missing from his career slam.

7

Roger Federer

Never won Olympic singles gold and never held all four majors in one calendar year.

8

Karl Malone

Second on the NBA all-time scoring list and finished a 19-year career without a ring.

9

Charles Barkley

An MVP and Dream Teamer who never reached the summit of the NBA.

10

Colin Montgomerie

Eight European order-of-merit titles and five major runner-up finishes, no major.

11

Ted Williams

The last man to bat .400 and never got the World Series title he wanted.

12

Ernie Banks

Two MVP awards and 512 home runs without a single postseason game.

13

Stirling Moss

Sixteen Grand Prix wins and four straight runner-up seasons without a world title.

14

Andy Roddick

Lost three Wimbledon finals to Roger Federer and finished with one major.

15

Elgin Baylor

Reached eight NBA Finals with the Lakers and retired weeks before they finally won.

16

Michelle Kwan

Nine US titles and five world titles, but silver and bronze at the Olympics.

17

Jim Kelly

Took the Buffalo Bills to four straight Super Bowls and lost all four.

18

Sergio Garcia

Waited 74 majors for a green jacket after a decade of near misses.

19

Patrick Ewing

Carried the Knicks to the Finals twice in the Jordan era without winning.

20

Raymond Poulidor

Finished on the Tour de France podium eight times and never wore the yellow jersey.