That camaraderie and those friendly rivalries have pushed everyone to be better. 21, there were eight Americans ranked in the ATP's top 50 and 11 in the top 100.īecause of the USTA's pathway program, most of the younger Americans playing on tour have known and competed against each other since their preteen or early teen years. 14, has played in two finals this year in addition to his breakthrough result in Melbourne. Both have won two ATP titles this season. For the first time since Roddick's retirement over a decade ago, two American men - Taylor Fritz and Tiafoe - are ranked in the top 10. And away from the Grand Slams, things have looked even more promising as of late. In recent years, there have been a few American men to reach Grand Slam semifinals: Sam Querrey (Wimbledon in 2017), John Isner (Wimbledon in 2018), Frances Tiafoe (US Open in 2022) and Tommy Paul (Australian Open in 2023). ![]() According to Blackman, all of the current men and women ranked in the top 100 who are 26 and under participated in the program. A network of camps, at the sectional, regional and national level, were created for talented players 11-and-over. In 2009 - coincidentally the last time an American man (Roddick) played in a major final - the USTA created its national pathway program as a way of identifying, nurturing and retaining the top young talent. "The ultimate goal is always to win the Slams." "It's a healthy and fair conversation to have, but it's not something that we talk about in player development internally, because we try to hold ourselves accountable for being process focused. "I think it's natural for tennis fans, and the tennis community, to look back at 2003 and it's something that we're trying to get back to in terms of winning a Slam on the men's side," Martin Blackman, the USTA's general manager of player development, said recently. But even with an obvious explanation for much of the country's woes - it's hard to compete against arguably the three greatest players of all time - it still hasn't made the sting hurt any less, nor has it diminished the American resolve to win majors. Australia's and France's droughts among their male players date back even further. Since Federer's first Slam title at Wimbledon in 2003, the trio have won 65 of the 80 major titles.Īs a result, the United States certainly isn't the only country with a rich tennis history to have a similar streak. He lost all four to Roger Federer.įederer and his Big Three counterparts Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic are largely to blame for the winless streak. And while he reached four more Grand Slam finals, including three at Wimbledon, he was unable to repeat what he did at the US Open. 1 later that year, a milestone he held for 13 weeks, and won 32 singles titles before retiring in 2012. "Up until that point, we just always expected that American men would be winning because we always had been."īy all measures, Roddick had an incredible career. "If someone had told me that at the time, I would have said, 'That's f-ed up,'" Gilbert, who had previously coached Agassi, said earlier this month. Entering this year's US Open, while four American women (Serena Williams, Venus Williams, Sloane Stephens and Sofia Kenin) have won major titles since, no American man has achieved the feat. And then the 6-3, 7-6 (2), 6-3 win over Juan Carlos Ferrero in the final.įor Gilbert, and many others at the time, it seemed inevitable that Roddick would be hoisting several other major trophies during his career, and he seemed all but assured to be the next great American star, following in the footsteps of legendary names like Pete Sampras and Andre Agassi.Ĭertainly no one predicted at the time that in 2023, Roddick would be the last American man to win a major. A dramatic come-from-behind victory over David Nalbandian in the US Open semifinals. A late-night match on Roddick's 21st birthday. Back-to-back wins in Montreal and Cincinnati, including an epic final battle with Roddick's longtime friend Mardy Fish. ![]() There was the title in Indianapolis in July. Gilbert, the former player-turned-coach and ESPN analyst, can still vividly recall almost every detail of Roddick's incredible run in New York, and every match of their fairy-tale summer leading into the year's final Grand Slam. But it still feels surreal to him that so many years have passed since he coached Roddick to his lone major victory. It would be almost impossible to forget, especially lately, since the reminders are everywhere. You have reached a degraded version of because you're using an unsupported version of Internet Explorer.įor a complete experience, please upgrade or use a supported browserĬan an American man break through to win a Grand Slam title?īrad Gilbert knows it's been 20 years since Andy Roddick won the US Open.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |