The drought extends to 23 years without an American champion at the US Open men’s singles, after Taylor Fritz, the only American in the men’s quarter-finals, was defeated by Novak Djokovic at Arthur Ashe Stadium on Tuesday.
Hopes were high for Fritz, the 2024 runner-up, and2023 semi-finalist Ben Shelton to spearhead the home charge, backed up by Tommy Paul and Frances Tiafoe, especially after all four reached the third round in New York.
Yet the weekend dealt a devastating blow to homegrown hopes: Tiafoe and Paul were both eliminated, while Shelton retired hurt. Only Fritz progressed, battling his way through to the quarter-finals, before running into the veteran Djokovic.
And so, the wait goes on. Not since Andy Roddick (2003) has there been an American men’s singles champion at Flushing Meadows. For a fanbase that has been accustomed to dominance from the likes of Arthur Ashe, Jimmy Connors, John McEnroe, Andre Agassi and Pete Sampras, the drought has proven unbearable.
In that time, the American appetite for glory has been sated by 12 women’s singles titles since the turn of the millennium, including seven from the Williams sisters, Venus and Serena.
2025 may yet produce an American champion, with Jessica Pegula reaching the semi-final stage. Compatriot Amanda Anisimova plays Iga Swiatek early on Thursday morning (IST). The others — Coco Gauff, Taylor Townsend and Ann Li (round of 16), and Madison Keys (first round) — have all been knocked out.
American performance at the US Open women’s singles aside, patriotic pride in national excellence has been hard to come by for all grand slam nations. In the last 25 years, Roddick (2003) and Pete Sampras (2002) are the only men to win at the US Open. In the same time, Australia, France and Great Britain have together seen only three homegrown champions: Ashleigh Barty (Australian Open, 2022), Andy Murray (Wimbledon, 2013 and 2016), and Mary Pierce (Roland Garros, 2000).
Look back at the entire Open Era, and the order of the day is slim pickings. Roland Garros has only had two French champions in its 58-year history — Yannick Noah (men’s, 1983) and Pierce. Australia has only had Barty since Christine O’Neil (women’s) in 1978 and Mark Edmondson (men’s) in 1976. The last Britons to lift the Wimbledon crown before Murray? Virginia Wade in 1977 and Ann Jones in 1969.
The disparity in elite local talent is reflected in the ATP and WTA rankings. The US boasts 16 players in the ATP and WTA top-50, as many as the other three nations combined (France has seven, Australia five, and Great Britain four). The gulf in quality is starker in the top 20: nine Americans, two Australians, and one apiece from Britainand France.
At a time when the romance of a homegrown victor is fading, the American collegiate tennis system keeps producing talent after talent. Each of the last four grand slam singles finals has featured an American woman, with two of them, Gauff and Keys, coming out victors. If Serena’s 2012-2014 hat-trick of titles marked the last high of American tennis, 2025 is proving to be the harbinger of a new dawn.
For the women, at least. The men have some ways to go to catch up.
The writer is an intern with The Telegraph
