"Since Andy Roddick, it has been a long time": Pegula and Gauff believe male American players closing in on returning to Grand Slam winning form

American men's tennis had been on the decline during the past decade, but that trend may soon change as several US superstars are beginning to discover their rhythm.

Taylor Fritz, Frances Tiafoe, Tommy Paul and Ben Shelton are among the names who should be considered as serious contenders in the near future, especially at Grand Slam events.

In January, three American men, Sebastian Korda, Paul and Shelton. reached the Australian Open quarterfinals for the first time in more than 20 years. Paul beat Shelton to advance, but lost to No. 2 Novak Djokovic of Serbia in the semifinals. That loss meant that Andy Roddick, winner of the 2003 U.S. Open, would remain the last American man to hoist a Grand Slam trophy.

Women's World No.3 Jessica Pegula, who has been among those flying the flag for the US women lately, believes the men are finally starting to catch up to their female counterparts.

"The woman's American side has been pretty deep for a really long time," said Pegula. "I think probably in the past year or two the men finally caught up, with at least the amount of players in the Top 50 or Top 70.

"I think they're close. They obviously have a lot of really good players that are amazing athletes and can go deep and have gotten big wins in big tournaments, but since Andy Roddick, it has been a long, long time."

Compatriot Coco Gauff chimed in on the subject, stated she enjoys watching the ascent of American men in the tennis circuit.

"Not to be too high on the horse, but the women were holding it down for a while," Gauff said. "Now, I will say it's pretty fairly even and I think the fans should enjoy that. Both sides from the U.S. are really doing well. Hopefully, we'll be able to cross that step on the men's side where they can win a Grand Slam."