"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
ATP
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.
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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."
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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."
Growing up in a household where soccer was king, my earliest memories are filled with chants from packed stadiums and the rhythm of a ball being passed across neighborhood streets. But somewhere along the way, the quiet elegance and raw emotion of tennis pulled me in. What began as a curiosity became a lifelong passion; not just for the sport itself, but for the stories it tells: of grit, of heartbreak, of improbable comebacks and human resilience.
As a tennis writer, I bring the observational lens of someone who didn’t grow up in the sport, but fell in love with it as an outsider; a perspective that lets me see both its technical beauty and its emotional depth. Over the years working with TennisUpToDate, I’ve had the privilege of reaching more than 3.5 million readers worldwide, with one of my features ranking among the site’s top three articles.
With a background in storytelling and a creative mind always searching for meaning beyond the scoreboard, I aim to craft narratives that go deeper than results and rankings. Whether it’s a rising star breaking through or a veteran fighting off Father Time, I try to capture the heartbeat behind the headlines.
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