Best year in decades for American tennis with top 10 feat achieved for first time since 2004

American tennis continues to thrive and with the rise this year of Madison Keys again winning the Australian Open as well as the incredulous Amanda Aniismova, it sees a new high for the sport in the country for the first time since 2004.

Four finished in the year end top ten in the WTA with Coco Gauff leading the way as Year End No.3. Followed by Amanda Anisimova who is in World No.4 and has had perhaps the true breakout year when it comes to the American side.

Despite Gauff winning the French Open and Wunan, it has also been a year marred again by serving woes and also inconsistent form so as usual when it's on, it's on. When it's off, it's off.

Jessica Pegula has long been the model of consistency albeit even she has had it up and down. From being a contender for World No.1 in the spring to losing matches to the likes of Moyuka Uchijima and Lois Boisson during the clay court season and not having it all her own way, it was a lesson of a year albeit she still qualified for the year end Finals quite comfortably which is always a barometer of a season.

Mirra Andreeva for instance didn't make that despite winning Indian Wells and various other tournaments because her form fell off at the wrong time of the season so there is very much method to the madness when it comes to consistency.

It's no shock that the American women are playing so well and it is the first time since 2002 that American women featured in all four Grand Slam finals this year. Anisimova two, Gauff one and Keys one.

Pegula's best Grand Slam result this year was reaching the semi-finals of the US Open but she won more titles than her compatriots sealing three in all on three different surfaces at Austin, Charleston and Bad Homburg going from hard to clay to grass.

But it isn't just the women as te men too are shining. It is the first time that two Americans have finished in the top 10 since 2008 when Roddick and Blake did so ending the season in the elite. Fritz and Shelton finished in sixth and ninth respectively.

Fritz and Shelton both reached major semi-finals at the US Open and Wimbledon and they both won titles. Fritz won two on grass in Stuttgart and Eastbourne, while Shelton broke out winning Toronto.

It is the first year that a total of six Americans have all finished inside the top 10 since 2004 when it was Davenport, Serena, Venus and Capriati as well as Roddick and Agassi that did it.

The continued rise of top American stars over both tours has to be marvelled at.