Has American men’s tennis come back for good?

Tennis fans have gotten used to watching Grand Slam tournaments without much of an American presence on the men’s side for the better part of 20 years. However, the tide might be turning, as the United States has reason for optimism moving forward with regard to its native sons.

Despite being held in front of a pro-American crowd in New York each year, the U.S. Open hasn’t witnessed many banner moments from United States male players. Fans largely flocked to the Billie Jean King tennis center to watch superior players from other countries perform at the highest level. The 2024 edition of the U.S. Open signaled a change, however.

Taylor Fritz marched to the finals of the U.S. Open, putting together a stretch of consistent tennis that fans have seldom seen from him before. Defector’s website broke down his ascent, with the title of their piece simply stating “Taylor Fritz gets over the hump.”

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Fritz told Defector that he would often internalize and rationalize losing in the past. “I think the mental coping that I was doing for it was, well, every time I was in the quarters, I played Djokovic. I think that was my way to just protect my ego.” Fritz said that he moved past that built-in excuse in July when he defeated Lorenzo Musetti during the quarterfinals in Wimbledon in July 2024.

The belief in his ability was evident over his strong play in the U.S. Open. Fritz told Express UK during the tournament, “I really felt like it was my time to take it a step further.”

Of course, in order to reach the finals, Fritz had to go through an opponent he knew very well; fellow countryman Frances Tiafoe. The two had a memorable match in the semifinals that helped demonstrate American men’s tennis was back.

Tiafoe might be the biggest showman on the men’s circuit today, American or otherwise. He often panders to the crowd with frequent fist pumps, and he’s had quite a following from celebrities who admire his journey and his game. Time Magazine called him a “natural crowd pleaser.”

All of the histrionics and gestures Tiafoe makes wouldn’t matter if he wasn’t successful on the tennis court, however. He’s knocked at the door of several major tournaments, and is another player American tennis fans can expect to see a lot of.

Tiafoe told the U.S. Open website, “I’m going to let this sting, but I’m gonna learn from this,” after his loss to Fritz. “You know, I’m gonna work really hard. I’m going to be in these positions again, for sure. Just hoping for a different outcome.”

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Fritz and Tiafoe became the headliners at the U.S. Open, but there are other names that can give American tennis fans hope that the country has turned the corner. Ben Shelton and Tommy Paul also figure to be in the mix for a long time to come.

Although his 2024 season didn’t quite match his breakout 2023 campaign, ATP Tour’s website believes that Shelton’s serve is a force to be reckoned with. They wrote that the soon-to-be 22 year-old has one of the best serves in the world already.

No American male had even made the finals of the U.S. Open since 2006, when Andy Roddick was defeated by Roger Federer.

Considering all Grand Slams, no American man had made a final since 2009, when Roddick was once again dispatched by Federer at Wimbledon. Fritz’s run was a long time coming, to say the least.

However, many will point out that the road to glory during the 2024 U.S. Open was made easier by the early exit of the biggest contenders. Novak Djokovic and Carlos Alcaraz were nowhere to be found, as they surprisingly got knocked out early in the tournament.

However, there were still many other worthy challengers Americans like Fritz and Tiafoe had to overcome, such as Alexander Zverev and Grigor Dimitrov.

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