For a nation that has produced a plethora of outstanding tennis stars, the US has endured an incredible 18-year drought without a winner at the men’s Grand Slam. Andy Roddick was the last man to triumph for the USA at the 2003 US Open.
Although Roddick went on to reach four further finals, he came up against the dominant force of Roger Federer during the noughties and lost all of their matchups on the major stage. Roddick’s last surge to a final at Wimbledon came in 2009, which means that the US has gone over a decade without a competitor in a men’s final.
It’s staggering to comprehend considering the number of quality players that the country has produced in the past. In the golden era, Arthur Ashe, Jimmy Connors, John McEnroe, Jim Courier, Andre Agassi, and Pete Sampras held a monopoly on the men’s game for the States, sweeping up the majority of the titles on offer.
Ahead of the 2021 Wimbledon, there was not a single American man in the draw in the tennis odds that had a value lower than +2500, highlighting the issue at hand for the United States Tennis Association.
Despite boasting outstanding facilities for the development of players, there has not been a man capable of matching the modern-day greats of the game on the court.
Since Roddick faded from the scene, John Isner and Sam Querrey have had their moments, with the latter reaching the Wimbledon semi-finals in 2017. However, that success has been fleeting and neither player has been continually pushing in the latter stages of major competitions.
First set goes to a very cool looking Sebastian Korda.
28 minutes and he finished that off in style.
Evans 3-6 Korda
?? Watch #Wimbledon live on @BBCOne @BBCTwo, @BBCiPlayer and the BBC Sport app | https://t.co/WGXeUQAlZF pic.twitter.com/jWR0b9BiUC
— BBC Sport (@BBCSport) July 2, 2021
At 2021 Wimbledon, Sebastian Korda did offer a potential glimpse of promise. He performed extremely well in the first round to defeat the 15th seed Alex de Minaur before overcoming Antoine Hoang in his next outing. Korda raised the level of his game in the third round to see off British Dan Evans in front of his home crowd in four sets.
Russia’s Karen Khachanov stood between the 21-year-old and a place in the quarter-finals. The two players enjoyed a fierce tussle on Court 18 that progressed all the way to a fifth set and an astounding nine breaks of serve. Khachanov’s experience came to the fore to close out a 10-8 triumph in the decider to advance to the last eight.
Korda’s performance will certainly make him one to watch over the coming months to see if he can sustain his form. At the age of 21, he has potential, but breaking into the latter stages of major tournaments is a tough challenge amid the amount of quality that is present on the ATP Tour.
Hyattsville’s Frances Tiafoe Stuns 3rd-Ranked Stefanos Tsitsipas In Wimbledon Opening Round https://t.co/6Onj0i4xAh pic.twitter.com/RQm9Hi9QSd
— WJZ | CBS Baltimore (@wjz) June 29, 2021
Frances Tiafoe provided one of the shocks at Wimbledon by defeating the number three seed Stefanos Tsitsipas in the first round. The 23-year-old was extremely impressive to beat the Greek in straight sets before easing past another solid player in Vasek Pospisil. Khachanov brushed him aside in the third round, but there could be signs that Tiafoe is ready to take the next step in his development.
Soon enough there will be an opening at the top of the men’s game once Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal, and Roger Federer call time on their legendary careers. The next generation of US tennis players could have the opportunity to restore their country’s pride in the men’s game.