The tennis world has waited nearly 23 years for a new American men’s player to emerge and capture a major title. An American male hasn’t done so since 2003, when Andy Roddick won the U.S. Open.
American men dominated the sport for long stretches starting in the 1970s thanks to the likes of Pete Sampras, Jimmy Connors, John McEnroe and Andre Agassi. A few players have come close to replicating that success—most recently, Taylor Fritz advanced to the 2024 U.S. Open final—but the drought continues. So, when an up-and-coming California native emerges with a string of strong results, fans, understandably, get excited and think:
