American men's US Open drought poised to continue, says John McEnroe
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Frances Tiafoe of the United States reacts during his semi-final match against Spain's Carlos Alcaraz at the 2022 US Open.
PHOTO: REUTERS
NEW YORK – A US Open drought for American men that stretches back two decades is likely to continue when the year's final Grand Slam kicks off in New York on Monday, said tennis legend John McEnroe.
It has been 20 years since Andy Roddick hoisted the trophy at Flushing Meadows and even though Frances Tiafoe – who made a thrilling run to the semi-finals last season – and Taylor Fritz are both ranked in the top 10, the tournament favourites are simply too dominant right now.
"It's hard to envision," seven-time Grand Slam champion McEnroe said of whether anyone not named Novak Djokovic, Carlos Alcaraz, Daniil Medvedev or even Jannik Sinner could triumph.
"I'd love to see Francis get his act together and do something... he got to the semis, he's going to feel pressure even trying to replicate that," added the American, a four-time US Open champion who is now a broadcaster with ESPN.
"It would be incredible for an American player to make a breakthrough, but the likelihood is that it isn't going to happen.
"You can see it's going to be Djokovic or Alcaraz, Medvedev is the next guy, and then Sinner. After that, it's going to be pretty tough to envision a guy going all the way."
Tiafoe's semi-final appearance, after beating Spanish great Rafael Nadal in the round of 16, elevated him to a household name, with former First Lady Michelle Obama among those who packed into his sold-out matches last term.
But the North American hard-court swing following Wimbledon has been disappointing for the 25-year-old son of immigrant parents from war-torn Sierra Leone.
After making the quarter-finals at his home tournament in Washington, the world No. 10 suffered first and second-round losses in Toronto and Cincinnati.
Fritz had a slightly more fruitful summer but was mauled by Djokovic in the last eight in Cincinnati and has never made it past the third round in New York, including a first-round loss in 2022.
Ranked ninth, he does have one of the most dominant serves in the game and if his primary weapon is firing, a deep run is not hard to imagine.
Tommy Paul, who beat Alcaraz at the Canadian Open, Wimbledon quarter-finalist Christopher Eubanks and Sebastian Korda are among the other American players who will look to snap the Grand Slam dry spell at the US Open, which runs from Aug 28 to Sept 10. REUTERS
