The debate over when a breakthrough will occur continues into the 30th year.
But suddenly, this year could be the best chance for that to happen.
With the recent eliminations of two-time U.S. Open champion Carlos Alcaraz and 24-time Grand Slam champion Novak Djokovic, four Americans will be in the last 16 when the fourth round of the U.S. Open begins Sunday.
Francis Tiafoe, Taylor Fritz, Brandon Nakashima and Tommy Paul are bidding to become the first American-born man to win a Grand Slam tournament since Andy Roddick hoisted the trophy at Flushing Meadows in 2003.
The first three in this group (all except Paul) are in the same group, perhaps giving one of them a better path to ending the drought.
“Alcaraz and I both lost, it's a big upset, so the draw is open,” Djokovic said after his loss to Alexei Popyrin late Friday night. “Of course. [top-seeded Jannik] Sinner is the leading favorite to win, but Tiafoe is also listed as a favorite for the United States, as is Fritz. [Alexander] Zverev, there are some great players playing. [Andrey] Rublev and [Grigor] Dimitrov will be in the draw.
“But anyone can win it. It will be interesting to see who ends up taking home the title.”
And after such a long wait, Americans and their fans will no doubt be thinking, “Why not us?”
Tiafoe, the 20th seed, will not face Djokovic in the fourth round and will instead face 28th seed Popyrin on Sunday with a chance to reach at least the quarterfinals in New York for the third consecutive year.
“It's close. The depth in the game right now is unbelievable,” Tiafoe said after beating 2023 Open semifinalist Ben Shelton in the third round on Friday. “There's a lot of guys out there playing really well. If you're not in good form, you can lose.”
“They’re all good players, even Carlos and Sinner and the guys who are winning, they’re not light years better than anyone else. [fifth-seeded Daniil] “Medvedev. They win a lot. If you don't play sharp and perform to the ability that everyone knows you have, you're probably going to lose.”
Tiafoe, 26, reached the semifinals the previous year but lost in the quarterfinals in 2023 to Shelton.
Fritz, the highest-seeded American man at No. 12, became the first American player to reach at least the fourth round in all four Grand Slam tournaments in the same year since Andre Agassi in 2003.
He will face eighth-seeded Kasper Ruud in the fourth round on Sunday, while Nakashima will face fourth-seeded Zverev, who reached the French Open final earlier this year.
“It's an incredible experience. I'm very excited to be an American in the fourth round,” said Nakashima, 23. “Playing in front of this crowd and having the hometown cheering is really special. I'm going to cherish this moment and get through it.”
“It's always good to see other Americans doing well. I think they've set the bar pretty high in American tennis… and it's definitely an exciting time.”
Despite Friday's loss, the 21-year-old Shelton (ranked 13th in the world) believes it's “really great to see where American tennis is going.”
There are five players ranked in the top 20, including No. 17 Sebastian Korda, who was eliminated in the second round.
“It's not just me and 'Foe' [Tiafoe]”We've got four or five other guys,” Shelton said after Friday's loss, “and we're all going to have our moments to shine.”
The 14th-seeded Paul beat Canadian qualifier Gabriel Diallo in four sets late in the afternoon to book a spot in the four-man American final.
He will reach the quarterfinals against top seed Jannik Sinner, who beat Australia's Christopher O'Connell in straight sets on Monday.
“I think it's great, it's fun to see the other Americans going through the tournament and motivating each other,” Paul said. “I don't know if seeing one of the Americans win will translate into me winning, but it's fun to see it anyway. I think we have a really good group right now.”
