LONDON (Reuters) – Andy Roddick’s U.S. Open triumph in 2003 stays the final time an American man received a Grand Slam title however Frances Tiafoe believes the present crop of gamers may soon finish the drought.
Tiafoe, 24, was considered one of eight Americans to succeed in the third spherical of Wimbledon — probably the most at any Slam since 1996 — and led the cost on Friday when he beat Kazakhstan’s Alexander Bublik in 4 units to maneuver into the final 16.
He was soon joined within the fourth spherical by 25-year-old Tommy Paul who thrashed highly effective Czech Jiri Vesely.
On Saturday, Jenson Brooksby, 21, Brandon Nakashima, 20, and eleventh seed Taylor Fritz, 24, will all hope to affix them whereas qualifier Jack Sock will fly the flag for the older era.
With 37-year-old John Isner, who put out twice Wimbledon champion Andy Murray in spherical two earlier than dropping on Friday, nonetheless able to doing injury at Slams, these are encouraging instances for American males’s tennis looking for to revive former glories.
Asked to elucidate the surge of Americans at Wimbledon this yr, Tiafoe mentioned it was easy: “We are rattling good!.
“Playing nice tennis. Guys are simply good. Most of us had been seeded, most seeded in Paris too. We’re enjoying nice tennis. I feel we at all times feed off one another,” he added.
“We all consider we will be doing even higher than what we’re doing at present. One man does properly, subsequent man desires to step up.”
Tiafoe joined Isner and Sam Querrey amongst lively Americans to succeed in the final 16 at 4 Grand Slams on Friday.
JUNIOR TALENT
The twenty third seed was tipped for the highest when he was a prodigious junior expertise and, whereas success has taken longer than some anticipated, he now seems to be the actual deal.
Fritz, Nakashima and Brooksby are all but to hit their peak too, so the long run is brilliant.
“I assumed this was going to be an excellent group for a very long time. It was simply good blood, Tiafoe mentioned. “Fritz, Tommy, Reilly (Opelka), all of them received junior slams. I used to be doing properly.”
With so many gamers pushing for his or her massive breakthrough second, Tiafoe says it has created a wholesome competitors.
“We had been so glad for one another, genuinely needed to see one another doing properly. There was no jealousy,” he mentioned.
“No one was envious of somebody doing properly. People had been like, all proper, if he is doing it, properly I can do it too. Now, right here we’re. So hopefully we will simply preserve doing that.”
Tiafoe additionally mentioned the dearth of American success in males’s Slams since Roddick’s win over Juan Carlos Ferrero ought to be put into the context of what they had been up in opposition to.
“Not many guys had been profitable Slams exterior of the large three. I do not assume it was an American downside,” he mentioned.
“Lots of nice gamers in that period did not win Slams. Doesn’t matter what the flag seems to be like.”
(Reporting by Martyn Herman; Editing by Ken Ferris)
