By Richard Pagliaro | @Tennis_Now | Tuesday, March 21, 2023
MIAMI—American males are knocking on the most important door.
At this time, a pair of highly effective Individuals practically knocked out the online in Miami.
More: Alcaraz’s Aim for Sunshine Double
Australian Open quarterfinalist Ben Shelton and serve-and-volleyer Maxime Cressy hit collectively in a Miami Open follow session showcasing booming serves.
After one Cressy first serve crashed into the highest of the tape sounding virtually as loud as a shotgun blast, Shelton turned and stated “you hear that?”
It has been 20 years since Andy Roddick defeated Juan Carlos Ferrero to win the 2003 US Open.
Roddick stays the final American man to boost a Grand Slam singles title, however American males together with Shelton and Cressy are making noise.
Whereas American males’s tennis has seemed purple, white and bruised at occasions throughout that 20-year Grand Slam singles drought, indicators of U.S. males’s resurgence are throughout.
Taylor Fritz gained his maiden Masters at Indian Wells final March and went on to succeed in the Wimbledon quarterfinals. Frances Tiafoe toppled Rafael Nadal in New York en path to his maiden main semifinal on the US Open the place he misplaced to eventual-champion Carlos Alcaraz and Tommy Paul is coming off his first Grand Slam semifinal on the Australian Open final January.
Survey the ATP rankings and you’ll find 13 Americans in the Top 100— most of any nation.
Given latest success, Taylor Fritz suggests we may see an American man breakthrough to grasp a serious presumably this yr.
“We have been requested that stuff—it is positively fairly previous, however we’ll in all probability be getting requested extra as a result of I believe now persons are seeing between a few us there’s actual Slam contenders,” Fritz advised the media in Miami right now. “And realistically any of the upcoming Slams may doubtlessly be the one.
“It isn’t too loopy to imagine that one in all us would possibly simply take one in all these [2023 Grand Slam titles].”
Corridor of Famer and ESPN analyst John McEnroe stated he believes an American man can win a Grand Slam within the subsequent 18 months. McEnroe calls Sebastian Korda “doubtlessly essentially the most proficient of all of the younger Individuals with the largest upside.”
On the Australian Open in January, Paul topped Twenty fourth-seeded Roberto Bautista Agut 6-2, 4-6, 6-2, 7-5 to hitch Korda and Shelton within the quarterfinals in Melbourne.
That victory gave the U.S. males three quarterfinalists at a Grand Slam for the primary time for the reason that 2005 US Open when Andre Agassi, Miami Open match director James Blake and Robby Ginepri did it and three quarterfinalists on the Australian Open for the primary time since 2000 when Agassi, Sampras former Davis Cup hero Chris Woodruff achieved the feat.
Fritz stated his buddy, Paul, is extra polished {and professional} now and a real contender.
“I’ve all the time thought Tommy was a extremely good participant,” Fritz advised the media in Miami tody. “I all the time thought when he was 30 on this planet or 40 on this planet I all the time thought he was method higher than that.
“I all the time understand how he is enjoying it is not loopy to me however he is exhibiting everybody else I believe he is eradicated loads of small lapses freely giving a break stuff like that. He is tightened the sport up a so much it is all the time been there.
“Between all of us like Frances, Tommy, Reilly we’re all actually cloe pals we wish to have enjoyable and mess with one another. On the finish of the day, all of us are I assume aggressive with one another. However I really feel like we do not actually speak about it, we simply let that half come out on the courtroom once we play in opposition to one another however off the courtroom we’re all good pals.”
Picture credit score: Getty
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