Three US tennis stars trying to copy Pete Sampras as Wimbledon wait continues
When Pete Sampras lifted his seventh Wimbledon title in 2000, few would have anticipated him to be the final American man to take action 23 years later. But because the ATP Tour gears up for a return to the All England Club subsequent month, that’s the stark actuality in what has been a surprisingly lengthy drought for a rustic so accustomed to sporting success.
The shortcomings at Wimbledon are maybe much more stunning given that in that interval, US males have loved no fewer than seven triumphs on the Queen’s Club Championship – the standard warm-up occasion that precedes the grasscourt slam.
But might issues be about to vary this yr? Returning world No 1 Novak Djokovic will undoubtedly be the favorite, having lifted the golden trophy on seven earlier events, together with the final 4 in 2018, 2019, 2021 and 2022.
Aside from the plain hazard that the Serbian represents, alternatives are opening up elsewhere. Second-ranked Carlos Alcaraz doesn’t favour the grass-court floor and Daniil Medvedev doesn’t have a great Wimbledon report, having by no means progressed additional than the fourth spherical.
Australia’s Nick Kyrigios was a overwhelmed finalist final yr however is fighting damage and will miss out altogether, identical to Rafael Nadal will, leaving the door vast open for challengers from the US secure of rising stars.
Express Sport takes a take a look at who might make the breakthrough at Wimbledon for America to lastly finish their barren run…
Taylor Fritz
The 6ft 5ins Californian is the top-ranked American on the ATP Tour and represents the nation’s finest hope of a Wimbledon winner this yr. The 25-year-old made it to the quarter-finals final yr however finally misplaced out in 5 units to Rafael Nadal, who then pulled out of his semi-final versus Kyrgios because of damage.
But with 5 profession titles now to his identify, Fritz might be hoping to make a real push for glory this time round.
Frances Tiafoe
Right-hander Tiafoe already is aware of what it is wish to win at Wimbledon. He has twice left SW19 as doubles champion in 2017 and 2018. The singles has been a barely totally different story, nevertheless.
Like Fritz, his finest effort got here in 2022, when he reached the fourth spherical, however he’ll arrive at Wimbledon subsequent month on the up. The 25-year-old clinched his third profession title in Stuttgart on Sunday and by doing so, he turned solely the third black American to interrupt into the lads’s prime 10 after Arthur Ashe and James Blake.
Tommy Paul
After a profitable junior profession, Paul shot to prominence at this yr’s Australian Open. Having by no means progressed previous the fourth spherical of a Grand Slam, he made all of it the way in which to the semi-finals, the place he was finally overwhelmed by eventual winner Djokovic.
The 26-year-old acquired so far as the fourth spherical at Wimbledon final yr, earlier than reaching the quarter-finals of the ATP Masters 1000 in Montreal. Having now climbed to fifteenth within the ATP rankings, he’s anticipated to be difficult for titles within the coming years. His first ATP Tour win arrived within the Stockholm Open on the finish of 2022, the place he beat each Fritz and Tiafoe, in addition to Andy Murray, on his option to the ultimate.
Best of the remaining
America presently has seven male tennis gamers ranked on the earth’s prime 50. Aside from Fritz, Tiafoe and Paul, there might be outdoors probabilities for the likes of Sebastian Korda, Ben Shelton, Maxime Cressy and JJ Wolf, all of whom are at Queen’s Club this week.