Every year when the U.S. Open comes around, the world is not-so-gently reminded that an American man hasn’t won the major tournament, or any major, since Andy Roddick in 2003. Taylor Fritz came extremely close last year, finishing as the runner-up to Jannik Sinne, but that two-decade-plus curse still hasn’t been broken.
Could this be the year? Former U.S. Open champion and tennis legend Lindsay Davenport thinks it’s possible.
In a recent interview with Sports Illustrated, Davenport admitted that it’s going to be very tough to beat World No. 1 Sinner and No. 2 Carlos Alcaraz as these two have won the last six major titles. If an American man wants to hoist the U.S. Open trophy up in a few weeks, he’ll likely have to beat at least one of these two to do so. That’s not an easy task.
But, Davenport is choosing to never say never. Ben Shelton, who just won the ATP 1000 tournament in Canada, is someone she could see beating either Sinner or Alcaraz.
“It’s hard to think that someone else is going to win, but we also have some great American talent,” Davenport says. “Ben Shelton is obviously going to come in with a lot of momentum. Someone’s going to have to play the style of game that can disrupt. Ben is maybe one of the players that can do that.”
Shelton has had success at Flushing Meadows in the past as he reached the semifinals in 2023. Coming off of the momentum from the Canadian Open, as Davenport said, might help his confidence in New York.
Other strong American male contenders include Fritz, Frances Tiafoe (although he may be battling an injury) and Tommy Paul, all of whom are ranked in the top 20. We’ll see who can make their mark this year at the U.S. Open.
On the women’s side of the draw, all eyes will be on Coco Gauff as she enters the U.S. Open. She shockingly lost in the first round of Wimbledon, just weeks after winning the French Open title. Will she be able to capture her second U.S. Open title after winning in 2023?
Davenport talked a little bit about that 2023 victory, which made her and fellow former American tennis star Mary Carillo emotional while working the match. It was one of the most memorable matches she can remember working for Tennis Channel in recent years.
“Coco Gauff winning the U.S. Open was totally overwhelming,” Davenport said. "I remember being with Mary Carillo, and neither one of us spoke for five minutes, we just had all these tears coming down.”
But, Gauff isn’t the only American women’s tennis star to watch this tournament. Madison Keys won the first major of the year, the Australian Open.Amanda Anisimova was the runner-up at Wimbledon. Jessica Pegula sits at No. 4 in the world, while Emma Navarro ranks at No. 11. They’ve all completed strong showings at majors over the last few seasons, so it wouldn’t be a surprise if one of them walks away as a U.S. Open champion. Other than Gauff, all of these players would become first-time winners of the event.
Davenport said she doesn’t care which American wins the U.S. Open, she just hopes one of them does.
“I couldn’t be happier when we talk about American women’s tennis and how many names that we have to throw out there,” Davenport says. ““As a former player, I love to see how, of course they’re competitive, but they also are all really great ladies. It’s fun for me to see that evolution as well.”
Will this year’s U.S. Open be the year of American tennis dominance? Stay tuned as the tournament kicks off on Sunday, Aug. 24 and runs through Sunday, Sept. 7.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Lindsay Davenport Is Hopeful an American Can Win the U.S. Open on Both Sides of Draw.
