Cincinnati Open: American men motivated to break Grand Slam drought

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When two-time Grand Slam champion and WTA No. 2, Coco Gauff, was asked about the strength of American tennis, she playfully criticized her ATP counterparts.
'It hasn't been much of a competition, no offense to them, but now it is,' Gauff quipped. 'We've had three straight slams with American in the finals, so I think we're doing pretty good on our end. They have to catch up.'
Even if Gauff might not have been entirely serious, she had a point. While American women have won two Grand Slams this year — Madison Keys at the Australian and Gauff at the French Open — the men haven't held up their end of the bargain in about 22 years since Andy Roddick won the 2003 US Open.
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Still, the 2025 group might be closer than usual as they prepare for the US Open in late August while competing at the Cincinnati Open.
Ben Shelton and Taylor Fritz deliver promise for American tennis
ATP No. 6 Ben Shelton has soared up the rankings after recently beating fellow American and No. 4 Taylor Fritz at the National Bank Open in Canada before defeating then-No. 16 Karen Khachanov to win the tournament.
Known for his fast serves and showman attitude, the 22-year-old has reached the semifinals at the Australian Open and quarterfinals at Wimbledon this year before losing to No. 1 Jannik Sinner in both. He has skyrocketed to his career-high rank after starting the year at No. 21.
Shelton has progressed tremendously despite always showing promise because of his serving, because he has improved his baseline and serve return game. At the National Bank Open, he won 36.2% of return points, according to USA TODAY.
'I don't really feel expectation other than, you know, what me and my team put on myself, which is more about effort and intention than results,' Shelton said. 'That's always kind of how I go into a tournament. Whatever happens, happens, and I know that the way that I play, I can have big weeks.'
Fritz, who has held his No. 4 ranking position since 2024, has come close to winning Grand Slams. He reached his first major final at the 2024 US Open and recently reached the semifinals at Wimbledon. But he fell to the world's top two players, Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz, respectively, as he bowed out of each.
In 2024, Fritz finished with a 17-4 record in Grand Slam matches. He noted that while Sinner and Alcaraz are a level higher than the rest of the field, those players still lose.
Fritz said he has noticed the high level of all the top Americans, who he thinks are capable of achieving a grand slam title. By continuing to make deep Grand Slam runs, he added, it could eventually work out for one of them.
'The thing is, it only takes, it only takes two weeks,' Fritz said. 'Things just need to click for two weeks, and that's it.'
American men motivated by success
Others in the top 20, like Tommy Paul and Frances Tiafoe, have also performed well. While a Grand Slam could be a tall order for them, they are still contributing to a rapidly developing field of top American men.
And maybe it will click for one of them, as Fritz suggested.
Tiafoe, who is 6-3 in Grand Slams this year, made the French Open quarterfinal. But his recent results have been a step down from his 2024 US Open semifinal appearance, in which he lost to Fritz.
Tiafoe said Shelton's success in Canada has motivated him to perform better. While Alcaraz and Sinner have been more consistent than the rest of the pack, he said on any given night, one of them can pull off a victory.
'I don't think it's head and shoulders by any means,' Tiafoe said of the level between Alcaraz and Sinner and other players. 'I think Taylor (Fritz) can do it. I think Ben (Shelton) can do it. I think Tommy (Paul) 's in a great situation. I can do it myself. So I don't think an American is that far away at all.
'Now, to do it is obviously tough. Those guys are tall orders, but I don't think the difference is that big. I think the belief factor just needs to be there.'
Paul reached the quarterfinals at the Australian Open and the French Open, but lost form at Wimbledon, exiting in the second round to Austria's Sebastian Ofner.
The 28-year-old has dealt with abdominal and foot injuries since the French Open, the latter sustained at Wimbledon. Since then, he has slipped out of a top ten ranking spot, which he reached in June.
Paul is still focused on conditioning, but he has been motivated by Shelton's rapid progress.
"Every six months that I watch Ben (Shelton), I feel like I can notice something that he's doing so much better, or something that he's changed that's made his game better," Paul said. "Obviously, (it) motivates all of us, but (I'm) really just happy for him right now."
Diversity in American Tennis
With Fritz, Shelton, Tiafoe and Paul in the top 20 on the men's side and Jessica Pegula, Madison Keys, Amanda Anisimova, Emma Navarro and Gauff around the heights of the women's side, Americans have found success.
It goes beyond Grand Slams, though.
'It's a great opportunity for Americans in tennis right now, but just in tennis in general, there's a lot of hype around the sport,' Shelton said. 'Tennis is reaching a different demographic than it was before, and that's because of stars like Coco (Gauff), Francis (Tiafoe), and Taylor (Fritz), especially in the U.S., but not just Americans, North Americans, and Europeans too.'
Gauff later continued to discuss why it is important to have Americans near the top of tennis on both sides.
'Something beautiful about our country is how diverse it is, and I hope in this sport that it continues to show,' she said. 'It's great for the men to be in those numbers with us. And I would love to see in my lifetime, a woman, an American woman, and a male win the same slam.'
This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: American men motivated to break tennis Grand Slam drought