American Rebellion: Taylor Fritz main U.S. surge into high tier of males’s tennis

While the United States has produced a number of stars and champions in ladies’s tennis for the previous twenty years — thanks largely to Venus and Serena Williams and their affect — the American males’s sport had lagged behind.

That is, till now.

A burgeoning discipline of stars and stripes gamers is making their presence recognized in 2023. Led by world No. 9 Taylor Fritz, they’re racking up wins and chasing the one factor that has eluded an American man for the final 20 years: a Grand Slam title.

“It is cool to kind of see the improvements from last year, you know, coming here with Frances [Tiafoe] and I both in the top 10,” Fritz mentioned Tuesday, recent off his victory within the ATP 250 occasion in Atlanta on Sunday. “We weren’t at this time last year, and a lot of other guys are ranked significantly higher than they were this time last year.”

Fritz and Tiafoe, the Nos. 1 and a couple of seeds, respectively, right here on the Mubadala Citi DC Open, are joined within the ATP high 50 by 5 different compatriots, giving the U.S. essentially the most illustration of any nation in that a part of the rankings.

“There is maybe always a little bit of added pressure when you’re playing [other Americans], because we’re friends. At the end of the day, we do want to beat each other,” Fritz mentioned.

To be the subsequent American man to lastly add to Andy Roddick’s 2003 U.S. Open win, it takes consistency. Last yr, Tiafoe grew to become the youngest American man to succeed in the U.S. Open semifinals since Roddick in 2006 earlier than successful the second and third titles of his profession in Houston and Stuttgart this yr.  Chris Eubanks has additionally surged into that dialog, as much as No. 29 after his thrilling quarterfinal run at Wimbledon.

“[Eubanks is a great example,” Fritz said. “He won Mallorca, and the way he was playing at Wimbledon, just the confidence, he was playing insane. He was playing easily, easily top-10 level. That’s how it happens.”

At this time last year, Fritz struggled to get into form. He played with a nagging stress fracture in his foot through Wimbledon, then wore a walking boot and stayed off the court for a few weeks, hoping to “play myself back into shape” in D.C. The plan didn’t work, with the Californian retiring in the third set of a round-of-16 match against Great Britain’s Dan Evans due to fatigue.

“It’s not that surprising, I guess, that my fitness wasn’t there kind of just after not being able to do anything for a bit,” Fritz said. “So this year obviously I have been able to play continuously. I think that I’m in just a much better place, for sure.”

With the Atlanta win, Fritz has won two titles of his own in 2023 and five since the beginning of last year.

“There is a lot of confidence you can take away from being the one-seed [in Atlanta], having that expectation and nonetheless having the ability to win with the expectation. Because that’s additionally by no means straightforward if you’re taking part in with all of the stress on you to return via,” Fritz mentioned. “So, there is a lot of positives to take out, and I’m obviously feeling confident coming into this week.”

He’ll start his D.C. play Wednesday in opposition to — you guessed it — an American and fellow Californian Zachary Svajda. The qualifier defeated Australian Max Purcell 4-6, 7-6(2), 7-5 Tuesday.

Other American males noticed combined outcomes elsewhere throughout the Fitzgerald Tennis Center grounds Tuesday afternoon. No. 5 seed Gregor Dimitrov of Bulgaria dispatched Mackenzie McDonald in straight units on Stadium, 7-6(6), 6-2. 

“Very tricky opponent today, so yeah, very happy the way I performed,” the world No. 20 mentioned. “I think that was a good match for me. Still a few things to clear up in my game, but other than that, I feel in a good spot. Little by little, I hope I’m getting better.”

American Ben Shelton additionally dropped his Stadium match, a 6-2, 3-6, 6-3 loss to Juncheng Shang of China. It’s Shelton’s second loss to Shang in as many weeks. 

San Diego’s Brandon Nakashima received a battle in opposition to Aleksandar Vukic, the runner-up to Fritz in Atlanta, needing tiebreakers in each units to greatest the Australian, 7-6(5), 7-6(9). Nakashima will subsequent face three-time Grand Slam champion Andy Murray.

U.S. ladies fared significantly better early on, sweeping their trio of matches. D.C. native Hailey Baptiste obtained bageled within the second set in opposition to Karolina Pliskova, however rallied for the win over the previous world No. 1, 6-1, 0-6, 6-3. Baptiste faces compatriot and world No. 4 Coco Gauff within the second spherical.

Two-time Grand Slam finalist Jennifer Brady was warmly welcomed on John Harris court docket as she made her return to the WTA tour after lacking two years after knee surgical procedure in addition to foot points. She used the assist to make straightforward work of Ukrainian Anhelina Kalinina, 6-2, 6-1.