NEW YORK – When Andy Roddick hoisted his first — and final — U.S. Open trophy in 2003, few might have imagined America’s males had been in for a greater than 15-year Grand Slam title drought.
However with the times of Pete Sampras and Andre Agassi lengthy gone, and the ladies taking over the mantle of American tennis supremacy, the shift within the stability of energy is plain, Roddick informed Reuters, days forward of the 12 months’s ultimate tennis main kicked off.
“We are able to have opinions however that details are they’ve – (Amanda) Anisimova who made the semis of the French Open, Coco Gauff who had a pleasant little run into the second week of Wimbledon, Venus and Serena (Williams) haven’t gone away, we had a Stephens-Keys ultimate right here (in New York) a pair years in the past,” the previous world primary mentioned.
“So there have been moments for optimism – loads. And on the lads’s facet, not as a lot.”
Roddick, who claimed 32 singles titles throughout his profession, was fast to heap reward on “nice buddy” John Isner, the 6’10” American who reached the quarter-finals at Flushing Meadows final 12 months.
“I feel he maximizes what he has. He goes to work each day, he is diligent, he treats it like a job and I want extra of the youthful gamers sort of adopted his lead of doing that,” Roddick mentioned of 34-year-old Isner.
Isner, who has 15 singles profession titles beneath his belt, will enter the U.S. Open because the 14th seed. Fellow American Taylor Fritz, 21, is seeded 26th.
“The ladies have been doing their job. And it is an thrilling time. We’ve a number of the greatest gamers on the planet presently and we even have a number of the greatest prospects on the planet,” Roddick mentioned. “So issues are trying up.”