2024 US Open: Taylor Fritz seeks to end 21-year American major drought with Novak Djokovic, Carlos Alcaraz out

No American man has won a tennis Grand Slam since Andy Roddick, 21 years ago, but the 2024 US Open is looking like a legitimate opportunity to end that drought. As the highest-seeded American man in the field this year, Taylor Fritz is locked in.

“If it’s me who ends it, then that’s like my life’s dream basically, so it would mean everything to me,” he told CBS Sports. 

Roddick won the 2003 US Open after Andre Agassi captured the Australian Open months earlier. That became the surprising end of a 15-year streak in which American men won at least one leg of the Grand Slam per year since 1988. The 21-year drought since has been a tough pill to swallow for fans in the United States.

Outside of tennis, Fritz has some relatable hobbies. He is an avid gamer, a Chipotle aficionado and a spicy margarita lover — even creating his own recipe as part of a partnership with Maestro Dobel Tequila. However, on the court, he is a serious competitor who has quietly been on the rise.

Fritz saw his highest ranking ever at No. 5 on Feb. 27, 2023. He entered the US Open as the No. 12 seed and won his first three rounds in straight sets.

His next opponent will be No. 8 seed Casper Ruud during Sunday’s round of 16. 

Ruud beat Fritz 7-6 (8-6), 3-6, 6-4, 6-2 in the fourth round of the French Open earlier this year. However, Fritz said he was playing injured and feels the result could be flipped this time around. 

“Honestly, I think I’ll do exactly what I was doing at the French Open,” he said. “I had an injury I was playing through most of the French Open, and it really flared up, like bad, in the third set of that match. I finished the match, but I don’t know why I did. I probably should’ve just pulled out of the match.

“Up until that, it was pretty even. I liked the way I was playing a lot and I think playing exactly like that on a faster surface, on hardcourt, is gonna give me an even better chance.”

Fritz made the US Open quarterfinals last year, but he has never made a deeper run in a major tournament. The competition at this year’s US Open seems a bit more open after world No. 2 Novak Djokovic and No. 3 Carlos Alcaraz got upset in the third round. However, there are still some other favorites in the field, including No. 1 Jannik Sinner, No. 4 Alexander Zverev and No. 5 Daniil Medvedev — last year’s runner up.

While Fritz is the highest-seeded American, he knows his fellow countrymen are similarly capable of pulling off a victory.

One of the dark horses of this year’s tournament is unseeded Brandon Nakashima, who already took care of two top 20 opponents at Flushing Meadows and has a date with Zverev on Sunday. Fritz knows firsthand that Nakashima is not one to take lightly as he lost to him in the round of 64 at the Cincinnati Open on Aug. 13.

“He’s a really good player. I think he had some setbacks in the last year or two,” Fritz said. “I think all this year he’s been building himself back and winning a lot of matches, gaining a lot of confidence. He’s a really good player.”

Another player who arrived to New York with a lot of momentum is No. 20 Frances Tiafoe, who reached his first ever final at an ATP Masters 1000 event in Cincinnati. He earned his ticket to the round of 16 after an exciting win in a five-set battle against fellow American Ben Shelton, a semifinalist last year.

If anybody knows how to work a crowd and use that energy to their advantage, it is definitely Tiafoe.

“Frances is a good player in general, but … he really likes playing here, and once he kinda gets going, he plays really well.” Fritz said. “He kind of carries that momentum and the energy from the crowd, the moment. Just being at the US Open, that’s one thing that Frances does so well; he is a big tournament player. When he’s really pumped up and he really wants it, he’s super locked in and that’s when he plays his best tennis.”

Tiafoe will face No. 28 Alexei Popyrin on Sunday. They have never played before, but the Aussie has proven to be a dangerous opponent as he is the one who stunned Djokovic on Friday night.

Meanwhile, Tommy Paul might have the biggest challenge coming up as he is scheduled to take on Sinner during Monday’s round of 16. Fritz is best friends with Paul and knows his game well as they won a bronze medal in doubles at the 2024 Paris Olympics earlier this summer.

“Where he’s really improved a lot over the years is just being very professional and focused,” Fritz said. “Just like being on it, being very consistently good. I always knew how good he was; he is just kind of doing it week in, week out now. On the court, he is incredibly fast, comes to the net really well, and just the rest of his game is very well-rounded. He doesn’t really have any weaknesses. He’s got a good serve and he is just a great athlete.”