American Men Eye Long-Drought Break: Who's Got What It Takes

With Andy Roddick's 2003 US Open victory still the last time an American man won the tournament, many are looking to Ben Shelton to make history and bring home the trophy this year.

Patrick McEnroe, a former US Open champion himself, has high hopes for Shelton, the No. 8 seed from Atlanta, who is coming off a strong showing in the Canadian Open. For related coverage, explore our detailed analysis on Technology and Digital Systems.

Key Analysis and Detailed Timeline

“I’m picking Big Ben, I’m going for it,” McEnroe said on an ESPN conference call ahead of the Open. “I like Shelton to win the Open, and I can suspend getting this question after 20-some years. ‘When’s the next American going to win a major?’ I’m sick of it, I’m tired of it.”

Shelton has had success in the past, reaching the semifinals in 2023 but losing in the third round the last two years.

He also beat Joao Fonseca, Jacub Mensik and Learner Tien en route to the final in Canada, becoming the fourth man this century to successfully defend the Canada title after Andy Murray (2009-10), Novak Djokovic (2011-12) and Rafael Nadal (2018-19).

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Broader Impact and Sector Outlook

The men’s draw is particularly unsettled this year because world No. 1 Jannik Sinner withdrew with a knee injury while defending champion and No. 2 Carlos Alcaraz hasn’t played a competitive match since April.

Those injuries open the door for a number of other players, including French Open champion Alexander Zverev, Americans Shelton, Tiafoe, Taylor Fritz and Tommy Paul, and a group of young internationals players like Spain’s Rafael Jodar, France’s Arthur Fils (who just beat Tiafoe to win the Cincinnati Open) and Italy’s Flavio Cobolli.

Per DraftKings , Alcaraz is the betting favorite, followed However, McEnroe believes that Shelton has a better chance with his serve.

“For me, he has the best chance with his serve and I like what I saw from him a lot in Canada. I thought the return game looked a lot better, and to me that’s always been the thing that he’s got to improve upon the most if he wants to win of these big ones,” McEnroe said.

The US Open is considered the best opportunity for American men to break their long-drought winning streak, and many are looking to Shelton to make history and bring home the trophy.