Andre Agassi and Andy Roddick hold a special place in History of American tennis.
They both won a Grand Slam in 2003 – Agassi had just won his eighth career championship at the Australian Open, which was his fourth title there, and Roddick had won his only Grand Slam singles title at the Australian Open. US Open.
Andre Agassi celebrates his victory over Rainer Schuettler of Germany in the men’s singles final of the Australian Open at Melbourne Park in Melbourne, Australia on January 26, 2003. (Nick Laham/Getty Images)
More than 20 years later, those two tournaments remain the last time an American won a Grand Slam men’s singles title.
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However, a new era of tennis players is hoping to change that, and Agassi believes we are on the cusp of a revitalization of American tennis, and the US Open could be where we see a breakthrough.
Speaking to Fox News Digital, Agassi agreed that the top-ranked American tennis players currently ranked are ready for a Grand Slam championship.
Tommy Paul returns a shot to Lorenzo Sonego of Italy during a first round match at the US Open tennis championships on Tuesday, Aug. 27, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Frank Franklin II)
“I think this generation of players with their strengths – Tommy Paul’s speed, [Sebastian] Korda’s effortless ball striking and power, you have [Frances] Tiafoe’s dynamics, his ability and athleticism to play with the crowd and use that momentum, [Taylor] Fritz with the way he hits the tennis ball… [Ben Shelton] It’s that university spirit that loves this environment and the energy of the crowd.”
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He continued: “They all love this surface, and they can all cross it, and they can all go to heaven for two weeks and get a result. I think the breakthrough is going to happen somewhere, but most likely, if and when it happens, it will happen. [at the U.S. Open].
Currently, there are five Americans ranked in the ATP top 20: Fritz, Shelton, Paul, Korda and Tiafoe. Shelton, who was a semifinalist at the 2023 US Open, reportedly agrees with Agassi’s assessment.
American Ben Shelton returns a shot to Austrian Dominic Thiem during the first round of the US Open, Monday, Aug. 26, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)
“I think the gradual improvement in the rankings of American players over the last three or four years is evidence of where we’re going,” he said before his first-round victory on Monday, via The Atlanta Journal–Constitution“I think it is inevitable that we will have a Grand Slam champion in our country. I don’t know when it will happen or who it will be.”
In addition to the men’s team, there are also five Americans ranked among the WTA’s top 20 players, including 2023 US Open champion Coco Gauff.
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The rise of American tennis comes with the availability of new technology for fans and players. Speaking to Fox News Digital on behalf of IBM, Agassi spoke about the Watsonx-powered fan features that were unveiled at the 2024 US Open.
While they contribute to the growth of the game, Agassi believes that advanced technology also contributes to the performance of athletes.
American tennis player Frances Tiafoe reacts to a point against Aleksandar Kovacevic of the United States during a first round match at the US Open, Monday, Aug. 26, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Frank Franklin II)
“It has a huge impact on their ability to access data and information that hones their craft in more specific ways, and helps everyone who’s moving up in the game to be able to access something if they don’t have a coach,” he said.
Features unveiled this year include new AI-generated match summaries, which include detailed analysis of all 254 US Open main draw singles matches within minutes of match point. Additionally, AI commentary, first introduced in 2023, has been enhanced this year to include expressive and contextual commentary, again within minutes of the conclusion of each match.
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For Agassi, however, there is one thing that data and statistics cannot predict: the human element.
Eight-time Grand Slam champion Andre Agassi, right, and Carlos Alcaraz of Spain, left, play against John McEnroe and Novak Djokovic of Serbia during the Stars of the Open exhibition match at USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center on August 21, 2024, in Queens, New York. (Sarah Stier/Getty Images)
“All this data that IBM is collecting is moving the sport forward on so many levels. It’s explaining what happened, how it happened, but you still have to understand why. And that’s where players are using it to know where the red flags are, where they’re going to look to understand why.”
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