American Tennis Divided: Women Excel While Men Still Chase Grand Slam Glory

Posted : 01 July 2025

The 2025 Wimbledon Championships have once again underscored the contrasting fortunes of American tennis on the global stage. While the women's draw reflects ongoing dominance and depth, led by recent Grand Slam champions, the men's field continues its protracted struggle to reclaim major success, with no American man having lifted a Grand Slam singles trophy since Andy Roddick’s 2003 US Open win.

This season, Madison Keys ended her long wait for a major by winning the Australian Open, and Coco Gauff added to the American momentum with a French Open victory earlier this month. Their successes appeared to herald a resurgence of U.S. excellence—at least in the women's division. In stark contrast, the men’s side continues to endure a Grand Slam title drought now spanning over two decades.

At Wimbledon, the United States boasts the largest national representation in the singles draw, fielding 35 players—19 women and 16 men. Yet for many younger entrants, such as Learner Tien and Alex Michelsen, Roddick’s last major triumph remains a distant historical reference rather than a career benchmark.

Fifth seed Taylor Fritz arrived at Wimbledon on a high, having claimed his fourth Eastbourne title just days earlier. With five grass-court titles to his name—second only to Novak Djokovic among active players—Fritz was expected to spearhead the American men’s campaign. However, his opening match highlighted the precarious nature of this expectation.

Facing France’s Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard, Fritz came perilously close to an early exit. Despite never being broken and holding set points in the first two sets, he lost both in tiebreaks before rallying to win the next two sets, forcing a decisive fifth set before play was suspended due to the tournament's 11pm curfew.

Elsewhere, American men experienced mixed fortunes. Frances Tiafoe, Tien, Jenson Brooksby, and Ethan Quinn progressed to the second round, while Brandon Holt, Mackenzie McDonald, and Nishesh Basavareddy were eliminated during a brutally hot opening day, where temperatures exceeded 32°C. Several others were set to compete on Tuesday.

In the women’s draw, American players continued to assert their presence with authority. Madison Keys led a quartet of U.S. women into the second round after a hard-fought victory over Elena-Gabriela Ruse. Amanda Anisimova delivered one of the most dominant performances of the day, dispatching Yulia Putintseva 6-0, 6-0. Ann Li and Ashlyn Krueger also secured straight-sets wins, while Coco Gauff, the French Open champion, was scheduled to begin her campaign on Tuesday.

Reflecting on the disparity in achievements, Keys acknowledged the sustained excellence of American women in Grand Slam events over the past two decades—highlighting the 25 major titles won during that span, with the Williams sisters contributing 19. “I feel like the American women have been probably inspiring the men for a while,” Keys remarked, suggesting the women have long set the standard for U.S. tennis.

Frances Tiafoe, one of the top American male contenders, expressed optimism that the men are close to breaking through. Citing recent semifinal appearances by himself, Ben Shelton, and Tommy Paul, and Fritz’s run to the final at the 2024 US Open, Tiafoe believes the collective trajectory is positive. “I really feel like we continue to put ourselves in those positions—we're going to get it done,” he stated.

American Tennis Divided: Women Excel While Men Still Chase Grand Slam Glory

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