Andre Agassi and Andy Roddick hold a special place in American tennis history.
They both won a Grand Slam in 2003 – Agassi had just won the eighth championship of his career at the Australian Open, which was his fourth title there, and Roddick had won his sole Grand Slam singles title at the U.S. Open.
Andre Agassi celebrates his victory against Rainer Schuettler of Germany in the men’s singles final during the Australian Open at Melbourne Park in Melbourne, Australia on Jan. 26, 2003. (Nick Laham/Getty Images)
More than 20 years later, those two tournaments still stand as the last time an American won a men’s singles Grand Slam title.
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However, a new era of tennis players is hoping to change that, and Agassi believes that we are on the cusp of a revitalization of American tennis, and that the U.S. Open could be where we see a breakthrough.
Speaking to Fox News Digital, Agassi agreed that the current top ranked American men’s tennis players are primed for a Grand Slam championship.
Tommy Paul returns a shot to Italy’s Lorenzo Sonego during a first-round match of the U.S. Open tennis championships on Tuesday, Aug. 27, 2024 in New York. (AP Photo/Frank Franklin II)
“I believe this generation of players with their assets – Tommy Paul’s speed, [Sebastian] Korda’s ball striking and effortless power, you’ve got [Frances] Tiafoe’s dynamics and ability and athleticism to play off the crowd and use that momentum, [Taylor] Fritz with the way he hits the tennis ball… [Ben Shelton] is that college spirit that loves that environment and the energy of the crowd.”
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He continued, “They all love this surface, and they all can hit through it, and they all can go to heaven for two weeks and put a result in. I’m thinking the breakthrough is going to happen somewhere, but most likely, if and when it happens, it’ll happen [at the U.S. Open].
There are currently five Americans ranked within the ATP’s top 20 – Fritz, Shelton, Paul, Korda and Tiafoe. Shelton, who was a semifinalist at the U.S. Open in 2023, would seemingly agree with Agassi’s assessment.
Ben Shelton, of the United States, returns a shot to Dominic Thiem, of Austria, during the first round of the U.S. Open on Monday, Aug. 26, 2024 in New York. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)
“I think that the gradual improvement of the ranking of American players over the last three, four years, is proof to where we’re going,” he said ahead of his first round victory on Monday, via The Atlanta Journal–Constitution. “I think it’s inevitable that we will have a Grand Slam champion from our country. I don’t know when it’s going to be or who it’s going to be.”
In addition to the men’s side, there are also five Americans ranked in the WTA’s top 20 players, including 2023 U.S. Open champion Coco Gauff.
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The rise of American tennis parallels the new technology being made available to fans and players alike. Speaking to Fox News Digital on behalf of IBM, Agassi spoke about the watsonx-powered fan features that were unveiled at the 2024 U.S. Open.
While they serve a purpose in growing the game, Agassi believes the advanced technology also serves a purpose in athlete performance.
American tennis player Frances Tiafoe reacts to a point against Aleksandar Kovacevic, of the United States, during a first round match at the U.S. Open on Monday, Aug. 26, 2024 in New York. (AP Photo/Frank Franklin II)
“It does have a huge impact on their ability to access data and information that hones their craft more specifically, and helps all those that are growing in the game to be able to have access to something if they happen to not have a coach,” he said.
The features unveiled this year include new AI-generated match report summaries which include detailed analysis for all 254 U.S. Open main draw singles matches within minutes of match point. Additionally, the AI commentary, first introduced in 2023, has been enhanced this year to include expressive and contextual commentary – again, within minutes of each match’s conclusion.
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For Agassi, however, there is one thing that data and stats 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 Aug. 21, 2024, in Queens, New York. (Sarah Stier/Getty Images)
All this data that IBM is doing is pushing the sport forward on a lot of levels. It explains the ‘What happened?’ It explains the ‘How it happened?’ But you still have to figure out the ‘Why?’ And that’s where the players use that to know where the red flags are, where they’re going to dig in to, to figure out the ‘Why?'”
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