NEW YORK — Frances Tiafoe and his compatriot peers have long been talking among themselves about ending the United States’ drought of men’s singles Grand Slam champions for years, first as daydreaming teens and then as more mature competitors with a better sense of what it takes to rise to the top.
By Ava Wallace
One such conversation sprang to mind Wednesday, though Tiafoe recalled it from the recesses of his memory after midnight following a three-hour quarterfinal match at the U.S. Open, so the details were vague. The conversation happened some years ago in the early morning hours, on a plane, and was prompted, unusually, by the quiet and self-effacing Taylor Fritz.
“He’s like, ‘Bro, I think me and you are going to be the No. 1 and No. 2 Americans and leading the way.’ Coming from him, I was like dang, dude, 6 a.m., I’m pretty tired,” Tiafoe said, grinning. “But let’s do it. Why not?”
Fritz had impressive foresight, according to Tiafoe’s memory. They aren’t the top two ranked Americans — that would be Fritz and 21-year-old Ben Shelton — but he and Tiafoe have led the latest promising group of young American men’s tennis players to heights not reached in nearly two decades.
With the pair facing off Friday in the U.S. Open semifinals, American men’s tennis is guaranteed to have its first Grand Slam singles finalist since 2009, when Andy Roddick lost the Wimbledon final to Roger Federer. Friday’s match will also be the first Grand Slam semifinal between two American men since the 2005 U.S. Open, when Andre Agassi defeated Robby Ginepri.
“It’s going to be epic,” Tiafoe said. “Popcorn. Do what you’ve got to do.”
American men’s tennis is a long way from its glory days, and whoever triumphs Friday might still have to take down world No. 1 Jannik Sinner in Sunday’s championship match to become the first American man to win a Grand Slam singles trophy since Roddick won the U.S. Open in 2003. Sinner defeated fifth-seeded Daniil Medvedev, 6-2, 1-6, 6-1, 6-4, in the last of the men’s quarterfinals Wednesday and has dropped just two sets across five matches this tournament.
But shelve the harsh realities for now, please. None of that is dulling any excitement for Friday.
In Fritz and Tiafoe’s view, the Americans’ arrival at a Grand Slam final was inevitable if they could only stay patient. No. 12 seeded Fritz is 26 years old, same as No. 20 seed Tiafoe; Tommy Paul, who lost to Sinner in the fourth round but is ranked No. 14 in the world, is 27.
When they would have those conversations about breaking through in Grand Slams, it wasn’t fantastical. They spoke with a clear sense of timing: they should be hitting their athletic primes around the same time the three men who have hogged most of the Grand Slam glory this millennium would be fading from draws. Roger Federer watched Tiafoe’s quarterfinal win against Grigor Dimitrov on Tuesday as a peaceful retiree. Rafael Nadal withdrew from the U.S. Open before it began as his schedule becomes lighter and lighter with the end of his career in sight. Novak Djokovic, who had one of the worst tennis seasons of his career aside from winning a gold medal at the Paris Olympics, was upset in the third round in New York.
“You put yourself in positions, it's only a matter of matter of time, and the game is open,” Tiafoe said. “It's not like it once was where you make quarterfinals, you play [Rafael Nadal], and you're looking at flights.”
Tiafoe and Fritz were ready to take advantage of the opportunity when it rolled along.
Tiafoe, after a poor start to 2024, recently teamed up with David Witt, who made his name as Venus Williams’s longtime coach and then helped Jessica Pegula stick in the top ranks on the women’s tour. The partnership has produced furiously good tennis in the late-summer hard court stretch following Wimbledon, with Tiafoe winning 13 of his past 16 matches in his favorite period of the season.
“It’s almost like a joke,” Tiafoe said, “Frances wakes up in August.”
Fritz’s Grand Slam semifinal debut was longer in the making (especially if you consider his mother, Kathy May, was a former top-10 WTA player in the 1970s and his father, Guy was also a pro tennis player). The Californian has been pegged as a future star since he won the U.S. Open boys’ singles title in 2015, weeks after turning pro — he lost the French Open boys’ title to Paul the same year — and a year later became the youngest American to play an ATP Tour final since 17-year-old Michael Chang in 1989. He lost, in Memphis, to Kei Nishikori.
Tiafoe, also a former standout junior player, has funny memories of Fritz at the time. Fritz went to “normal high school,” as Tiafoe put it, eschewing the private tutoring many aspiring tennis pros opt for so they can dedicate more time to training.
“He was an odd cat, different cat. I mean, I definitely wasn't thinking he was going to do what he's done,” Tiafoe said. “He's changed his body unbelievable. You know, he's just really talented. He was a part-time player, he played couple times of week, had a court at his house. …He was just a normal kid, while we're out there grinding. Then he started putting more time into it.”
Fritz welcomed a son, Jordan, in 2017 and chipped away at his tennis until he broke into the top 10 in 2022. He is a strict baseliner, despite his longtime coach Michael Russell’s gentle prodding to come to net, works a powerful serve at 6-foot-5 and has been the most consistent American man on tour for two years.
He’s also got a 6-1 record against the more erratic Tiafoe.
But they have never played in a match such as Friday’s before. The crowd will play a role — Arthur Ashe Stadium will undoubtedly be packed, and no player brings New York fans along for the ride quite like Tiafoe, who loves a big stage. He feeds off crowd energy in a way that Fritz does not: “He’s a kind of quiet, shy guy,” Russell said of Fritz.
Players agree the match is a positive sign for what’s to come in American tennis no matter who wins Friday. Fritz said watching Paul and Tiafoe reach Grand Slam semifinals in 2022 gave him the confidence that he could one day do the same. A healthy competition among the group sharpens everyone.
“When I had become the No. 1 American this year for four and a half minutes, Taylor Fritz got hot,” said Shelton, who lost to Tiafoe in the third round last week. “I’m not saying that’s because of me, but just a by-product, maybe coincidence. I think that the more that we continue to push each other, we’re moving in the right direction."
Tiafoe is happy for his friend, and for American men’s tennis. But make no mistake: He’s also preparing for a dogfight.
“Yeah, it’s pretty exciting. First [finalist] since ’09,” he said. “Hopefully it’s me.”
