Will an American Finally Reclaim the U.S. Open Title?

There was a time not too long ago when American men dominated the world tennis circuit with legendary stars such as John McEnroe, Jimmy Connors, Andre Agassi, Pete Sampras and the inspiring Arthur Ashe, for whom the main court at US Open is named after. Combined these five men have won a total of 40 Grand Slams (Australian Open, French Open, US Open and Wimbledon). This year will mark the 11th US Open tournament since an American last won it, or any other, Grand Slam (Andy Roddick US Open 2003) and it would be a great — and much welcomed — surprise if this drought ended anytime soon. Despite not playing professionally since 2012 Roddick was actually planning to come out of retirement for this years US Open wherein he planned on fulfilling a lifetime dream by entering Mens Doubles with Mardy Fish who have been friends since the two were in high school together. Alas, there will be no comeback for Roddick at the US Open this year as he was unable to notify the USTA in time to be eligible under anti-doping regulations which requires three months notice to partake in the tournament.

At one point in time both Roddick and Fish had been the top ranked American tennis player, an honor that now belongs to John Isner. Fresh off winning the Atlanta Open last week, Isner is presently ranked as the 12th best tennis player in the world, a great feat in and of itself but far from what was once expected when Americans use to dominate the sport. You may remember Isner from his epic 2010 Wimbledon match with Nicolas Mahut which lasted more three days and encompassed an astonishing 103 games; the longest match in the history of tennis.

One thing that is in Isner’s favor is that defending 2013 US Open Champion Rafael Nadal has withdrawn from the two tournaments in the lead up to the US Open. With uncertainty surrounding Nadal’s health it has opened the doors for a new (potentially American) tennis star to make a run at a US Open title. If there were to be a new young American to push through the ranks to the top of the tennis world you can be sure that US Open ticket prices will jump as a result. Isner can definitely be that person as he has the athleticism and skills to do it but the question will be if he can overcome adversity and cease the moment. If he can, expect the Men’s Final to skyrocket up from their current average of $860.