{"id":86644,"date":"2025-07-09T01:20:12","date_gmt":"2025-07-09T05:20:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/tennis\/?p=86644"},"modified":"2025-07-09T02:36:06","modified_gmt":"2025-07-09T06:36:06","slug":"can-an-american-man-win-wimbledon-for-the-first-time-since-pete-sampras","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/tennis\/2025\/07\/09\/can-an-american-man-win-wimbledon-for-the-first-time-since-pete-sampras\/","title":{"rendered":"Can An American Man Win Wimbledon for the First Time Since Pete Sampras?"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Since 1999, three American women have won <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/tennis\/category\/wimbledon\/\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_self\">Wimbledon<\/a>, with the Williams sisters combining for 12 titles, and Lindsay Davenport winning the 1999 edition of the tournament. American men haven&#8217;t been so lucky, after <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/tennis\/2020\/06\/15\/the-greatest-the-men-and-women-who-made-tennis-no-6-pete-sampras\/\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_self\">Pete Sampras<\/a> won the last of his fantastic seven Wimbledon titles in 2000, only Andy Roddick reached the final representing the stars and stripes.<\/p>\n<h3>Andy Roddick\u2019s Wimbledon Finals<\/h3>\n<p>Roddick, a talented server with a lethal forehand, famously lost three finals to graceful legend of Wimbledon, Roger Federer. In 2004, a young Roddick at 21 years old took the first set off Federer but lost three consecutive sets by a narrow margin to fall short, including a third set tiebreak.<\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Roger Federer VS Andy Roddick - Wimbledon Final 2004 Highlights - HD\" width=\"640\" height=\"360\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/yzNO7r8tX8Y?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>Roddick had put together a dominating run in 2004, he didn&#8217;t drop a set until the semifinals against serve and volleyer Mario Ancic from Croatia and that was a four set victory.<\/p>\n<p>The 2005 tournament saw Roddick repeat as a finalist, but the level of his game wasn&#8217;t as sharp, and a prime Federer routined him in straight sets after he needed five sets to defeat Sebastien Grosjean in the quarters and four sets to beat Thomas Johansson in the semis.<\/p>\n<h3>2009: One Last Heartbreak Against Federer<\/h3>\n<p>Four years later, Roddick would reach his final Wimbledon and Grand Slam final and experience perhaps the most heartbreaking defeat of his storied career. Roddick&#8217;s first three matches at Wimbledon in 2009 were not routine, and he had to battle two great grass court players in the later rounds to reach the final. Lleyton Hewitt, a former Wimbledon champion, forced him to a fifth set in the quarterfinals but he won it 6-4, in the semis, facing UK hero (and future Wimbledon Champion) Andy Murray trying to end Britain&#8217;s drought of Wimbledon singles titles, Roddick played one of the best matches of his career, winning in four sets via two consecutive tiebreak victories in a match where he rode his serve.<\/p>\n<div class=\"getty embed image\" style=\"background-color: #fff; display: inline-block; font-family: Roboto,sans-serif; color: #a7a7a7; font-size: 11px; width: 100%; max-width: 594px;\">\n<div style=\"padding: 0; margin: 0; text-align: left;\"><a style=\"color: #a7a7a7; text-decoration: none; font-weight: normal !important; border: none; display: inline-block;\" href=\"http:\/\/www.gettyimages.com\/detail\/88828320\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Embed from Getty Images<\/a><\/div>\n<div style=\"overflow: hidden; position: relative; height: 0; padding: 65.99327% 0 0 0; width: 100%;\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" style=\"display: inline-block; position: absolute; top: 0; left: 0; width: 100%; height: 100%; margin: 0;\" src=\"\/\/embed.gettyimages.com\/embed\/88828320?et=K9rVR5voRiRnwPMHg3iGgQ&amp;tld=com&amp;sig=JZ3gVXlb5TGmETArUWdPXMV1g9n-UO6F-4X7DZeSRNo=&amp;caption=true&amp;ver=1\" width=\"594\" height=\"392\" frameborder=\"0\" scrolling=\"no\"><\/iframe><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>Against Federer, the 2009 final was an attritional war, the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=rctOtFOXco8\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">four hour match<\/a> saw two tiebreaks and an incredible 16-14 finish in the 5th set. 77 games were played, with Roddick winning the first set, and having chances in both the second and third set tiebreaks that he couldn&#8217;t convert. Roddick could have taken a two set to love lead, but instead, Federer&#8217;s clutch serving and net play, pushed Roddick up against it. A Rod would take the 4th set to force a fifth, but he couldn&#8217;t get it done in the extended frame. Roddick held serve 37 consecutive times late in the match. Federer was aiming at breaking Sampras record of 14 Grand Slam titles, and he eventually did so, winning Grand Slam #15 with 50 aces in the match. Roddick told Sampras <em>&#8220;Sorry, Pete, I tried to hold him off&#8221;<\/em> post-match.<\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Andy Roddick&#039;s emotional 2009 runners-up speech | Wimbledon Retro\" width=\"640\" height=\"360\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/Dn7dQJJ0AR4?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<h3>The Drought and the American Second Week Club<\/h3>\n<p>Roddick&#8217;s career would decline from that point, mentally and in terms of physical fitness, his body simply didn&#8217;t hold up in his later years on tour, and an American drought began on the fast courts of Wimbledon. Roddick is now a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=FmxNMVNHIP4\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">podcaster, commentator<\/a>, and an active voice on tour and at Wimbledon.<\/p>\n<p>Americans would occasionally reach the second week, Mardy Fish reached the quarters in 2011, Sam Querrey in 2012 and 2017, and in John Isner in consecutive years, as the big server achieved that result in 2018 and 2019. Frances Tiafoe did the same in 2022, but none of those players were considered likely to reach the final.<\/p>\n<h3>Taylor Fritz and Ben Shelton Renew American Hopes<\/h3>\n<div class=\"getty embed image\" style=\"background-color: #fff; display: inline-block; font-family: Roboto,sans-serif; color: #a7a7a7; font-size: 11px; width: 100%; max-width: 594px;\">\n<div style=\"padding: 0; margin: 0; text-align: left;\"><a style=\"color: #a7a7a7; text-decoration: none; font-weight: normal !important; border: none; display: inline-block;\" href=\"http:\/\/www.gettyimages.com\/detail\/2224144996\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Embed from Getty Images<\/a><\/div>\n<div style=\"overflow: hidden; position: relative; height: 0; padding: 64.64646% 0 0 0; width: 100%;\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" style=\"display: inline-block; position: absolute; top: 0; left: 0; width: 100%; height: 100%; margin: 0;\" src=\"\/\/embed.gettyimages.com\/embed\/2224144996?et=iShzs55FTqto6A_dWqO2bA&amp;tld=com&amp;sig=hADrfhNEAFSXZ4F73bWPfkXiwwQ1ATpuKd7F_SuCZoY=&amp;caption=true&amp;ver=1\" width=\"594\" height=\"384\" frameborder=\"0\" scrolling=\"no\"><\/iframe><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>2024 and 2025 have been years of renewed hope for American men at Wimbledon, Taylor Fritz, a semifinalist this year, reached the quarters in 2024, alongside Tommy Paul, while Ben Shelton also made the second week.<\/p>\n<div class=\"getty embed image\" style=\"background-color: #fff; display: inline-block; font-family: Roboto,sans-serif; color: #a7a7a7; font-size: 11px; width: 100%; max-width: 594px;\">\n<div style=\"padding: 0; margin: 0; text-align: left;\"><a style=\"color: #a7a7a7; text-decoration: none; font-weight: normal !important; border: none; display: inline-block;\" href=\"http:\/\/www.gettyimages.com\/detail\/2223457557\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Embed from Getty Images<\/a><\/div>\n<div style=\"overflow: hidden; position: relative; height: 0; padding: 61.11111% 0 0 0; width: 100%;\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" style=\"display: inline-block; position: absolute; top: 0; left: 0; width: 100%; height: 100%; margin: 0;\" src=\"\/\/embed.gettyimages.com\/embed\/2223457557?et=i_MdckQbR8FQfEFo6MuzbA&amp;tld=com&amp;sig=rPI1HgVNI2n6V1BDVRKuQtR-HWPFJvjV_AazUoC5bfc=&amp;caption=true&amp;ver=1\" width=\"594\" height=\"363\" frameborder=\"0\" scrolling=\"no\"><\/iframe><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>The 2025 tournament has seen Fritz as the leading light for American men (while <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/tennis\/2025\/07\/09\/is-amanda-anisimova-a-grass-court-specialist\/\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_self\">Amanda Anisimova<\/a> carries the banner on the women&#8217;s side), Fritz scored a four-set victory over Karen Khachanov in the quarters, dominating with his serve and matching Roddick&#8217;s 2009 semifinal performance, and making Fritz the most consistent American man in Grand Slams in recent years, and <a href=\"https:\/\/bolavip.com\/en\/tennis\/taylor-fritz-makes-wimbledon-history-with-best-grass-court-season-by-a-male-american-player\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">the most accomplished grass court player.<\/a><\/p>\n<p>Shelton improved <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/tennis\/2025\/07\/07\/wimbledon-day-8-recap-ben-shelton-youngest-american-man-in-quarterfinals-since-andy-roddick\/\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_self\">beyond his father Byron&#8217;s achievements<\/a>, reaching the quarterfinals to setup a tough match against world #1 Jannik Sinner. Shelton relishes big moments and will have to be at his best if he&#8217;s going to stun Sinner in the quarterfinals. His hopes will be increased by Sinner&#8217;s sore elbow, and the fact the Italian was trailing by two sets to love when <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/tennis\/2025\/07\/07\/grigor-dimitrov-defined-again-in-defeat\/\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_self\">Grigor Dimitrov<\/a> injured himself and was forced to retire in a heartbreaking moment.<\/p>\n<p>Fritz has the toughest opponent in the semifinals, Carlos Alcaraz is on a 23 match winning streak, and has won two consecutive Wimbledon titles. He&#8217;s ready and waiting on Friday.<\/p>\n<p>Perhaps the player that Fritz and Shelton should seek out advice from isn&#8217;t Roddick, when American Malivai Washington reached the 1996 Wimbledon final, his odds of <a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/MaliVai_Washington\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">winning were 300 to 1<\/a> before the tournament began. It was one of the unlikeliest runs in the tournament\u2019s Open Era history. While Shelton and Fritz both face towering challenges in 2025, their chances are certainly better than those longshot odds, and they carry the same underdog spirit that once took Washington to the brink of a Slam title on grass.<\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Richard Kracijek vs MaliVai Washington - 1996 Wimbledon Final - Highlights\" width=\"640\" height=\"480\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/h5FOLgBKD_Q?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>Main Photo Credit: Danielle Parhizkaran-<em>USA TODAY Sports<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Since 1999, three American women have won Wimbledon, with the Williams sisters combining for 12 titles, and Lindsay Davenport winning the 1999 edition of the tournament. American men haven&#8217;t been so lucky, after Pete Sampras won the last of his fantastic seven Wimbledon titles in 2000, only Andy Roddick reached the final representing the stars [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1442,"featured_media":59662,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"no","_lmt_disable":"","sfio_featured_image":false,"sfio_embed_code":"","_ef_editorial_meta_date_first-draft-date":"","_ef_editorial_meta_paragraph_assignment":"","_ef_editorial_meta_checkbox_needs-photo":"","_ef_editorial_meta_number_word-count":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[6,1735,2,15913],"tags":[43062,807,935,1582,16662,43126,5729,5862,43125,1613,347,1733,21,43094],"class_list":["post-86644","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-wimbledon","category-all-time-best","category-featured","category-opinion","tag-2025-wimbledon","tag-american-tennis","tag-andre-agassi","tag-andy-roddick","tag-ben-shelton","tag-byron-shelton","tag-carlos-alcaraz","tag-jannik-sinner","tag-malivai-washington","tag-pete-sampras","tag-taylor-fritz","tag-usta","tag-wimbledon","tag-wimbledon-2025"],"modified_by":"Steen Kirby","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/tennis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/86644","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/tennis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/tennis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/tennis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1442"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/tennis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=86644"}],"version-history":[{"count":6,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/tennis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/86644\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":86653,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/tennis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/86644\/revisions\/86653"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/tennis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/59662"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/tennis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=86644"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/tennis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=86644"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/tennis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=86644"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}