Legendary John McEnroe has backed Ben Shelton as the American, who has the best chance of winning a Grand Slam title. Shelton recently came close to winning his first Major as he qualified for the US Open final.
However, the left-hander could not cross the last hurdle against Alexander Zverev, who won his second Slam title. Shelton could not bring his best to the court in the summit clash and suffered a four-set loss against the German.
The lefty had beaten Carlos Alcaraz in the quarterfinal clash in a thrilling five-set contest but could not deliver in the all-important final.
Meanwhile, Andy Roddick is the last male American player to win a Major title. The big-serving Roddick won the 2003 US Open by defeating Spain’s Juan Carlos Ferrero in the final (6–3, 7–6, 6–3).
Speaking as a Eurosport and TNT Sports pundit recently, McEnroe said, ”People ask me all the time when we are going to get an American winning a Grand Slam and I put Ben (Shelton) at the top of the list.
“We wait to see what happens with players like (Jakub) Mensik or [Joao] Fonseca and whether these young kids can get over the hump and challenge Sinner and Alcaraz.
“Or will Sascha Zverev be dominant and win a few more Grand Slams over the next few years?
“Carlos and Jannik were a long way ahead of the rest for the last couple of years and injuries have stopped that this year, so it’s an interesting question moving forward who will step up.”
The former player reckons tennis is more accessible in the European nations.
McEnroe added: ”It feels to me that tennis is more accessible in other countries, especially Europe.
“In our country, to be blunt, the accessibility is a big issue. The best athletes play American football, basketball, in some cases, soccer. You have the affordability issues and tennis is expensive.”
It has been 23 long years since an American (man) has lifted a Grand Slam title. The likes of Ben Shelton, Taylor Fritz, and Frances Tiafoe have all shown the skills to end America’s drought and it would be interesting to note who among the trio becomes the first to break the barrier.
