Whatever happens, whether it’s round one or the final, this will forever be the Serena Williams farewell tour US Open.
A pantheon of the sport and one of America’s greatest ever athletes, bringing the curtain down on her career at Flushing Meadows will be celebrated for its achievement but it will also come tinged with some sadness.
American tennis has been able to stand behind her 23 Grand Slam singles titles since she got her first gong in New York back in 1999.
Winning a Slam is hard. On the men’s side, no American man has won one since Andy Roddick at the US Open in 2003. The women have had a better spread with Sloane Stephens in 2019 and Sofia Kenin in 2020 both breaking through.
Serena Williams will bring the curtain down on her tennis career at New York’s US Open
Taylor Fritz (left) and Coco Gauff (right) are among the emerging stars of American tennis
Much like an Olympic relay team, the baton is always passed on and while nobody in tennis circles believes any of the current crop can live up to the standards set by Serena – that would be a ridiculous pressure to bestow onto this exciting core of emerging stars – don’t be fooled that US tennis will now sleepwalk into the shadows. Far from it.
Eyes are drawn to the highest-ranked players on both sides – in this case it’s Taylor Fritz (world No. 12) and Jessica Pegula (world No. 8).
There are five American men in the ATP top 50 while that number stands at seven for the women in the WTA charts.
‘We have so many guys that are under the age of 25 that are top 40 in the world,’ Fritz told Town & Country earlier this summer. ‘There’s so many good players and everyone in that group is improving and is only gonna get better.’
He’s right – and he’s chief among them.
Fritz grew up in San Diego, California, with both parents – Kathy May and Henry Fritz – accomplished professional tennis players.
His mother cracked the women’s top 10 – just as Pegula has done this year – and having had a racket in his hand since the age of two, his rise has not come totally out of the blue.
It was as a sophomore at Torrey Pines High School where Fritz began to make strides and separate himself from the competition. By the time 2015 rolled around Fritz had won the US Open’s junior tournament. He ended that year as world No. 1 in juniors’.
The challenge Fritz and others, such as Frances Tiafoe (world No. 24) and Reilly Opelka (world No. 28), have is that the men’s field has been something of a foregone conclusion for more than a decade.
Take the last 72 Slams as a sample size, only eight had been won by players outside the ‘Big Four’ of Roger Federer, Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal and Andy Murray. That’s 11 per cent, give or take.
Fritz grew up in California and has had a tennis racket in his hand since the age of two years old
Frances Tiafoe almost upset Roger Federer at Flushing Meadows aged 19 but he needs to take a step forward if he is to make a majors breakthrough
Players-turned-pundits like John McEnroe will have fond memories of the ‘golden era’ for US tennis in the 90s when an American man won at least one Grand Slam singles title from 1990 through to 2003.
Heck, during the era of Jim Courier, Andre Agassi and Pete Sampras, American men won three of the four Slams singles titles in a year, such was the level of dominance. The challenge now is for Fritz to try and lead the next generation back to those lofty heights.
Fritz fits the archetypal face of a nation’s sport – he dates influencer and model Morgan Riddle, he is sponsored by Nike and Rolex and has come from a tennis family.
But do not overlook the immense quality of Tiafoe, a player who, back in 2017 as a relatively unknown 19-year-old, forced five sets out of Federer in the first round.
Tiafoe is a perfect example of the ‘American dream’. His parents are immigrants to America after feeling civil war in Sierra Leone and he, along with his family, has worked hard to establish his place on the ATP Tour.
Asked back in June why American tennis is falling just short of winning the biggest prizes, Tiafoe dismissed the idea there is anything wrong with ‘the flag’.
‘I don’t think it’s a flag issue,’ he told reporters. ‘I think it’s a Novak, Rafa, Federer issue. You know, I mean, I think they are a big problem for everyone.
‘I think we are all playing some great tennis. It’s only a matter of time. I mean, draws are opening up more and more.’
The 24-year-old out of Hyattsville is right, too. Federer’s days on Tour look numbered, Nadal is still excelling but his foot problem won’t go away and Djokovic’s vaccination status has ruled him out of two Slams this year alone.
Stefanos Tsitsipas previously criticized Jenson Brooksby – but the American is one to watch
The challenge now is can Tiafoe, at a career high ranking right now, find the formula to breakthrough. With just one career title to his name, the challenge is there now for Tiafoe to seize the moment with the ‘Big Four’ stranglehold waning.
American tennis is producing intriguing players of all shapes and sizes on the men’s side, too. The big serve of Reilly Opelka can be unreturnable when he is at his best. Maxime Cressy, down at world No. 35, is generating lots of noise in tennis circles and if you want someone to really keep an eye on, keep track of rising star Ben Shelton, who has just risen to world No. 171.
Even then you still have Tommy Paul, world No. 33, Jenson Brooksby, world No. 43, Sebastian Korda, world No. 52, and Denis Kudla, world No. 97. At any given tournament there is a strong possibility the stars and stripes of the American flag will be flying high at the very end.
The likes off Rafael Nadal (left) and Iga Swiatek will represent tricky routes to either final
With Serena heading for the next phase of her life, the scrutiny on America’s female players, naturally, intensifies.
The United States has long been a power in women’s tennis, even outside of the Serena Williams and Venus Williams bubble.
And most of all, there is a real sense that opportunity knocks this time around in New York.
2022 started with world No. 1 Ash Barty retiring, Serena is heading for the sideline, Naomi Osaka has struggled for consistency and, while she will be the favourite, Iga Swiatek has proven in recent weeks that she has areas in her game to exploit.
One of the most remarkable things about the United States Tennis Association’s (USTA) development program on the women’s side is that new stars emerge all the time.
Coco Gauff was a Wimbledon phenom at 15 and she’s constantly improving now three years on after making a Grand Slam final this year.
Danielle Collins’ game took her to the Australian Open final this season. Madison Keys, down at world No. 20, is a three-time Slam semi-finalist and one-time finalist, Stephens as mentioned prior has won the US Open before now.
Amanda Anisimova has semi-final experience at a Slam – the 2019 French Open – while Pegula and Alison Riske have both experienced a Slam quarter-final in their careers so far.
Not enough noise is being made for Jessica Pegula – who is the current world No. 8 in the WTA
‘Knowing what it feels like to get to the semi-final of a Grand Slam, and knowing how much it means to me, that’s what has kept me going, practicing every day,’ Anisimova told reporters at Wimbledon.
‘I’m just happy with the way that I kept pushing myself, knowing that the hard work would eventually pay off.’
Even outside of the more recognizable names there are players like world No. 145 Emma Navarro – she’s the daughter of billionaire businessman Ben Navarro – that should be carefully tracked.
The right-hander, 21, is proving something of a late bloomer by the standards of Gauff and Anisimova but is one of a handful of talents that is ready and waiting to break out.
And so, yes, losing Serena Williams, a beacon of light for others to follow, a role model for decades to millions across the globe, would hurt any sport.
But USTA know there is nothing to worry about. With the talent at their disposal, Slams are on the horizon, and they could be sooner than you think.
Amanda Anisimova is an American on the circuit that is catching the eye as a burgeoning star
