American tennis is currently in a relatively strong place, but history has proven that it can always get better.
After all, the legends that came before this current generation of talent have set the bar so high that it almost feels impossible for anyone to perform at the level expected.
John McEnroe, Jimmy Connors, Andre Agassi, Pete Sampras, Venus and Serena Williams, Chris Evert, Martina Navratilova. These are just some of the legends of the sport who played under the banner of the United States, and what the likes of Taylor Fritz, Tommy Paul, Frances Tiafoe, Coco Gauff, Amanda Anisimova and Jessica Pegula have to try to live up to.
Alas, this is a very different era, not just for American tennis, but for the sport altogether.
Brad Stine, coach of Paul, has emphasised this with his latest anecdote, which he feels explains why men’s tennis in America is slowly creeping back to the top.
Brad Stine left shocked by what Frances Tiafoe did recently
Chatting on The Big T podcast, this renowned and well-respected tactician was offering his view on the current state of American tennis.
Focusing on the men, who are naturally his area of expertise, Stine admitted: “The thing is with these guys, I think you guys know, you guys are around them enough, that I think they have a very healthy, competitive relationship with each other. I think that it’s one of the reasons that American tennis has gotten back to where we are with a couple of guys in the top ten and a couple other guys that have been knocking on the doors, some guys that have had really good results in slams.
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“They all honestly are very, very supportive of each other.”
He then revealed: “It kind of struck me, I’ll give you a little thing, at Queens this year, we were leaving the club, driving back to where we were staying and Tommy gets a call, and he answers the call, and it’s Frances Tiafoe.
“And they talked on the phone for 40 minutes on the way back to our house about, you know, playing the tournament, matches, what they were doing, the rest of the year, everything else that was going on, and it really, it actually struck me about how close all the guys are.
“And Tommy’s wedding was a perfect example. I mean, the guys that were his groomsmen, you know, were mostly guys that he either used to play with or still plays with, and that’s how close they are, that he asks them to be in the wedding.”
This comes not long after John McEnroe named the two American men most likely to win a Grand Slam and end their 23-year wait.
Every American man currently inside the world’s top 25
The reason why Stine is so positive about American men’s tennis right now is the sheer number of them inside the world’s top 25.
In fact, no other country has as many players as they do, with five. Italy (four) and Spain (three) come closest.
Currently, Ben Shelton leads the way for the Americans, eighth in the world rankings. Taylor Fritz narrowly trails him in tenth.
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The fast-rising youngster Learner Tien is next up, currently 16th but having enjoyed a career-high ranking of 15th.
Frances Tiafoe, meanwhile, is enjoying a solid season after a few tough years, and has risen back to 19th.
Paul completes this US lineup inside the top 25, sitting 21st.
