Players from the USA have won 52 Major titles since the start of the Open era in 1968, leaving the countries like Sweden and Spain far behind. Male players from the USA have been waiting for a notable title since the 2003 US Open, losing ground and failing to follow their European colleagues in the previous two decades. The Americans have taken four Roland Garros titles between 1989 and 1999, with Michael Chang, Jim Courier and Andre Agassi leading them toward the trophy. Those days are long gone, and we are yet to see an American in the Roland Garros quarter-final after Agassi did that for the last time in 2003! Taylor Fritz, Marcos Giron and Frances Tiafoe reached the third round at this year’s Roland Garros, failing to pass that round and enter the last 16. John Isner, Jack Sock and Sebastian Korda are the only Americans in the Roland Garros fourth round after 2010, and they will have to wait at least a year to change that.
Things look even worse when we notice Andre Agassi as the only American in the Roland Garros quarter-final after Jim Courier and Pete Sampras achieved that in 1996 when the surface played faster than ever due to the weather. The veteran Pancho Gonzales reached the Roland Garros semi-final in 1968, with Cliff Richey following that two years later. Harold Solomon, Brian Gottfried, Vitas Gerulaitis and John McEnroe were the finalists between 1976 and 1984, with no one winning the title. That changed in 1989, with Michael Chang becoming the youngest Major champion in history. Jim Courier followed him in 1991 and 1992, the golden years of American men’s tennis in Paris. In 1991, Courier beat Agassi in an all-American Roland Garros final, something impossible to imagine now. Agassi went all the way in 1999, lifting the trophy against all odds and achieving a career Grand Slam. We should notice seven Americans in the Roland Garros final between 1976 and 1999.
The American have been waiting for the Roland Garros quarter-finalist since 2003!
They are Harold Solomon, Brian Gottfried, Vitas Gerulaitis, John McEnroe, Michael Chang, Andre Agassi and Jim Courier. Between 1968 and 1999, the Americans reached 32 semi-finals at Roland Garros, including four consecutive years for Jim Courier. Also, they had at least one player in the semi-final between 1973 and 1980, and again between 1988 and 1996! As mentioned, Agassi is the last American in the Roland Garros quarter-final, achieving that two decades ago for three straight seasons. Between 1970 and 1996, there was at least one American in the last eight in Paris, a fantastic run that seems almost unimaginable today.
The Americans had three players in the quarter-final in 1971, 1975, 1979, 1980, 1984, 1991 and 1992. In addition, they had at least two semi-finalists in 1976, 1979, 1980, 1984, 1985, 1991 and 1992, but none since 1999! The Americans had the finalist between 1989 and 1993, with that memorable year in 1991 when two of them fought for the trophy. Since 2004, Robby Ginepri, Andy Roddick, John Isner, Jack Sock and Sebastian Korda are the only Americans in the fourth round. Three players in the third round from this year’s edition is an achievement when we research their results in the darkest years between 2004 and 2007! The Americans collected seven miserable victories in those four years, none in 2007 when they hit rock-bottom!
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