By Richard Pagliaro | Wednesday, August 20, 2025
Picture credit score: Garrett Ellwood/USTA/US Open
The King is a serious outlier now.
Grand Slam king Novak Djokovic is the final man not named Jannik Sinner or Carlos Alcaraz to win a Grand Slam singles crown.
In actual fact, the world’s high two-ranked males have mixed to seize eight of the final 9 majors with solely Djokovic’s 2023 US Open triumph stopping a whole Sincaraz sweep in that span.
Based mostly on the dominance of World No. 1 Sinner and No. 2 Alcaraz is it possible the pair will mix to seize each Grand Slam championship for the subsequent two to a few years?
Sure and no says ESPN analyst Patrick McEnroe.
Tennis Now put that query to Patrick McEnroe and Mary Joe Fernandez on immediately’s ESPN video convention name with the media to advertise the community’s US Open protection beginning on Sunday.
Patrick McEnroe asserts we are going to see Sincaraz sweep all main titles within the coming years besides for this US Open.
In a daring prediction, McEnroe says an American man will dethrone Sinner and win the US Open.
Full disclosure: Patrick McEnroe was not imbibing the Open’s famed Honey Deuce cocktail throughout this interview, nor did he seem like struggling a fever dream approaching the 18th anniversary of the final U.S. workforce to seize the Davis Cup.
But, he’s severely honest an American man—maybe 2023 finalist Taylor Fritz, Toronto champion Ben Shelton, Tommy Paul or former US Open semifinalist Frances Tiafoe—will break that ignominious streak and rule Flushing Meadows on September seventh.
“I’ll exit on a limb proper now: There will probably be an American profitable the US Open this yr on the boys’s aspect,” McEnroe advised Tennis Now. “I’m not gonna say which one as a result of I feel there’s a few guys which have an opportunity.
“To reply your total query: I do assume that Sinner and Alcaraz over the subsequent three 4 years will dominate.
“Do I feel they’re gonna win each single Slam? No.
“One thing tells me that we’re in for slightly little bit of a shock this yr on the Open and that’s why I’m gonna say there’s gonna be an American man profitable this yr’s US Open. You may strive to determine which one that’s as a result of I’m not gonna let you know.”
It’s been 22 years since Andy Roddick defeated David Nalbandian and Juan Carlos Ferrero back-to-back clad in a Reebok shirt that appeared just like the NYC subway map to win the 2003 US Open. To place that U.S. drought into perspective, Ferrero has been part of extra Slam titles (5) teaching Carlos Alcaraz within the final three years than all American males have gained main singles titles within the final twenty years.
Nonetheless, McEnroe is adamant that is the time for an American man to stand up and win the US Open.
Mary Joe Fernandez advised Tennis Now she believes Sinner and Alcaraz will cut up the Slam spoils for the subsequent couple of years, nonetheless she will be able to envision 2023 US Open semifinalist Shelton breaking that stronghold and profitable a maiden main within the coming years.
“I feel these two guys for the subsequent two years are those to beat,” Fernandez advised Tennis Now. “Can somebody like a Ben Shelton disrupt them? Sure, I feel so.
“I’ve been actually comfortable together with his progress and seeing him develop as a participant. I nonetheless assume he’s acquired a variety of enchancment left to go. However he’s acquired weapons. He’s one other entertainer, one other participant who actually has enjoyable on the market. But when he continues on this path of bettering he could be somebody that may disrupt them. There’s a couple of others, but it surely’s gonna be powerful as a result of these two guys [Sinner and Alcaraz] have actually set the bar excessive.”
Certainly, Shelton has reached quarterfinals or higher in 4 of his final 11 Grand Slam appearances and has performed like a person on a mission to grasp a serious.
The excellent news: The left-handed Shelton owns a deadly serve, a heavy lefty forehand and is comfy closing internet at crunch time. Shelton is holding serve 87 % this season which is fourth on the ATP Tour behind solely Sinner (91 %), Fritz (88 %) and Djokovic (88 %).
That dangerous information: Shelton’s return sport stays a piece in progress. He’s forty sixth on Tour in return video games gained, tends to play extra tiebreakers than different US Open contenders and his backhand, whereas improved, can nonetheless be stiff and suspect with regards to hitting backhand passing photographs on the run.
Nonetheless, Shelton has a love of the large stage and an enormous sport to match. He additionally has the flexibility to channel emotional vitality from enthusiastic crowds into dynamic play on court docket. So might Shelton be the one to show McEnroe’s prediction proper?
“Tennis appears to be a sport that has younger champions on a regular basis, which isn’t widespread or regular, it’s extremely spectacular,” Shelton stated after his Toronto title run, which noticed him intestine out three 7-6-in-the-third set victories. “Yeah, I hope that this week sort of kick begins me and will get me extra in keeping with the kind of tennis that I need to play day-in and day-out.
“It’s actually going to push me to work more durable. I really feel like I’ve grasp now on the issues that basically work for me towards guys who’re enjoying a number of the greatest tennis on this planet, and the issues that I have to proceed to work on.”
