Last non-European to win a men's tennis major says Shelton and Tiafoe can end the drought

NEW YORK — Ninety Grand Slam tournaments have passed since Andy Roddick defeated Juan Carlos Ferrero in the 2003 final at Flushing Meadows. Since then, no other U.S. male player has managed to win the U.S. Open on home soil or any of the other three majors.

Apart from Argentina's Juan Martín del Potro at the 2009 U.S. Open and his compatriot Gastón Gaudio at the 2004 French Open, every champion across the world's four major tournaments has been European.

Frances Tiafoe or Ben Shelton — who face off in the U.S. Open semifinals on Friday night — could end this drought for American men.

"You know the history; it was the era of the 'Big Three' (Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic) — something unmatched," Del Potro told reporters. "But American tennis has the potential to break this pattern. There are so many good players now with the potential to be Grand Slam champions, and I sincerely believe Tiafoe or Shelton can do it."

As the last Grand Slam champion born outside of Europe, Del Potro takes pride in walking the grounds of the U.S. Open.

The winner of the 2009 Open — who defeated Federer in the final to deny the Swiss star a sixth consecutive title at Flushing Meadows — now works as an analyst for ESPN Latin America.

"I'm so happy to be back in this special place," the Argentine said. "It's always a pleasure to be here. They still treat me like a champion, which feels great."

His first day in this new role was grueling, featuring two men's quarterfinals: First, Tiafoe's victory over Alex Michelsen, followed by Shelton's win over Carlos Alcaraz — a match that set the record for the latest finish in tournament history, ending at 3:33 a.m. on Wednesday.

"I don't have the experience and it's not easy at all, but I'm enjoying it a lot," Del Potro said. "My first day ended at 4 a.m."

His triumph at Flushing Meadows at age 20 hinted at further major victories. However, a punishing series of injuries intervened: He underwent three surgeries on his right wrist, one on his left wrist, and four on his right knee from 2019-21.

Del Potro ultimately retired in 2022 at age 33, ending a career that included a pair of Olympic medals: Bronze in London in 2012 and silver in Rio de Janeiro in 2016.

"I'm moving better now because I'm not doing as much. I'm not playing anymore, and I'm not pushing myself hard in daily life," Del Potro said. "Whenever I wanted to accept invitations for clinics or exhibition games I had to go through a medical process with injections or anti-inflammatories. I stopped because that took a heavy toll on me in recent years."

Del Potro shared his experience with injuries with Alcaraz, speaking with him during the World Cup final in July.

Alcaraz returned to action at the U.S. Open after a nearly five-month hiatus caused by a right wrist injury. The Spaniard — who has seven Grand Slam titles at age 23 — avoided surgery and opted for conservative treatment, staying off the tour and missing two majors, Roland Garros and Wimbledon.

"I told Carlitos to stay on that conservative path and not mess with his wrist," Del Potro noted. "My mistake was refusing to stop because I was fighting for ranking points in every tournament. Carlitos made the right decision; his wrist responded very well, and he played a great match against Shelton."

___

See AP's full tennis coverage here

Related topics