Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, and Novak Djokovic have controlled men’s tennis for the past two decades and, in the process, have haunted the once-great American tennis pipeline. The last American man to win a Grand Slam was Andy Roddick in the 2003 US Open, and the Big Three are largely to blame for the drought.
But, for differing reasons, America’s ghosts are not hovering over Arthur Ashe Stadium this weekend—and neither is Carlos Alcaraz, the closest Big Three disciple—and the U.S. will have the chance to defend its home slam.
The winner of Friday’s semifinal between Taylor Fritz (above) and Frances Tiafoe will determine which of the two Americans will play in Sunday’s final. It’s the first time since 2009 that an American male will make a Grand Slam final, and the first since 2006 that one will be in the US Open championship.
American women have had more success than the men this century, mostly because of Serena Williams, but in part because of other US Open breakthroughs like Sloane Stephens in 2017 and Coco Gauff last year.
While Gauff was knocked out in the round of 16 this year, American Jessica Pegula faces World No. 2 Aryna Sabalenka in Saturday’s women’s final, giving the U.S. women a chance to win their home slam in back-to-back years for the first time since Williams won three in a row from 2012 to 2014.
American Athletes, America’s Attention
Last week, ESPN announced a new 12-year deal with the United States Tennis Association to remain the US Open’s American broadcaster until 2037. While the deal, which is estimated to be worth $170 million annually, has yet to kick in, ESPN can expect to roll into the agreement following a strong 2024 due to the success of the American tennis stars.
Last year, Gauff’s maiden Grand Slam win over Sabalenka averaged 3.4 million viewers on ESPN, the most-watched women’s final since the network began broadcasting the tournament 15 years ago, and up nearly 100% from the year before.
However, it wouldn’t be a shocker if no American wins on either side—Pegula is the underdog against Sabalenka, and either Tiafoe or Fritz will be the underdog if World No. 1 Jannik Sinner advances past Jack Draper—but the odds won’t change fan interest in the match.
In 2022, Tiafoe was a 2-to-1 underdog and ultimately lost against Alcaraz, but the semifinal averaged 3.1 million viewers and was the most-watched men’s match of the tournament, outpacing the final between Alcaraz and Casper Ruud by nearly one million viewers.
However, what could cut into viewership numbers is the looming dispute between ESPN parent company Disney and DirecTV, which has kept subscribers of the No. 3 pay-TV distributor blacked out from ESPN networks for the entire week.
