The last time an American man won a grand slam singles title, George W. Bush was still in his first term as US president, Myspace had just launched and Tom Brady only had one Super Bowl victory to his name.
Now, Taylor Fritz, who was just 5 years old when Andy Roddick won the US Open in 2003, has an opportunity to complete another American victory at Arthur Ashe Stadium when he takes on world No. 1 Jannik Sinner in the men’s singles final on Sunday.
Fritz, the world No. 12, will step out onto court as the underdog but has displayed imperious form on his run to the final, dispatching with Alexander Zverev and Casper Ruud before defeating fellow American Frances Tiafoe in the semifinals.
“It’s the reason I do what I do, the reason why I work so hard. I’m in the final of the US Open,” he said tearfully after winning his semifinal. “It’s a dream come true and I’m going to give it everything I possibly have. I know that for a fact.”
Before this tournament, Fritz had never made it past a grand slam quarterfinal, losing his first four matches at that stage of a major. Whatever happens in the final, he is guaranteed to reenter the top 10 of the ATP rankings, and if he wins the title he will rise to world No. 6.
Sinner is making history of his own on his run in New York. He is the first Italian man to reach the US Open men’s singles final and is seeking to become the first player since Guillermo Vilas in 1977 to win both his first and second grand slam titles in the same season.
“I am looking forward to it,” he said after defeating Britain’s Jack Draper in their semifinal. “Finals are very special days. Every Sunday you play shows you are doing an amazing job, so I will try to keep pushing and I will see what I can do.”
In that win, however, he tripped and fell over during a point, landing hard on his wrist for which he subsequently received medical treatment.
“The physio loosened it up very fast on court, so after I felt okay in the beginning. Then after it went away by playing, which is good,” he said afterward.
“Let’s see how it is tomorrow when it’s cold. It’s gonna be a different feeling. Hopefully is nothing to concern about. I’m quite relaxed, because if it’s something bad, you feel it straightaway a bit more.”
Although Sinner has enjoyed a breakthrough year – winning his first grand slam title at the Australian Open and taking the world No. 1 sport for the first time – his run at the US Open comes against the backdrop of his recent doping case that became public knowledge on August 20 – news that shocked the tennis world.
Sinner, who avoided suspension after twice testing positive for trace amounts of a banned substance, has said he hasn’t done anything wrong.
In a statement posted on social media before the tournament, Sinner said the positive tests stemmed from “inadvertent contamination of Clostebol,” an anabolic steroid, through treatment from his physiotherapist. He also said that his physiotherapist had been applying an over-the-counter spray to their own skin – not on Sinner – to treat a small wound.
Fritz and Sinner have played each other just twice previously and taken one win apiece, though the Italian won most recently in 2023.
The two players will take to the court at the Arthur Ashe Stadium on Sunday, with their final scheduled to begin at 2 p.m. E.T. It will be broadcast live on ESPN in the USA, Sky Sports in the UK and on Eurosport across Europe.
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