Taylor Fritz and Ben Shelton are the two players leading the charge at Wimbledon to end a long wait for a men’s singles champion at a Grand Slam.
Not since Andy Roddick won the US Open in 2003 has an American stood in the winner’s circle at one of the game’s biggest events, and that is far too long.
Fritz came through his last 16 tie at Wimbledon against Jordan Thompson with the player retiring after losing the first set 6-1 and trailing by two breaks in the second.
Shelton will face Lorenzo Sonego tomorrow, and he’s a player heavily fancied to go on a great run at a Grand Slam in the future.
Photo by Visionhaus via Getty ImagesJim Courier shares what he’s noticed about American players at Wimbledon
Courier is working for American television at this event, and in 1993 he reached his only final at the All England Club, losing to Pete Sampras.
When asked about the American players at this year’s event, he admits that there is something that has shocked him about them at Wimbledon in 2025.
He said on The Tennis Channel Live Podcast: “Just more surprised that there were more at Roland Garros at this round than there are here, but no surprise that those two are there.
“Ben Shelton’s been uber consistent in the majors this season. At least the fourth round and all three so far. And Taylor Fritz was due.
“Taylor’s been so consistent on the grass this year, winning two titles, so no real surprise that he’s made it into the fourth round, though it’s been a lot more stressful than maybe he would have anticipated.’
Fritz and Shelton can both win Grand Slams in the future
Fritz has been knocking on the door for a little while at the big events and reached the final of the US Open back in August last year, losing to Jannik Sinner.
Shelton has also enjoyed good moments at major events. He went to the last four of the Australian Open back in January and also made the semis of the US Open back in 2023.
Both players are definitely capable of winning one of the big prizes but they will each need a little bit of luck along the way when it comes to meeting the likes of Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz.
Fritz and Shelton both seem to enjoy playing on grass and it will now be fascinating to see just how far both players can go with a clutch of seeds knocked out early at this year’s tournament.