Tennis

Wimbledon wipeout shows US tennis revival may be long way off

Whenever Serena Williams retires, relevant American tennis may go with her.

With the women’s No. 1 player’s exit from Wimbledon, followed by No. 9 John Isner’s third-round loss to No. 19 Feliciano Lopez on Monday, no Americans remain in either singles’s draw. It’s the first time in the Open era that there are no Americans from either singles draw in the fourth round of Wimbledon. This worsening trend comes after last year’s U.S. Open, when no American male advanced past the third round for the first time in 132 years.

Though 21-year-old Sloane Stephens presents some hope on the women’s side, Jennifer Capriati (2002 Australian Open) remains the last non-Williams to win a major. On the men’s side, Andy Roddick (2003 U.S. Open) remains the most recent winner, after four Americans (Pete Sampras, Andre Agassi, Jim Courier, Michael Chang) combined to win 27 of the previous 58 slams.

Sloane Stephens is America’s best future hope on the women’s side.Getty Images

Roddick was a top-10 mainstay, who reached four more grand slam finals (losing to Roger Federer each time) and single-handedly propped up American tennis after the golden generation was gone from the game, but his retirement has cast a brighter light on the country’s troubles.

After the big-serving 29-year-old Isner (No. 11), whose lack of a return game stands in the way of him ever becoming a true threat to making a two-week run through a grand slam, 26-year-old Sam Querrey (No. 67) is the second-highest ranked American male. Though the U.S. has four players ranked just behind Querrey — 24-year-old Donald Young (No. 69), 24-year-old Steve Johnson (No. 70), 23-year-old Bradley Klahn (No. 75) and 21-year-old Jack Sock (No. 77) — none of them ever has advanced past the fourth round of a grand slam.

The American torchbearers appear to either be too young or not born yet, or perhaps, never to be born.

Yes, the future is bleak, and so uncertain, but with solid tennis participation rates among one of the world’s largest and most affluent populations, greatness will likely return at some point, even if that point remains years away.

Until then, American fans will have to settle for watching the greatest, most well-rounded and consistent players the game has ever seen, all born on foreign soil.