Six #NextGenATP Americans — Jared Donaldson, Ernesto Escobedo, Taylor Fritz, Reilly Opelka, Tommy Paul, Frances Tiafoe — all feature on GQ.com, the international men’s magazine.
In a piece titled, ‘US Open 2017: These Are the Young Americans Who Will Save American Men’s Tennis’, Chloé Cooper Jones writes, “Long gone are the days of Hall of Fame Americans Pete Sampras and Andre Agassi, who won a combined 22 Grand Slam titles. And while the Williams sisters have given American fans plenty to cheer for on the women’s side of the tour, there hasn’t been a men’s Grand Slam Champion from the States since Andy Roddick’s 2003 US Open win.
[ALSO LIKE]“But this may be about to change. As the chokehold of the Big Four loosens, an incredible pool of talent rises in the ranks, making now a thrilling time to renew your investment in American men’s tennis.... This newest generation is made up of well-rounded, all-court competitors who are hungry for success, playing some of the most exciting tennis you’ll see today—made even more so by the fact that they’ve caused a lot of upsets against top opponents recently. You may not recognize their names or faces yet, but you will.”
In a series of fun and engaging interviews that cover a myriad of subjects, including the state of American tennis, junior careers, best pieces of advice received from former pros and more, the six players open up to GQ.
Fritz, who recorded his first Grand Slam win Wednesday at the US Open, told GQ, “Pete Sampras told me one time to stay off my phone. He said, 'Don’t spend so much time with your face glued to the screen.' He’s 100% right. It’s a distraction. Everything’s a distraction.”
