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...
Exactly one week ago, JC Aragone had his arms raised as he stepped off Court 17 at the US Open. The American wild card couldn't fathom what had just transpired. His first tour-level qualifying victory, stunning fifth seed Marco Cecchinato from a set down, left him in disbelief. "It's just amazing since I wasn't even in the draw," Aragone said as he walked back to the locker room. "I got a last-minute wild card. I wasn't in the tournament and then I'm the last guy in. I got the opportunity to play and I made the most of it." Two days later, he would register another comeback after dropping the opening set and yet another three-set win would follow on...
Steve Johnson has been an Angels fan for as long as he can remember. “Since the day I was born basically,” he attests. Living just down the road from Angel Stadium, the Johnson family frequently attended the MLB games, with Steve growing up idolising the likes of Tim Salmon, Garrett Anderson, David Eckstein, and Jered Weaver. On one of those perfect Orange County evenings out with the family, a 13-year-old Johnson even managed to snag a foul ball. The couple sitting next to them had vacated their seats when the errant ball flew their way. “The foul ball came off pretty fast, smacked their seats pretty good, so I'm glad they weren't sitting there because it probably would've hurt a...
Sam Querrey likes to keep things simple. Case in point: His goals, or rather, his goal, for this season at the start of the year. Querrey, an 11-year ATP World Tour veteran, wanted to qualify for the year-end tournament. No, not that year-end tournament, the Nitto ATP Finals, the prestigious event that welcomes only the Top 8 players in the Emirates ATP Race To London. Querrey wanted to make the Rolex Paris Masters, the ATP World Tour Masters 1000 tournament that's held two weeks before the Nitto ATP Finals. Querrey had missed Paris the past two years, despite a ranking good enough to qualify. “The last two years I've just been so tired and grumpy I've pulled out of the...
UPDATE: Stebe did not drop a set in qualifying for the US Open, his first Grand Slam main draw since 2013. Cedrik-Marcel Stebe had his doubts if he would ever play professional tennis again. Every player has a breaking point and the 26 year old was closing in on discovering his, as he sat at home recovering from a multitude of injuries... for nearly three years. "I was struggling with myself. I was thinking 'What did I do to deserve this?' I didn't do anything wrong. Was there something wrong with my body? It was as much of a mental struggle as it was a physical one." Hip impingement surgery. Lower back ailment. Pubic bone inflammation. Pelvic surgery to insert...
