US Open winner Andre Agassi believes American men’s singles tennis is close to a Grand Slam breakthrough

Andre Agassi and Andy Roddick occupy a special place in American tennis history.

They both won a Grand Slam in 2003 – Agassi had just won the eighth title of his career at the Australian Open, which was his fourth title there, and Roddick had won his only Grand Slam singles title at the : US Open.

More than 20 years later, those two tournaments still mark the last time an American won a Grand Slam men’s singles title.

CLICK HERE FOR MORE SPORTS COVERAGE ON FOXNEWS.COM

However, a new generation of tennis players is hoping to change that, and Agassi believes we are on the cusp of a revival in American tennis and that the US Open could be the place where we could see a breakthrough.

Speaking to Fox News Digital, Agassi agreed that the current top-ranked American tennis players are well-equipped to win a Grand Slam title.

Tommy Paul hits back against Italy’s Lorenzo Sonego during a first-round match of the US Open on Tuesday, August 27, 2024 in New York. (AP Photo/Frank Franklin II)

“I believe that this generation of players with their advantages – Tommy Paul’s speed, [Sebastian] Korda’s ball striking and effortless power, you have [Frances] Tiafoe’s dynamism, his ability and athleticism to influence the crowd and use the momentum, [Taylor] Fritz with the way he hits the tennis ball … [Ben Shelton] is that college spirit that loves that environment and the energy of the crowd.”

16-year-old American Iva Jovic makes history with her surprise victory against Magda Linette at the US Open

He continued: “They all love this surface, and they all can break through it, and they all can go to heaven for two weeks and get a result. I think the breakthrough will happen somewhere, but most likely it will happen when and if it happens. [at the U.S. Open].

There are currently five Americans in the ATP top 20 – Fritz, Shelton, Paul, Korda and Tiafoe. Shelton, who was a semifinalist at the 2023 US Open, seems to agree with Agassi’s assessment.

Ben Shelton of the USA hits back at Austria’s Dominic Thiem in the first round of the US Open on Monday, August 26, 2024 in New York. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)

“I think the gradual improvement in the rankings of American players over the last three or four years is proof of where we are going,” he said before his first-round victory on Monday via The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. “I think it’s inevitable that we will have a Grand Slam champion from our country. I don’t know when that will be or who it will be.”

In addition to the men’s team, five American women are ranked in the WTA top 20, including 2023 US Open champion Coco Gauff.

JAPANESE TENNIS STAR YOSHIHITO NISHIOKA COLLAPSITES ON COURT AND LEAVES US OPEN MATCH IN WHEELCHAIR

The rise of American tennis goes hand in hand with the new technology being made available to fans and players alike. Speaking to Fox News Digital on behalf of IBM, Agassi discussed the Watsonx-powered fan features being unveiled at the 2024 US Open.

While they help advance the game, Agassi believes advanced technology also helps improve athletes’ performance.

American tennis player Frances Tiafoe reacts to a point against Aleksandar Kovacevic of the USA during a first-round match at the US Open, Monday, August 26, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Frank Franklin II)

“It has a huge impact on their ability to access data and information that will hone their craft in a more targeted way, and helps anyone growing in the game have something to access if they don’t happen to have a coach,” he said.

Features introduced this year include new, AI-generated match report summaries that provide detailed analysis of all 254 US Open main draw singles matches within minutes of match point. In addition, AI commentary, first introduced in 2023, has been enhanced this year to include expressive and contextual commentary – also within minutes of the end of each match.

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

For Agassi, however, there is one thing that cannot be predicted with data and statistics: the human factor.

Eight-time Grand Slam champion Andre Agassi (right) and Carlos Alcaraz of Spain (left) play against John McEnroe and Novak Djokovic of Serbia during the Stars of the Open exhibition match at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center on August 21, 2024 in Queens, New York. (Sarah Bull/Getty Images)

“All of this data that IBM is collecting is moving the sport forward on many levels. It explains the ‘what happened?’. It explains the ‘how did it happen?’. But you still have to figure out the ‘why?’. And that’s what players use to know where the red flags are, where they need to dig deeper to figure out the ‘why?'”

Follow Fox News Digital Sports coverage on Xand subscribe the Fox News Sports Huddle newsletter.