The upswing of a tennis great power that has been in crisis for a long time has a new face: Tommy Paul is the first American in 14 years to reach the semifinals of the Australian Open.
The 25-year-old from New Jersey won the quarter-final duel in Melbourne against his compatriot Ben Shelton, who was almost five years his junior, on Wednesday 7: 6 (8: 6), 6: 3, 5: 7, 6: 4. (NEWS: Everything about tennis)
Tommy Paul is following in legendary footsteps
As the last US professional to date, Andy Roddick had reached the round of the last four in 2009, after which there was no US crack in a Grand Slam semifinal before Sam Querrey in 2017 in Wimbledon for eight years.
Overall, Paul is the 45th American to reach a major semifinal since the inception of professional tennis. He follows in the footsteps of legends like Arthur AsheJimmy Connors, John McEnroeJim Courier, Pete Sampras and Andre Agassi. A glorious ancestral gallery, which, however, has gathered dust: The last major victories for the USA celebrated in 2003 Roddick (US Open) and Agassi (Melbourne).
When Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and later Novak Djokovic seized the scepter, Tennis-America lost touch with the men.
Men’s tennis in the USA is measurably on the rise
However, men’s tennis in the USA is currently experiencing an upswing. In the ATP World Ranking when the tournament ends, ten professionals from the United States will be in the top 50, nine of whom are 25 years old or younger. “We push each other, not just in terms of results, but also by talking and helping each other,” Paul said.
He also has high hopes for the defeated Shelton: “Ben will still have many of these matches ahead of him.”
For Paul, reaching the round of 16 at Wimbledon last year was his best result on the biggest stage so far. Now he meets Down Under on title favorite Novak Djokovic from Serbia or the Russian Andrei Rublew.
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With Sports Information Service (SID)
