Isner, 35, is the only American in the top 30. In the 1990s, when tennis became a truly global sport, Pete Sampras, Andre Agassi and Jim Courier were the mainstays of the top 10. Canada, which has about a tenth The United States population has three men in the top 20. The Australian Open also takes place on a hard court, which is where most Americans grow up.
“I think I’m more than capable, but it’s not what I do against Novak, it’s what you do every day,” said 23-year-old Tiafoe after winning his hard-fought four-set, three- and-three had lost-a half-hour battle with Djokovic. “Those games, losing games, I don’t think I should.”
Fritz came a step closer to Djokovic on Friday evening and pressed him to five sentences as Djokovic struggled with an injury He described it as a muscle tear on the right side of his midsection. Fritz appeared to have beaten Djokovic early in the fifth set but stayed behind when Djokovic started serving and tearing his forehead in the corners as he did at the start of the game.
An hour after the end, Fritz was disturbed by too many missed first serves and mistakes from his forehand. He had brought Djokovic to a tiebreaker in the first set and then lost seven of the next eight points.
“It is very motivating that we are so close, but at the same time we are so far,” said Fritz. “These guys are so good.”
And so McDonald, perhaps the most unlikely of his countrymen, became the last hope of getting an American into the second week of the first Grand Slam of the year. McDonald showed promise three years ago when, not long after leaving UCLA, he made it to the fourth round of Wimbledon, where he lost to Milos Raonic of Canada.
Less than a year later, he suffered a tendon rupture at the French Open Double Open and had an operation. After the operation, he could not leave home for three weeks and could not walk for almost two months. Slowly, week after week, he let his leg carry more weight.
