The last American man to win a Grand Slam singles title is Andy Roddick, who won the 2003 US Open by beating Juan Carlos Ferrero 6-3, 7-6(2), 6-3. In the 23 years since, American men have reached six major finals and lost all six, five of them to Roger Federer.
Roddick at the 2003 US Open
Roddick turned 21 during the tournament, playing a late-night match on his birthday, and came to New York having won the Canada and Cincinnati Masters titles back to back that summer. He beat David Nalbandian in the semifinals and Ferrero, that year’s French Open champion, in the final. He went on to finish 2003 as world No. 1.
It was the second major won by an American man that year, after Andre Agassi’s Australian Open title in January. Roddick won 32 tour titles before retiring in 2012, but never another major.
Every American men’s major final since 2003
- 2004 Wimbledon — Andy Roddick lost to Roger Federer, 4-6, 7-5, 7-6(3), 6-4
- 2005 Wimbledon — Roddick lost to Federer, 6-2, 7-6(2), 6-4
- 2005 US Open — Andre Agassi lost to Federer, 6-3, 2-6, 7-6(1), 6-1
- 2006 US Open — Roddick lost to Federer, 6-2, 4-6, 7-5, 6-1
- 2009 Wimbledon — Roddick lost to Federer, 5-7, 7-6(6), 7-6(5), 3-6, 16-14
- 2024 US Open — Taylor Fritz lost to Jannik Sinner, 6-3, 6-4, 7-5
No American man has reached an Australian Open or French Open final in that time. Roddick played Federer in four of those finals and lost all four. The closest was the 2009 Wimbledon final, which ran to 16-14 in the fifth set; Roddick was broken once in the match, in its final game.
Agassi’s 2005 US Open final was the 15th and last major final of his career. He reached it by beating Robby Ginepri in an all-American semifinal.
Fifteen years without a final
Roddick’s 2009 Wimbledon final was the last by an American man for 15 years. The gap closed at the 2024 US Open, where Fritz beat Frances Tiafoe 4-6, 7-5, 4-6, 6-4, 6-1 in the first all-American men’s semifinal at a major since Agassi and Ginepri in 2005. Fritz then lost the final to Sinner in straight sets.
The US Open near-misses
New York has produced most of the close calls. Between Roddick’s title and 2025, American men reached the US Open semifinals in five editions: Agassi and Ginepri in 2005, Roddick in 2006, Tiafoe in 2022, Ben Shelton in 2023, and Fritz and Tiafoe in 2024. Tiafoe lost his 2022 semifinal to Carlos Alcaraz in five sets, and Shelton lost his 2023 semifinal to Novak Djokovic.
In the other years the best American result in New York was a quarterfinal or earlier, including quarterfinals for Sam Querrey in 2017 and John Isner in 2018. Fritz reached the quarterfinals again in 2025 and lost to Djokovic.
Season Snapshot — as of 10 September 2026
Shelton and Tiafoe meet in Friday’s US Open semifinal, so an American man will play Sunday’s final, the second time in three years. The winner plays Alexander Zverev or Karen Khachanov. Shelton is into his third major semifinal, after the 2023 US Open and the 2025 Australian Open. Tiafoe is into his third US Open semifinal, after losing in 2022 and 2024. This section will be updated after the final. Semifinal schedule and how to watch.
Related reading
- American Men’s Wimbledon Title Drought Hits 26 Years
- US Open Records — Titles, Matches, and Statistics
- Maiden Slam Explained — Why a First Major Title Matters
- Grand Slams Explained — Format, Surfaces and Ranking Points
