American men’s players have done something which hasn’t been achieved since 1997 ahead of the US Open

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The US Open is rapidly approaching, and home fans will be glad to know that American men’s tennis is in a great position.

But the usual suspects will also be aiming to clinch the trophy, with Novak Djokovic given good news ahead of the US Open.

And Carlos Alcaraz is getting used to the courts in New York as he prepares for the hard-court US Open in Queens.

The Spaniard and the Serbian will be hard to overcome at the Grand Slam, with the former already with two major wins this year.

The latter meanwhile has just won an Olympic gold medal, with Djokovic also the US Open defending champion.

American men’s players achieve major feat ahead of US Open

But there are now five in-form American players who will be eager to enjoy a lengthy run at the Grand Slam.

As noted by Tennis Channel, there are now five American men in the ATP top 20 for the first time since 1997.

Frances Tiafoe sits 20th after his run to the Cincinnati Open final, with Sebastian Korda in 16th, Tommy Paul in 14th, Ben Shelton in 13th and Taylor Fritz in 12th.

Back in February 2024, Pete Sampras occupied the number one spot, with Michael Chang in third, Andre Agassi in 13th, Todd Martin in 15th and Jim Courier in 18th.

Can one of the American men’s stars win the US Open?

Over 20 years have passed since the US Open was last won by an American, with Andy Roddick lifting the prestigious trophy in 2023.

It represented his one and only Grand Slam title, with the American beating Juan Carlos Ferrero in New York.

In the women’s singles, it is the complete opposite, with US star Coco Gauff winning the title in Queens last year.

This time around in the men’s, Tiafoe sits lowest in the rankings but has just enjoyed a trip to the Cincinnati Open final.

He will be full of confidence, having lost to world number one Jannik Sinner, while Korda is also a man in form after winning the Citi Open in Washington earlier this month.

Shelton meanwhile is growing in stature, while Fritz and Paul are fresh from winning bronze at the Paris 2024 Olympic men’s doubles.