LIVE
...

Follow us on

News

Jimmy Connors says it’s ‘amazing’ what American WTA players do now which he wishes the men could

Taylor Fritz reacts at the Miami Open, Jessica Pegula plays at the Porsche Tennis Grand Prix, inset of Jimmy Connors talking
Credit: Robert Prange/Leonardo Fernandez/Scott Dudelson via Getty Images
Follow us on Google Discover

American players have come under the spotlight in the 2025 season, across both the WTA and ATP tours.

On the former Madison Keys helped kick-start the year in perfect fashion, with the American winning the Australian Open.

But the Grand Slam struggles of American men continued, with Italian Jannik Sinner successfully defending his title.

The lack of American men’s success has shocked Sam Querrey, with Europeans Sinner, Carlos Alcaraz and Alexander Zverev currently the top three ranked players on the ATP Tour.

Taylor Fritz sits fourth, while on the WTA Tour, Jessica Pegula, Coco Gauff and Keys are in third, fourth and fifth respectively.

Jessica Pegula poses with the Charleston title after beating Sofia Kenin in the final
Photo by Matthew Stockman/Getty Images

Jimmy Connors wants American men to enjoy similar success to American women

Pegula continued her superb form by winning the Charleston Open earlier this month, after which she overtook Gauff in the WTA rankings.

Keys and Gauff loved seeing Pegula win the Charleston Open, with men’s former world number one Jimmy Connors now sharing his thoughts on the current situation in American tennis.

READ MORE: There is an American ATP player flying up the rankings who nobody will want to face on clay this season

“Isn’t it amazing the US women how one of them somewhere along the line pops up?” he said on the Advantage Connors podcast. “I guess that shows the depth that they have in the women’s. Wouldn’t that be great to have in the men’s?

“I am not downgrading the men’s because they have got some big time players in the top 10 and all that but it seems like the women are popping up and winning tournaments more.”

European ATP and WTA stars making it hard for American success

It is, of course, very tough to reach the latter stages of the various tournaments across the WTA and ATP tours, never mind winning them.

The levels are at a constant high, with a long list of experienced and inexperienced players vying for the trophies.

READ MORE: American men equal 24-year tennis record at the Houston Open but there’s a catch

Moreover, there is seemingly a huge pressure on the American men to shine, particularly at Grand Slam level.

And that is undoubtedly largely because of the major drought the nation has suffered in that regard, with Andy Roddick the last American man to win a Grand Slam in 2003.

PlayerRankRankPlayer
Taylor Fritz43Jessica Pegula
Tommy Paul124Coco Gauff
Ben Shelton155Madison Keys
Frances Tiafoe1811Emma Navarro
Sebastian Korda2416Amanda Anisimova
Brandon Nakashima3232Danielle Collins
Alex Michelsen3834Sofia Kenin
Marcos Giron4535Ashlyn Krueger
Learner Tien6943Mccartney Kessler
Alexander Kovacevic7944Peyton Stearns
Top 10 American ATP and WTA players

That pressure is perhaps having a negative impact on the men, who seemingly cannot get over the line when it really matters.

Intriguingly, a similar scenario is playing out across the men’s and women’s games, with Sinner and Alcaraz constantly impressing on the former as Aryna Sabalenka and Iga Swiatek do the same on the latter.