Coco Gauff’s Coach Brad Gilbert Makes Bold Prophecy on Ben Shelton and Others Ending American Tennis Drought

Brad Gilbert has high aspirations for American players! It is no surprise that American tennis has evolved over the years. Prominent names including Ben Shelton, Tommy Paul, and Taylor Fritz have certainly produced noteworthy results. During the 2000s, men’s and women’s players from the USA were witnessed dominating the game. However, with time, a steep decline in men’s performances at Grand Slams came into play. This, notably, has kept them from bagging Major titles on the ATP Tour.

Despite such testing times, it seems like American professionals have upped their on-court tactics to deliver their level-best at Slams. Subsequently, Coco Gauff’s coach Gilbert recently addressed their shortcomings and how these active players can successfully clinch a Major crown and earn laurels for the nation.

While speaking to ‘Clay‘ for an interview, Gilbert was queried whether the current US roster is getting healthier and moving in a productive direction. In his response, the 62-year-old coach reflected on the US players’ journey. He stated that no American male has clinched a Major title since Andy Roddick’s 2003 US Open triumph. “I mean it’s been 82 slams since an American man has won a title, which was in 2003, Andy Roddick. So we would love to end that. On the women’s side, you know we’ve had way more success.”

Later, the former World No. 4 drew a comparison and highlighted that women players from the USA have scripted far better results. However, he concluded his statement hoping that the sport will likely witness an American men’s player pocketing a Slam in the coming 5 years. “We have four American men in the top 20 but we would like to have somebody winning a major. Hopefully it will happen in the next five years.” For the uninitiated, the current ATP Tour men’s roster boasts 4 Americans in the Top 25 rankings. These notably include Taylor Fritz (No. 11), Tommy Paul (No. 13), Ben Shelton (No. 14), and Sebastian Korda (No. 22).

Last year, Shelton delivered a string of impressive results at Flushing Meadows. By reaching the hard court event’s semifinal, the 21-year-old prompted a response from Roddick, who discussed his potential successor on the Tour at length!

Can Ben Shelton end Andy Roddick’s Grand Slam drought?

Shelton has shown the tennis world that he is in the mood to revive the American tennis legacy. The 21-year-old has set high goals and with his stunning 2023 US Open performance, he elicited Roddick to address his on-court tactics.

While appearing on his ‘Served Up with Andy Roddick podcast’, the 41-year-old heaped praise on Shelton’s serve delivery, highlighting the same can be proven formidable for his opponents during the hard court swing. “Shelton should be licking his chops for the American Summer hardcourt season. His second serve is something that nobody wants to see starting his summer campaign in Atlanta as well.”

Regardless, time will tell whether American players can script new records at the season’s US Open. What are your comments on their chances at the upcoming slam? Do let us know in the comments.