For over two decades, the script has played on repeat, the same plot, the same unanswered ending, as American men chase a Grand Slam title that’s eluded them since 2003. Meanwhile, the women have written a far bolder story, with Madison Keys and Coco Gauff lifting trophies and storming deep into every draw. “It hasn’t been much of a competition, no offense to them, but now it is,” Gauff said in Cincinnati, throwing down the gauntlet. Yet as the US Open closes and another season fades, the drought stretches to 22 years, with Andy Roddick firing back at commentators as Taylor Fritz, Ben Shelton, and company fall short again.

Andy Roddick is no stranger to hard truths, and on a recent episode of Served, he took the gloves off. The last American man to win a Grand Slam did what he does best: call it straight. This wasn’t just about tennis; this was about pride, perception, and the endless narrative that refuses to die. 

Roddick went deep, dragging into the light a conversation that has been on repeat for 22 years and firing back at those who dare to think he enjoys being the last man standing. “I just need to say, because I asked about this all the time, I try not to grandstand on it on the show, I am not the 72 dolphins,” he began, shutting down the myth that he celebrates the drought.

Then came the hammer. “I do not pop champagne when the perfect season’s gone. And also the thing that never gets said, which to me is just lazy. I was a f—ng part of it for ten years in a 22-year streak. I didn’t win again.” He didn’t spare himself either, admitting his own misses with brutal honesty. “I could have won it in 2009, and it would have been a lot less dramatic. I couldn’t legally drink if I win in ’09. It’s not 22 years, it’s a lot less. I failed too, and also now, we have gotten this thing where it’s like a pass/fail.”

Roddick wasn’t just venting; he was framing the conversation differently. He pointed to the current era, where the mountain isn’t the same as it once was. “If you don’t beat Sinner and Alcaraz, then it’s just the same. It’s not the same as ten years ago when the highest-ranked American was like 25 in the world. And there are seven in the main draw. If we can celebrate progress, then we are just lazy.” His words cut through like a forehand down the line — this is not mediocrity, it’s evolution in motion.

He laid out the numbers to back it up. “There are 23 men in the US Open this year. Highest number in f—ng knows how long. Like a long time. We have four current American players who have made the semis of a Grand Slam. This isn’t the same conversation that it was ten years ago. It’s just not. I don’t like it.” The message was clear: stop dragging the same tired storyline through every tournament, because the game has changed, and so has American tennis.

And if you think Roddick secretly smiles every time another American falls short, think again. “It’s not fair, and I understand we have to talk about it. It’s so boring at this point. I heard like a very prominent commentator who was like, ‘I know one person who’s happy about this.’ Is it like me? No. Miss me. Not even close. Wrong and screw you for assuming. No, no, no, no, no. I will be the first person to pop a beer with whoever does it,” he said, leaving no room for interpretation.

It’s certainly not a question of talent anymore. Taylor Fritz, Ben Shelton, and Tommy Paul are all entrenched in the ATP Top 20, and Frances Tiafoe has made two US Open semifinals, electrifying New York with his fearless play. These aren’t fringe players; they are carrying the flag deep into the second week of slams. Yet the conversation still circles back to the same tired refrain: who will end the drought, and when?

This year, that story ended with Fritz as the last man standing. He bowed out in the US Open quarterfinals, running into Novak Djokovic yet again. The result was painfully familiar, a four-set defeat that extended Fritz’s lifetime record against Djokovic to 0-11. 

Even at 38, with aches and miles on his body, Djokovic showed why he is a 24-time Grand Slam champion and why he now owns 53 Grand Slam semifinal appearances. The mountain remains Everest, and Fritz, headband upside down or not, knew the climb was steep.

And while Andy Roddick takes aim at the commentators, he has remained one of the strongest supporters of American tennis, crediting the last decade as a period of tremendous growth for the American men’s game.

Andy Roddick stands up for Shelton and Fritz

According to Andy Roddick, while Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz currently guard the gates of Grand Slam glory, that shouldn’t diminish the blood, sweat, and fire this generation of Americans has poured into the game. On Jon Wertheim’s podcast, Roddick snapped the narrative into focus. “It’s not the same! It’s not the same as 10 years ago, when the No. 1 seed, the highest-ranked American, was 25 in the world. And there were seven in the main draw. We have to be able to think in a sober way about progress. Like, if we can’t celebrate progress, then we’re just lazy. There are 23 men in the US Open this year, the highest number in f*** knows how long.”

Roddick didn’t stop there, hammering home the progress. “We have four current American players who made the semis of a Grand Slam. Tommy Paul’s made it. Frances has done it twice. Ben’s done it twice. And some quarters on top of that. Taylor Fritz is now a finalist, a regular quarterfinalist, a semifinalist at Wimbledon. This isn’t the same conversation that it was 10 years ago. It’s just not.”

He’s right again. The bar has been raised. This is no longer a wilderness; it’s a battlefield with real weapons.

As the Slam season closes, the drought stretches to another year. But the question burns hotter than ever: will 2026 be the redemption arc, and who will finally shatter the curse?