Cincinnati Open Preview: American Men’s Tennis Has 3 Huge Problems

The Cincinnati Open is only a week away and will feature stars such as Jannik Sinner, Carlos Alcaraz, Novak Djokovic, Alexander Zverev, Ben Shelton and Taylor Fritz. But the hidden issue no one is really talking about is this: why do American men continue to fall behind American women on tennis’s biggest stages?

The last American man to win a major was Andy Roddick at the 2003 US Open, all twenty-three years ago. Taylor Fritz reached the 2024 US Open final, and players like Ben Shelton, Frances Tiafoe, Tommy Paul and Learner Tien have kept American men relevant, but relevant is not the same as winning.

American men’s tennis has a finishing problem.

Advertising

In terms of advertising, visibility, and general support, American men’s tennis is simply not up there.

The Williams sisters ushered in a new era of American women’s tennis. They were not only dominant players but two of the most recognizable athletes in the world. Most prominently, they showed that Black American women could take over a sport that had long been associated with country clubs, wealth and exclusivity.

That influence can still be felt today. The United States currently has Jessica Pegula, Coco Gauff and Amanda Anisimova inside the WTA top 10, while the men have Taylor Fritz and Ben Shelton inside the ATP top 10. American women also have names such as Madison Keys, Emma Navarro and Iva Jovic near the top of the sport.

More importantly, American women have actually converted talent into championships. Gauff and Keys have won majors. The men keep producing contenders, quarterfinalists and players who “might break through,” but the trophy still does not come home.

We forget that this is, in large part, tied to attention and money. Sponsorships naturally go toward players who win, and deservedly so. American women have been kicking butt on the biggest stages.

The problem is that American men’s tennis has not found the same kind of championship-level star who can pull in younger fans, advertising dollars and long-term support. That leads us into another hurdle: the financial one.

Financial Barriers

“Boxing’s a poor man’s sport. We can’t afford to play golf or tennis. It is what it is. It kept so many kids off the street. It kept me off the street.”

That quote is attributed to Sugar Ray Leonard, and it raises a strange but interesting question: might he have become a great tennis player if he had grown up with access to courts, private coaching and tournament travel?

Boxing and tennis are not as far apart as they seem. Both require hand-eye coordination, reaction time, footwork, conditioning and the ability to make split-second decisions while under pressure.

What separates them is often the financial line.

Private tennis lessons can easily cost $50 to $95 per hour, while elite coaching can rise to $100 to $250 per hour. Then add rackets, restringing, court fees, tournament entries, hotels, flights, and the cost of having a coach travel with the player.

Americans are not poor, but most American families are certainly not rich enough to fund that lifestyle for ten or fifteen years.

That means tennis can lose great athletes before they ever become tennis players. A gifted kid may choose basketball or football because those sports already exist inside schools, provide coaching through teams and offer a much clearer path forward.

Without sponsorship support, federation backing or a wealthy family, a promising player can fall into a hole before anyone even notices he was talented.

How Tennis Is Viewed

Another big issue is how tennis is viewed by young men.

There are already problems surrounding masculinity and identity among men today, and many young athletes simply do not see tennis as a super manly sport. They are more likely to try out for football, basketball or baseball, where the culture feels louder, tougher and more socially accepted.

There is also the lack of teamwork and camaraderie.

A lot of young men are drawn toward team sports because they provide a built-in group, shared responsibility and the feeling that someone else is going through the same thing with them. Tennis is far more lonely.

When you lose in football, the team loses. When you lose in tennis, it is just you, your racket and several hours to think about every mistake you made.

That isolation can be part of what makes tennis great, but it can also make the sport less attractive to younger athletes searching for belonging.

The sport has to do a better job of presenting tennis for what it really is: one of the most mentally demanding, physically exhausting and individually unforgiving sports in the world.

End Of My Cincinnati Open Rant

Ahead of the Cincinnati Open, American men’s tennis has to face its biggest problem yet.

The country is still producing good players. Fritz, Shelton, Tiafoe, Paul and Tien prove that. But producing good players is not the same as producing a champion.

If we continue going down this road, the drought may become even harder to climb out of. American men’s tennis needs more advertising, more financial support, and a complete change in how the sport is presented to young male athletes.

The talent is there; however, the money, attention, and final breakthrough are not.

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