Tennis first appeared in 1873 in the U.S. and it was introduced by Mary Ewing Outerbridge. She set up a court as the Staten Island Cricket Club and soon after U.S. National Lawn Tennis Association was founded in 1881.
The first tournament was held in the same year at the Newport Casino which later on came to be known as the U.S. Open. The tournament is known for its legacy and how it changed the course of history.
Althea Gibson became the first African-American to compete and later became the first Black athlete to play at Wimbledon. The league has a reputation for being the biggest payout of the Grand Slam tournaments as it reached an all-time high at $75 million in 2024.
Needless to say, the sport has been really popular in the country and it has given us many world-renowned players like Richard Sears who won the first U.S. Open, Don Budge who became the first American to win the “Grand Slam” and May Sutton who won a Wimbledon title in 1950.
With all the history in mind, let’s take a look at the Top 4 U.S. tennis players who could rule the sport in 2025.
Taylor Fritz
Taylor Fritz became the first American to finish ranked Number 4 in 2024 after Andy Roddick in 2007. His recent achievements include a bronze in the Paris Olympics 2024 and reaching the finals of the US Open 2024. He’s the first American to reach the finals since 2006.
He holds 8 ATP singles titles including Delray Beach Open and Eastbourne International in 2024. He also represented the country in the United Cup and won against Italy. He holds a career singles record of 284-190. He’s participating in the Mexcian Open 2025 and is considered to be one of the top players on the ATP tour.
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Tommy Paul
Tommy Paul reached the highest career ranking of Number 9 recently on 27 January 2025. He has won 4 ATP titles, the latest being the ATP 250 in Dallas and Stockholm and the ATP 500 in 2024. He partnered with Taylor Fritz to win a bronze medal in the Summer Olympics, in 2024.
He has made it to 3 quarter-finals of the Australian Open and reached the semi-final in the same in 2023. He also bagged the French Open boys’ singles title as a junior prodigy. He recently defeated Reilly Opelka to reach the semi-finals of the Dallas Open. He is set to appear in the Paribas Open, Miami Open and the Italian Open. He will also participate in the Monte Carlo Masters and the Cinch Championships.
Ben Shelton
Ben Shelton has a career-high ranking of World Number 13. He is known for his weapon serves as his hardest serve was at 150 miles per hour. He won the U.S. Men’s Clay Court Championship in 2024 which is his current title. He’s definitely a top contender for the upcoming tournaments in 2025. He was named the ITA National Player of the Year in 2022.
Frances Tiafoe
Tiafoe reached a career-high ranking of World Number 10 in 2023. He has won 3 ATP titles and the Orange Bowl title at the age of 15. He also won the US Junior Championship as a teenager. He will be appearing in the U.S. Men’s Clay Court Championship again in 2025 as a previous title holder. He will also be a tough competitor in the upcoming Cincinnati Open in August.
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