Coco Gauff, the rising star of American tennis, has recently shared her thoughts on the current status of the sport in the United States. Her assessment suggests a well-balanced and promising scenario for both men’s and women’s tennis. American tennis underwent a transitional phase with the retirement of the iconic Serena Williams in 2022.
Many wondered if the nation’s tennis prowess would wane, but the young Gauff, with her impressive victory at the New York Major in September, refueled the country’s presence on the global tennis stage. During a press conference at the 2023 WTA Finals, Coco Gauff couldn’t help but express her enthusiasm for the current state of American tennis describing it as outstanding.
She stated, “The state of American tennis is outstanding. Not to shade the men, but it’s actually even on both sides.” Further, she expressed her happiness at the presence of numerous fellow Americans in both the WTA and ATP rankings’ top 30 list. Gauff noted, “I’m really, really happy with how both the men and women players are doing. We have a lot of players in the top 30 on both sides, and that’s just super exciting.”
— Coco Gauff (@CocoGauff) October 22, 2023
This highlights her belief that American tennis is excelling on all fronts, both in the men’s and women’s categories. As she pointed out, American players from both the WTA and ATP have made their mark by securing places in the top 30 of the respective rankings.
Nonetheless, it’s worth exploring whether American male tennis players have enjoyed a similar level of success in the 2023 season as their female counterparts.
Is American Men’s tennis on par with women’s?
In the 2023 season, when assessing the performances of American tennis players within the top 30 world rankings, it’s evident that male players fall short compared to their female counterparts. The women, led by Coco Gauff, Jessica Pegula, and Madison Keys, have enjoyed a standout season. Coco Gauff, ranked 3rd in the world, secured four WTA titles, including an impressive Grand Slam victory at the US Open.
Jessica Pegula, ranked 5th, claimed 2 WTA titles and reached the quarterfinals in 2 Grand Slams. Madison Keys reached the quarterfinals at Wimbledon and made a remarkable run to the semifinals at the US Open. She also secured the WTA 500 Eastbourne Open title. Collectively, these 3 top American women’s players have amassed an impressive total of 7 tournament victories including one Grand Slam title and WTA 1000 wins.
Coco Gauff won the US Open in epic fashion.
Match point 👇 pic.twitter.com/QMAwRod7B7
— US Open Tennis (@usopen) September 9, 2023
Conversely, the top American male players have experienced a mixed season. Taylor Fritz, Tommy Paul, Frances Tiafoe, Ben Shelton, and Sebastian Korda, all positioned within the ATP top 30, have shown moments of brilliance, but their combined achievements pale. These 5 players combined have secured only five tournament victories among them with no Grand Slams nor any Masters 1000 titles.
This striking contrast highlights the exceptional year that American women have had, marked by a higher number of tournament wins including Grand Slam and major titles. In contrast, the American men have fallen short of Grand Slam glory and major titles.