Patrick McEnroe, a former US Davis Cup captain, thinks that a handful of young Americans pose a significant threat to Novak Djokovic’s remarkable Wimbledon run.
Djokovic would surpass Pete Sampras, who won 31 consecutive matches from 1997 to 2001, to hold the third-longest winning streak at Wimbledon if he were to win the title at SW19.
Any Wimbledon streak will, however, probably involve seven games against seven opponents who are fiercely competitive to break the trend.
Young Americans, according to McEnroe, have a good chance of winning Wimbledon and defeating Djokovic.
Taylor Fritz, the No. 1 American, advanced to the round of eight before losing to an injured Rafael Nadal, who eventually withdrew from the semi-finals.
For Fritz, it was a case of what could have been, but McEnroe has backed him to get back up and make a genuine run at ending the lengthy wait for an American male Grand Slam champion.
The former No. 3 in doubles said on his Holding Court podcast, “Wimbledon, you must think Fritz, he was there last year,” alluding to Fritz’s journey to the quarterfinals, where he fell to Nadal in a nail-biting five-setter match.
Additionally, McEnroe thinks that Ben Shelton and Tommy Paul, who both reached the quarterfinals at Wimbledon, could pose threats.
“You gotta think Shelton to be dangerous if he gets used to the bounce when you’re playing on grass for the first time. Paul, I mean he’s got a solid… he takes the ball early, could be good,” he added.
Additionally, McEnroe thinks that Ben Shelton and Tommy Paul, who both reached the quarterfinals at Wimbledon, could pose threats.
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