Last American to win Wimbledon men's singles title: Inside USA's 25-year drought since Pete Sampras' last win

Zac Al-Khateeb

Last American to win Wimbledon men's singles title: Inside USA's 25-year drought since Pete Sampras' last win image

The American men's singles title drought at Wimbledon is in it's 25th year, but world No. 5 Taylor Fritz is looking to end it in 2025.

The California native is into the semifinals and will face two-time defending-champion Carlos Alcaraz. It would be the kind of upset fitting of a 25-year curse breaking run.

Here's everything you need to know about the American men's history at Wimbledon since Sampras' last triumph:

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Last American to win Wimbledon men's singles title

Sampras is the last American to win the men's singles at Wimbledon, in 2000. It marked the end of a run of American dominance at the All England Club: With his final victory, Sampras concluded with seven men's singles finals at Wimbledon in eight years. He won every year from 1993 through 2000, excepting 1996.

Sampras' last Wimbledon finals match saw him beat 12th-seeded Australian Patrick Rafter 6-7(12), 7-6(7), 6-4, 6-2.

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Last U.S. man to make Wimbledon final

The last American to make the men's singles final at Wimbledon is Andy Roddick, in 2009. He was also the first to make the stage since Sampras nine years prior. Roddick lost to Rafael Nadal 5-7, 7-6(8), 7-6(7), 3-6, 16-14 in the final.

Adding insult to injury, Nadal's victory at Wimbledon gave him his 15th career Grand Slam title, breaking Sampras' record.

Roddick previously made the final in 2004 and 2005, losing to Roger Federer both times. Roddick remains the last American man to win a Grand Slam singles title, at the 2003 US Open. 

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Last U.S. man to make Wimbledon semifinals

The last American to make the semifinal round at Wimbledon is Isner, in 2018. The eighth-seeded American lost 26-24 in an epic fifth set to No. 9 seed Kevin Anderson, who in turn fell to eventual champion Novak Djokovic in straight sets.

The next-most recent American to make the men's singles semis at Wimbledon is Sam Querrey, the year prior. Likewise, the 24th seed lost in four sets to Croatia's Marin Cilic.

Before those back-to-back appearances, a U.S. man hadn't reached the semis at Wimbledon since Roddick's run of success there. 

In addition to his three losses to Federer in the finals, Roddick also made the semifinal round in 2003, also falling to Federer. The only other American to reach that stage since Sampras was Andre Agassi, in 2000-01.

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Zac Al-Khateeb

Zac Al-Khateeb has been part of The Sporting News team since 2015 after earning his Bachelor's (2013) and Master's (2014) degrees in journalism at the University of Alabama. Prior to joining TSN, he covered high school sports and general news in Alabama. A college sports specialist, Zac has been a voter for the Biletnikoff Award and Heisman Trophy since 2020.