By Richard Pagliaro | Tuesday, August 25, 2026
Photo credit: Jon Buckle/ROLEX
The dancing fountain outside Arthur Ashe Stadium signals a watershed moment is coming.
The 23-year American men’s Grand Slam title drought will end next month, says ESPN analyst Patrick McEnroe.
Two-time Canadian Open champion Ben Shelton will hoist his maiden major on Ashe Stadium next month, 23 years after Andy Roddick, now an ESPN analyst, defeated David Nalbandian and Juan Carlos Ferrero back-to-back to capture the 2003 US Open championship.
“Im picking Big Ben. I’m going for it,” McEnroe told the media in an ESPN Zoom call on Monday to promote the network’s UOpen coverage. ”I like Shelton to win the Open.”
Patrick McEnroe’s bold prediction comes a year after he told Tennis Now: “I’ll go out on a limb right now: There will be an American man winning the US Open this year [2025] on the men’s side.”
So credit McEnroe, who climbed the ladder from former US Open ball boy to the last U.S. captain to lead the United States to the Davis Cup championship, for consistency.
Still, before you dismiss his view as homerism or fever-dream driven thinking, consider McEnroe conceded reigning champion Carlos Alcaraz and Grand Slam king Novak Djokovic are favorites on paper, but believes both champions are vulnerable. Alcaraz, who has been nursing a wrist injury, has not played a match since winning his Barcelona opener back in April. A depleted Djokovic hit a wall in his Cincinnati Open loss then alluded to an ongoing physical issue. Those major question marks lead McEnroe to anoint Shelton, who thrives on North American hard courts, as major drought destroyer.
“The men’s side, Alcaraz is still the favorite,” McEnroe said. “He shows up, he’s the favorite. He’s not as big of a favorite as he would be if he had been playing. If he had been playing most of the year, he’d be a huge, huge favorite.
“Because of the question mark about how he’s going to feel physically, how he’s going to play, then you put probably the second favorite, I mean, I guess if you went by the odds makers, it’s probably Djokovic or Zverev would be my guess.”
Grand Slam king Novak Djokovic is the last man not named Jannik Sinner or Carlos Alcaraz to win the US Open when he defeated 2021 champion Daniil Medvedev in the 2023 Flushing Meadows final. ESPN analyst McEnroe said while Djokovic has the skills to hoist a record-extending 25th Grand Slam crown in New York, he doesn’t envision the Serbian superstar winning his fifth US Open championship next month.
“I wouldn’t bet on it myself personally. He’s certainly capable,” McEnroe said of Djokovic. “He’s played well in the majors this year. Beat Sinner in Australia. Arguably he’s played the three best matches of the year. Two he won against Sinner, the won he lost against Fonseca, second- or third-round match. A great match. Then one against Auger-Aliassime.
“I think a lot of things have to break right for him. Weather-wise, avoiding a long match. I think the Felix match took a lot out of him even though he had two days off before he played Sinner.
“Certainly, the way he’s played in the majors, he’s playing well enough to be a factor. For me, there’s too many things that have to go right, that have to break right for him to win it.”
Former Queens resident McEnroe said illness and fatigue also played a part in picking an American man to end the major title drought: “I can stop getting this question after 20-some years: When is the next American going to win a major? I’m sick of it! I’m tired of it.”
The true blue court represents “golden opportunity” for Americans and McEnroe says Shelton will seize it and raise the title trophy on Sunday, September 13th.
“This is a golden opportunity. Obviously if Alcaraz comes back and gets through a few matches, looks good, he’ll quickly become the favorite,” McEnroe said. “I mean, he’s the favorite right now, but he’d quickly become a bigger favorite.
“There’s no doubt the fact he hasn’t played since the spring, with Sinner out, this is a monster opportunity. I mean, Shelton had another big win in Canada. Fritz has been pretty rock solid this summer. A lot of matches under his belt. Let’s throw Frances Tiafoe in the mix after getting to the final in Cincinnati. He thrives with the New York crowd.
“Tommy Paul is certainly capable. I’d put Shelton as the top guy. For me, he’s the best chance with his serve. I liked what I saw from him a lot in Canada. I thought the return game looked a lot better. To me, that’s always been the thing that he’s got to improve upon the most if he wants to win one of these big ones”
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