MARTIN BLACKMAN

Frances Tiafoe calls his run to the U.S. Open semifinals ‘a Cinderella story.

After nearly three decades in the public eye, few can match Serena Williams' array of accomplishments, medals and awards.

This is the first time in U.S. Open history that no men or women from the host country has made it to the quarterfinals in singles.

The last American man to win a Grand Slam tournament was Andy Roddick at the U.S. Open in 2003, and there's no sign the drought will end anytime soon. “But I don’t see it being what it once was ever again.”AdOpelka, for one, isn’t surprised the United States has the same number of seeded men in Melbourne as, say, Bulgaria or Norway. The United States has four seeded women in Melbourne, including Kenin and Serena Williams. That’s a challenge, because those kids want to play basketball and football.”The United States Tennis Association has inner-city programs in more than 250 locations. Opelka (ranked 38th), Fritz (ranked 31st), Tommy Paul (53rd) and Frances Tiafoe (64th) are all 23 and good friends who root for each other.