Taylor Fritz is two wins away from becoming the first American man to win Wimbledon since Pete Sampras in 2000. The 25-year drought for the prestigious grass-court major hasn’t been for a lack of trying, as many came tantalizingly close to joining Sampras on the iconic honors board at the All England Tennis Club. Here, we recap three times when the drought nearly came to an end. The 6-foot-10 giant with the booming serve was playing the best tennis of his career, dispatching three of his first four opponents in straight sets and beating Milos Raonic comfortably in the quarterfinal. In the semifinal, he met his match in Kevin Anderson, the lanky South African with a similar skill set, resulting in an instant classic. After four hours of grueling tennis, they battled in arguably the most riveting fifth set ever that lasted two hours and 50 minutes. Anderson would clinch the deciding set, 26-24, to win the third-longest match in the Open Era (six hours, 36 minutes). Isner later revealed he dealt with blistersRead More
Three times an American nearly ended 25-year Wimbledon drought
