The US Open is less than a month away, with the main draw of the hard-court major set to begin on the 30th of August.
On the men’s side, the tournament has been a seemingly difficult one to win in consecutive seasons.
Roger Federer was the last player to go back-to-back at Flushing Meadows, with the Swiss winning five US Open titles in a row from 2004 to 2008.
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Federer holds the joint record for the most US Open titles in the Open Era, with a tally of five to his name.
He shares that record with American legend Pete Sampras, who Serena Williams’ former coach, Patrick Mouratoglou, thinks is the greatest player in the tournament’s history.
Patrick Mouratoglou says Pete Sampras is the best US Open player ever
Asked in a post on Instagram to name the best male US Open player ever, Mouratoglou said: “Pete Sampras.
“He’s the youngest ever to have won the US Open, and what is amazing is that he stopped his career by winning the US Open at 32.”
Sampras won his first of 14 Grand Slam singles titles at the 1990 US Open, aged just 19.
He defeated longtime rival Andre Agassi in the championship match, beating his compatriot in straight sets to hoist the trophy.
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Sampras then went on to win the 1993 US Open before going back-to-back in 1995 and 1996.
His last triumph in New York came in 2002, when he ended his career by winning a fifth US Open title.
Sampras beat Agassi again in the final that year, and became the only man in the Open Era to win the last Grand Slam he played.
Patrick Mouratoglou names the best current US Open player
Then asked to name the best current US Open player, Mouratoglou said: “Carlos Alcaraz. In the past years, he is the most dominant.
Like Sampras, Carlos Alcaraz also won his first Grand Slam title at the US Open, doing so at the 2022 event.
Alcaraz made the semifinals the year after, but in 2024 he recorded his joint-worst Grand Slam finish ever.
The Spaniard fell in the second round that season, losing to Botic van de Zandschulp in straight sets.
In 2025, however, Alcaraz reclaimed the throne at the US Open, beating Jannik Sinner in the final to win his sixth Grand Slam title.
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