"Rooting for an American to break through in their backyard" - Andre Agassi shares his US Open 2024 picks ft. Ben Shelton, Frances Tiafoe

Andre Agassi rooted for his compatriots ahead of the 2024 US Open. With 5 Americans in the Top 20, Agassi expressed hope of seeing one of them lift the coveted trophy.

Agassi won the US Open twice, in 1994 and then in 1999. Pete Sampras lifted his fifth US Open title in 2002, followed by Andy Roddick in 2003. Since then, no American has won the US Open men's singles.

In a clip posted by the "Tennis Channel" on X recently, the eight-time Grand Slam champion was asked to pick his favorite for winning the 2024 US Open. Highlighting Tommy Paul's athleticism, Taylor Fritz's speed, and Ben Shelton's serve, Agassi replied:

"Oh, I don't know, I don't really pick, I mean, I kind of root. I'm rooting for an American to break through in their backyard. We have 5 of them in Top 20," Agassi said at the start of the clip.

"I mean, Tommy Paul's atheticism, the way Taylor hits the ball as quick as the courts are playing. I mean, Ben Shelton with the way he's serving," he added.

The 54-year-old went on to include Sebastian Korda and Frances Tiafoe to his list of home hopes and said,

"Sebby [Sebastian Korda] with the way he's hitting it. Tiafoe could come, you know, I mean coming off last year, he turned the corner last week. I'm kind of hoping to see one of them do something really special," Agassi added.

Last year's US Open quarterfinalist Frances Tiafoe will come into the hardcourt Major after a runner-up finish at the 2024 Cincinnati Masters. Tiafoe lost 7-6(4), 6-2 to Jannik Sinner in the final on Tuesday, 20th August.

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Andre Agassi mentions Novak Djokovic and Jannik Sinner among other players who resemble his game as a "ball striker at heart"

Andre Agassi at the 2024 CTP Cluj-Napoca exhibition event in Romania

Andre Agassi notably remains the most recent American male player to win the French Open(1999) and the Australian Open (2003). He was known to dictate play from the baseline, with his two-handed backhand being one of his most powerful weapons.

In the same clip posted by the Tennis Channel on X, when asked which current player resembled his playing style the most, Agassi said that it did not "work that way" since the game had changed over the years. However, the former World No.1 did believe Novak Djokovic and Jannik Sinner were similar to his style of being a "ball striker at heart".

"It doesn't work that way anymore you know. The spins of the game, the strings, everything, the dimensions, the geometry of it, has kind of changed. I mean I was a ball striker at heart, so I think there's some great ball strikers you know, like the way Sinner hits the ball, the way Novak hits the ball," Agassi said [at 0:36].

Agassi then said that while Carlos Alcaraz was also a ball striker, the Spaniard's style was different, later mentioning Sebastian Korda and Taylor Fritz as fellow Americans whose game resembled his.

"Alcaraz is kind of that... I never hit that kind of spin, but you know there's just a lot of great ball strikers out there," he said.

"Some Americans, I mean the way Taylor (Fritz) strikes the ball, the way Seb Korda strikes the ball. So I always kind of liked that part of it," he added.

The main draw of the US Open will begin on Monday, August 26.