"They don’t have that extra ingredient that Nadal and Djokovic have, or that McEnroe and Connors had" - Pam Shriver on the lack of Grand Slam success for American men since 2003

After John McEnroe won his seventh and final Grand Slam title at the 1984 US Open, it took almost five years for an American player to emerge victorious at another Major.

A 17-year-old Michael Chang won the 1989 French Open, his only Grand Slam title, before the likes of Pete Sampras, Jim Courier, and Andre Agassi burst onto the scene to rule the roster. The three players shared a combined total of 26 Majors between them, 14 of which belonged to Sampras.

Andy Roddick was their successor and gave the impression of being the next big thing when he won the 2003 US Open at the age of 21. However, that remains the last time an American man has lifted a Grand Slam title.

During a recent interview, former American player and 22-time Grand Slam doubles champion Pam Shriver raised concerns about the shortage of talent on the men's circuit in America.

"We can’t believe that it’s 19 years since Andy Roddick won the US Open. There hasn’t been a US Grand Slam men’s finalist since Roddick in 2009 at Wimbledon, either, and it’s hard to see where the next one is coming from. None of the Americans coming through stand out like Alcaraz, Sinner, or Ruud. We’ve looked at it from all angles," Shriver said.

Drawing comparisons between the current crop of players and the seasoned veterans that America has produced in the past, Shriver said that the fighting spirit and competitiveness are missing in today's players. She further added that a great player is much more than just having a good serve and forehand.

"Are we a bit softer in the US with our players? When you look back at the players we used to have like John McEnroe, Billie-Jean King, Jimmy Connors, they had that street-fighting attitude. Even Chris Evert did it in such sporting fashion. They were all brutal competitors, and I just don’t see a lot of that around right now."

"They don’t have that extra ingredient that Nadal and Djokovic have, or that McEnroe and Connors had. We’ve got a lot of good servers, players who are good with forehands and backhands, but it takes far more than that and there’s been some intangibles that have been missing for a long time," said Shriver.

Tsonga, Berdych, Ferrer have been better than the American players: Pam Shriver

Pam Shriver talked about the missing mindset in American players and how no one from the US has been able to win a Major, while others have picked up a few despite the presence of the Big-3.

"Obviously, the sport is more popular now in different parts of the world. Wawrinka and Murray have won three Grand Slams each and a few players have snuck in with the odd one apart from the Big-3, but it’s been a rough go. A lot of great players have come and gone like Tsonga, Berdych, Ferrer, and they’ve been much better than the US players who have come through in recent years," Shriver said.

"We simply haven’t had the talent, and by talent, it’s not just ball-striking; it’s the full package. It’s like what we see with Federer, Djokovic, and Nadal. It’s about the mindset. It’s how you handle the big moments, the training, discipline, technique, strategy and the team you choose to have around you. It’s comprehensive and the US guys just haven’t had it," she added.