Patrick McEnroe is making a bold call for next month’s US Open: he thinks Ben Shelton can win the tournament and end the American men’s 23-year wait for a Grand Slam singles title.
Speaking on an Zoom call in August 2026, McEnroe said, “I’m picking Big Ben. I’m going for it,” before adding, “I like Shelton to win the Open.” He also said, “I’ll go out on a limb right now: There will be an American man winning the US Open this year on the men’s side.”
The prediction matters because the last American man to win the US Open was Andy Roddick in 2003, when he defeated David Nalbandian and Juan Carlos Ferrero to capture the championship. That title has remained the benchmark in the years since, with the drought stretching to 23 years.
Why Shelton is the pick
McEnroe’s view comes with the understanding that Carlos Alcaraz and Novak Djokovic are still favored on paper. He said, “The men’s side, Alcaraz is still the favorite,” but he still preferred Shelton as the player who could break through in New York.
That is the key takeaway from McEnroe’s argument. He is not saying Shelton is the safest choice. In fact, he acknowledged the risk by saying, “I wouldn’t bet on it myself personally.” But he is betting on upside, belief and the chance for an American to finally get over the line at Flushing Meadows.
Shelton has already built a reputation as one of the most explosive American players on tour, and McEnroe’s support reflects the idea that the conditions for a breakthrough are there. If Shelton does make the run McEnroe is projecting, it would do more than give the US Open a new champion. It would also end a long-running storyline that has followed American men’s tennis since Roddick’s 2003 triumph.
For now, the pick is simple: McEnroe likes Shelton to win the Open. The bigger question is whether the projected American breakthrough finally arrives at Arthur Ashe Stadium.
