It has been far too long since an American man won the US Open singles title.
That seems difficult to believe, but it’s true: The last American to hoist a men’s singles trophy at the Billie Jean King National Tennis Center was Andy Roddick, all the way back in 2003. Since Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic came onto the scene in earnest, American men haven’t won the tournament, though Roddick, Andre Agassi and Taylor Fritz have made it to the final match in the interim.
That’s not the case, however, for American women. Coco Gauff triumphed in 2023, Sloane Stephens won in 2017 and Serena and Venus Williams split eight championships between them from 1999 to 2014. Gauff might make another run this year, as she’s on our list of top contenders for the women’s singles title.
The world has changed quite a bit since Roddick beat Juan Carlos Ferrero in three sets. Here’s a look at what things were like back in August 2003.
“Crazy in Love” tops the charts
It’s difficult to remember a time when Beyoncé wasn’t the massive cultural force she is now, but back in 2003, she had only just come up with her debut solo album “Dangerously in Love.” The lead single off that album, “Crazy in Love,” came in incredibly strong, with Beyoncé’s vocals backed by a soaring brass section and guest vocals from Jay-Z. “Crazy in Love” was Beyoncé’s first triumph and spent eight weeks at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100.
“S.W.A.T.” rules the box office
Based on the 1970’s TV series of the same name, “S.W.A.T.” was an action blockbuster following a police special forces team as they escort a drug kingpin — who offered $100 million to anyone who can help him escape — to prison. Featuring a star-studded cast of Samuel L. Jackson, Colin Farrell, Michelle Rodriguez, LL Cool J and Jeremy Renner, “S.W.A.T.” grossed $116 million in the month of August.
Mars gets close
The planet Mars is far away from Earth — but how far away that is varies, especially if Mars is on the opposite side of the sun from Earth. In 2003, Mars and Earth were closer than they had been since the year 57,617 B.C., the closest the planets will be until the year 2287.
Mars’ proximity to Earth spawned a strange belief that, on August 27, 2003, the planet would appear as large in the sky as the full moon. For the record, though Mars is twice as wide as the moon, it was over 34 million miles away at the time. The moon is about 238,000 miles away, which is 142 times closer. Anyone looking outside hoping to see Olympus Mons or the Valles Marineris would have been disappointed.
ESPN NFL Football drops
Released just a few days before Roddick won his title, ESPN NFL Football was the first edition of the NFL 2K series not to feature “2K” in the title. Tampa Bay Buccaneers lineman Warren Sapp was the cover star, and the game got pretty good reviews from critics, topping out at a 91 on Metacritic.
