WIMBLEDON, England — Lost amid Roger Federer's chase for history entering this year's Wimbledon is a record of more dubious distinction: the 22 majors (and counting) American men have gone without winning one.
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The unenviable streak dates to the 2003 U.S. Open, when 21-year-old Andy Roddick captured his first and only Grand Slam title.
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Michael Chang, then 17, snapped the previous longest non-winning gap in the post-1968 Open era at the 1989 French Open — a run of 18 majors following John McEnroe's victory at the 1984 U.S. Open.
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Despite a talented crop of players such as Roddick, James Blake, Mardy Fish and Robby Ginepri, reaching the finish line at the four majors has proved elusive.
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Blake, seeded No. 17 and starting his Wimbledon campaign Monday against Andreas Seppi of Italy, has an explanation.
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"Of those 22, I'm going to guess (Federer) and (Rafael Nadal) have won 20 of them?" says Blake. Blake is close — Federer (13) and Nadal (six) have won 19 since Roddick's win in New York.
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"It's pretty tough when you're dealing with the greatest payer of all time and the greatest clay-courter of all time," adds Blake, 29, who has yet to go past the quarterfinals at a major.
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According to American pros and pundits, sixth-ranked Roddick is the best hope to end the drought.
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Although the big-serving Texan retired to Blake in the semifinals at Queens after rolling his right ankle, he has played at a consistently high level all year under new coach Larry Stefanki.
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Roddick, a Wimbledon runner-up to Federer in 2004-05, got a further break when top-ranked Nadal withdrew on the eve of the tournament with tendinitis in his knees. Fifth-ranked Argentine Juan Martin Del Potro is in Roddick's quarter, replacing Nadal, along with possible semifinal opponent Andy Murray of Scotland.
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"Roddick clearly has by far the biggest chance to be there the final weekend," says U.S. Davis Cup captain Patrick McEnroe, who called the trimmed-down 26-year-old the third favorite after five-time winner Federer and No. 3 Murray.
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"Everyone — Andy, James, Mardy — has got the firepower to do it," says 21-year-old Sam Querrey, who is the No. 4 American at No. 46. "Hopefully it won't go to 23," adds Querrey, who plays Ivan Ljubicic in his opener Monday.
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The women wouldn't be much better off were it not for Venus and Serena Williams, who own 17 majors together. Without Venus, 29, and Serena, 27, American women would have a winless Slam streak stretching to Jennifer Capriati's 2002 Australian Open title.
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If the drought is reaching undesirable proportions, U.S. officials are not standing idle.
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Patrick McEnroe, who was hired last year to oversee the USTA's high-performance development program, has overhauled staff, re-examined core training methods and poured resources into regional training facilities in an effort to improve the elite player pipeline.
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Those changes will take time to show up in the pro ranks.
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"We are building from the ground up," says two-time U.S. Open winner Tracy Austin, who was recruited this year by McEnroe to work with juniors at the USTA training facility in Carson, Calif.
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There has been one longer gap between U.S. major winners. Thirty-one Slams went by between Tony Trabert's 1955 U.S. Open victory and Chuck McKinley's Wimbledon win in 1963.
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That era was dominated by Australian greats such as Rod Laver, Lew Hoad and Roy Emerson. It was also a time when many top U.S. players stuck to collegiate competition or weren't inclined to travel overseas for events.
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Perhaps most important, the top American player of the period, Pancho Gonzalez, was largely absent. That's because Gonzalez was a professional at a time when the four Grand Slams only allowed amateurs to compete.
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"He was out barnstorming," tennis historian Bud Collins says.
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Considering the USA's success through the decades — its 33 singles titles at Wimbledon is second to Great Britain's 35 — it helps to keep some perspective.
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The majority of Great Britain's winners came before 1900 when the tournament was not international. It has not had a male Grand Slam singles champ since Fred Perry at Wimbledon in 1936, a span of 73 years and more than 250 majors.
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"Twenty-two is not a lot of majors in the grand scheme of things," Murray says.
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