PARIS (Reuters) -American men have reduced the gap with European players in the last decade but Grand Slam success will remain the gold standard to measure tennis greatness, United States number two Tommy Paul said at the French Open on Sunday.
Paul's compatriot Taylor Fritz had a chance to end his country's wait for a first men's major since Andy Roddick's 2003 U.S. Open triumph, but he was soundly beaten in last year's Flushing Meadows final by Jannik Sinner.
That defeat raised fresh questions about the U.S. men, with Italian Sinner and Spain's Carlos Alcaraz now extending European superiority after two decades of dominance by Roger Federer, Rafa Nadal and Novak Djokovic.
"We haven't closed the gap because none of us have won a Grand Slam. There's still a lot of really good Europeans ranked ahead of us. I wouldn't say the gap has closed. Over the past six years or so, we've definitely made it smaller," Paul said.
World number 12 Paul, one of four Americans inside the world's top 20, said Fritz's run to the New York final should give his peers the motivation they need to end the drought.
"We've been hearing our whole lives how we haven't had a Grand Slam champion in so long," Paul added.
"To have him in the finals there was huge for U.S. tennis, huge for him and for all of us in terms of belief. Seeing him there, we all believe we can be there. I think it's great for the sport."
Paul, who reached the semi-finals of the Italian Open earlier this month, beat Elmer Moller 6-7(5) 6-2 6-3 6-1 at the French Open on Sunday to book a clash with Marton Fucsovics.
(Reporting by Shrivathsa Sridhar in ParisEditing by Toby Davis)
