Three years ago Sam Querrey was carrying the can for a US Davis Cup defeat to James Ward of Great Britain, a defeat that went a long way to condemning the USA to an embarrassing loss against Great Britain in the Davis Cup. He spent the summer of 2014 playing Challenger events, a sign of his dramatic loss of confidence and form after time out with a long term elbow injury.
Yet Sam Querrey is, for the second tournament in a row, leading the American Men as the sole remaining player in the draw at the quarter-final stage. It is the second tournament in a row that Querrey has made a grand slam quarter-final, and his third in two years after making at least the quarters of Wimbledon in both 2016 and 2017.
It marks a remarkable spell for a player whose best runs at a grand slam in his career up until 2016 were isolated fourth round efforts.
Querrey’s game is simple. Standing at 6’5 he has a big serve and a crushing forehand. Though the serve is not quite as big as compatriot and good friend John Isner’s, it is still a demoralising force for opposing players. His forehand is his true weapon, a bullet of a shot that can find chinks in the armour of even the best defensive players on the tour.
Coach Craig Boynton gave an interview to ESPN in 2016 about his player: “Let me put this the best way I can, Sam’s being a lot more resilient and a lot more positive in looking forward. He’s taking care of the task at hand more than worrying about the opportunity lost.”
At 29, Querrey seems more relaxed and in tune with what needs to be focused on. In the same interview Querrey gave a insight into his different mental state .”Especially on break points, deuce points and tiebreakers. It’s about committing to the process of getting better, instead of focusing on just winning a match. I’m hoping that win or lose, it will eventually translate into positive results.”
It has certainly turned into more wins for the tall American. Querrey has proven more ruthless, a trait that has seen him take down World No.1s and defending champions in consecutive Wimbledon tournaments. First he stunned Novak Djokovic in 2016, then beat Andy Murray in 2017. It doesn’t matter that both players were plagued by personal or physical issues, Querrey could have lost either match particularly the one to Murray that had seen him start poorly.
Querrey is now a player with a grand slam semi-final on his resume, the only active American man who can boast that record. The last American to reach a grand slam semi-final who was not Querrey was Andy Roddick who reached that stage en route to his last grand slam final in 2009.
Querrey takes on Kevin Anderson in the US Open quarter-finals, a man who he edged in the Wimbledon quarter-finals over five sets. A player in the form of his life and with the bottom half of the draw in disarray following the losses of Alexander Zverev and Marin Cilic the stage is set for Querrey to move to a new career-high ranking with a win.
- Querrey’s ranking did not improve greatly from his excellent Wimbledon performance, as his run to the semis only bettered his quarters run by a single round. His run to the quarters this year improve on a first round exit last year, so a return to the Top 20 at least is imminent.
