2017 Year in Review: A Wimbledon Semi for Sam Querrey

Love-15: As 2017 draws to a close, USTA.com is taking a look back at the top 15 storylines, headlines and highlights from the year in American tennis. Up now: Sam Querrey’s breakthrough run to his first career Grand Slam semifinal.

It was a long time coming. But when it came, it was pretty spectacular. 

After 42 Grand Slam tournament appearances across the span of more than a decade, Sam Querrey knocked off the Great Scot, Andy Murray, in the Wimbledon quarters to reach his first career major semifinal – which doubled as the first Grand Slam semifinal for an American man since Andy Roddick at the All England Club in 2009.

The win was impressive on a number of levels. Obviously, Murray was the definitive home-crowd favorite, but more, he also was the defending Wimbledon champ and the No. 1-ranked player in the world at the time. In eight previous meetings between the two, the American had won just once – and that was in 2010. What’s more, Querrey dropped two of the first three sets before rallying back for the 3-6, 6-4, 6-7, 6-1, 6-1 win.

While this was truly a breakthrough win for Querrey, it wasn’t the first time the American had planted a top seed in the lawns of London. Just the year before, Querrey took out defending Wimbledon champion and world No. 1 Novak Djokovic en route to a quarterfinal finish.

Although Querrey’s first-career semifinal showing didn’t end as he’d hoped, as he lost to Marin Cilic in a tough four-setter, his successive successes at Wimbledon did give him hope for better things to come. Following his semifinal loss, a reporter asked Querrey, “Quarters here last year; semis this year. What about next year?”

Querrey’s reply: “Pencil me in for the final….”