U.S. men still in desperate need of big clay title

Fabio Fognini captured his first ATP Masters 1000 title, in Monte Carlo on Sunday, ending the 14-year streak of dominance by Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic and Stan Wawrinka.

Additionally, with the title going to an Italian, it's an official 63-year drought for the American men at the popular event—their longest time winless at any large tournament. In fact, the last U.S. win there belonged to Hugh Stewart in 1956, more than a decade before both the beginning of the Open era and the founding of the ATP.

The drought is owed partially to the scarcity of American men's titles on clay overall, but also to sparse U.S. participation, with Monte Carlo no longer being "mandatory" in the ranking-points system and the U.S. Men's Clay Court Championship taking place an ocean away in Houston just the week before.

Taylor Fritz, the only American to even play in Monte Carlo this year, defeated Jo-Wilfried Tsonga and Diego Schwartzman before going out to Novak Djokovic in the third round, 6-3, 6-0. He lost in the second round this week in Barcelona to Kei Nishikori, after beating countryman Reilly Opelka.

The U.S. men have seen some success in semi-recent memory at the other big clay tournaments, but not by anyone who isn't long retired: Todd Martin won in Barcelona in 1998, and Andre Agassi was the last American to win Roland Garros, in 1999, and Rome, in 2002.

If the Americans were to **get back into the winner's circle in Barcelona, it would have been a fresh face; Frances Tiafoe and Fritz lost in the second round, while Mackenzie McDonald remains the only two U.S player still in the draw.